Graduate Students as Educators (GSaE)
POLICY:
It is required that all graduate students and post–doctoral fellows who teach in the medical school program complete the Graduate Student as Educators (GSaE) program to appropriately participate in the education of learners and develop skills as effective educators.
DEFINITIONS:
The goal of the GSaE program is to instruct all Penn State College of Medicine graduate students and post-doctoral fellows who teach in the medical school curriculum basic evidence-based teaching skills to prepare them for working with learners. The program will consist of three mandatory sessions (two initial sessions on teaching skills with one follow-up debriefing and reflection session).
PRINCIPLES:
By participating in the GSaE program, students will be able to:
- Connect learning and teaching experiences with key educational principles in order to inform his/her choice of teaching methods.
- Apply educational theory and research-based learning and teaching practices in a variety of educational settings.
- Articulate how feedback from faculty and students will be used to improve learning and teaching practices.
The content for the GSaE sessions will include but not be limited to the following topics:
- Principles of Adult Learning
- Effective Planning Processes
- Designing a Lecture and Selecting Resources for Learners
- Engaging Learners in Small and Large Groups
- Giving Feedback
PROCEDURES:
- All graduate students and post-doctoral fellows who participate in teaching medical students are expected to attend three scheduled sessions offered by the Woodward Center for Excellence in Health Sciences Education.
- Participation will be recorded and tracked by the Office of Medical Education in collaboration with the Woodward Center.
- Participants will be encouraged to complete an evaluation after each GSaE session. These evaluations will be used to improve future offerings.
- Program Directors who choose to embed parts of GSaE into their existing curriculum are required to submit materials for review and approval by the Woodward Center for Excellence in Health Sciences Education each academic year. This will be tracked by the Office of Medical Education in collaboration with the Woodward Center.
- Graduate students and post-doctoral fellows are strongly encouraged to participate in advanced teaching skills sessions provided by the Woodward Center or other entities (e.g., World Campus, Penn State University – Harrisburg, etc.).