DSI CLEAR Programs and Initiatives

Graduate Student Teaching Excellence Program

Outstanding Online Course and Teacher Awards Program

GSTEP: Graduate Student Teaching Excellence Program

The Graduate Student Teaching Excellence Program (GSTEP) is a zero-credit course designed for all UNT graduate students regardless of teaching experience.

The course focuses on a variety of topics related to university teaching and student learning including: identifying assumptions about teaching and learning, writing learning objectives, designing effective assessment techniques and active learning environments, evaluating teaching effectiveness, and working with a diverse population of learners.

The learning objectives of this course are for students to:

Engage UNT Teaching Assistants around intentional conversations about teaching and learning.
Elevate and improve the andragogical skills of the UNT teaching community and increase retention of students at UNT.
Facilitate opportunities for UNT Teaching Assistants to practice and reflect on their developing andragogy.

GSTEP is offered every Fall 16 week term, Spring 16 week term, and Summer 10 week term.

Graduate student teachers have a significant impact on undergraduate education yet often receive little to no teacher training. This isn’t just a problem for undergraduate students, but also for the graduate students teaching them; many of whom feel unprepared and question their place in front of the classroom.

Graduate student instructors often teach the most vulnerable undergraduate student populations: students who are brand new to college and may lack the independent study and learning skills that a college education demands. Thus, graduate student teachers often carry the responsibility of not just teaching course content, but also supporting undergraduates through a brand new learning and social experience. Even for students coming from college-educated families, the demands of college are daunting.

Despite this, higher education often perpetuates the myth that we know how to teach because we have been taught. This myth that good teaching is inherent is problematic not only for being wrong, but also for not preparing graduate students for the changing higher education landscape. The increasing demand for accountability in higher education means graduate student instructors need to use effective teaching strategies to facilitate student learning in the classes they teach. They also need the experience of designing courses that can demonstrate student learning to departments, administrators, and other higher education stakeholders. Further, teaching skills translate across a variety of settings, including the non-profit sector and industry. This is the need that GSTEP serves and the commitment that GSTEP students make.

This course is delivered entirely online and requires reading content and completing assignments in Canvas. Students can expect to complete the course requirements in approximately 35 hours over one semester.

During GSTEP, you will:

Complete 8 online modules in Canvas. (All required materials are included in Canvas. There is no required textbook or materials to purchase.)
Conduct a student teaching practicum (includes an observation, teaching plan development and implementation, and evaluation) in a higher education setting whether face-to-face, online, hybrid, or remote.
Write a critical reflection & teaching philosophy essay.

Each of the above components are required to pass the course.

Online modules include content, readings, assignments, assignment instructions, and supplemental resources. The student teaching practicum includes observations of an experienced teacher, lesson plan development and implementation in a higher education setting, and an evaluation of teaching effectiveness.

Through these components of the course, students will develop and refine their teaching skills and improve their understanding of how students learn.

GSTEP is offered every Fall 16-week term, Spring 16-week term, and Summer 10-week term.

Please take the Spring 2024 GSTEP Enrollment Survey in order to enroll in GSTEP for the spring 2024 semester.

NOTE: FILLING OUT THIS SURVEY WILL ENROLL YOU IN THE SPRING 2024 GSTEP COURSE.

The student teaching practicum requires GSTEP students to teach in a higher education course (ideally an undergraduate course) whether face-to-face, online, hybrid, or remote. Students will select and observe a course, design a lesson plan, implement their lesson plan, and evaluate and critically reflect on their teaching experience.

In order to complete this required component, GSTEP students will need to be a graduate student instructor (such as a TA or TF) or adjunct instructor for a higher education institution during the term, OR, collaborate with an instructor-of-record to conduct their student teaching practicum in a higher education course whether face-to-face, online, hybrid, or remote. To learn more about the recommended process, please see the GSTEP PDF – GSTEP FAQ: How do I find a course for the practicum?

Note that it is the responsibility of the GSTEP student to find a course for the student teaching practicum.

According to the UNT Fact Book, UNT employs 344 Teaching Fellows and 832 Teaching Assistants. This means graduate student teachers account for 42% of those with teaching responsibilities at the university. Further, when we factor in that graduate student instructors often teach introductory courses with larger enrollments and include many students across disciplines, we can see that graduate student teachers greatly impact undergraduate education. Yet, most graduate students receive little to no teacher training. GSTEP aims to provide the support needed for the teaching development of graduate student instructors and support the university mission of “empowering students to thrive in a rapidly changing world.”

Several departments on campus work with GSTEP to provide teacher development to their graduate student instructors. In some cases, departments require all graduate student instructors to take GSTEP as a zero-credit course upon hiring. Other departments and/or colleges require graduate students to take GSTEP as a 3-hour credit offering. If your department is interested in any of these offerings, please email gstep@unt.edu.

For many students, GSTEP is a transformative experience that profoundly changes who they are as educators. GSTEP’s aim is to develop students’ teaching competency. We do this by challenging students’ assumptions about teaching and learning and asking them to critically reflect on their teaching beliefs, values, and experiences.

Some notable quotes from GSTEP alumni:

"My assumptions changed in many ways since completing GSTEP. One major change was related to my fear of nervousness. I always assumed I looked very nervous and sounded like I was not knowledgeable because of my visible nervousness. After seeing myself on video, I realized my teaching was not nearly as bad or obvious how nervous I was to others when teaching. This alone made a huge difference in my teaching, it allowed me to focus less on me and more on delivering effective teaching strategies and gave me confidence."

"In this sense, my philosophy of learning was changed. Learning is not a process of memorizing an existing body of knowledge, but a process of learning how to think creatively."

"I had some preconceptions about teaching based on my entire experience as a student. I found that not all of these assumptions could be reasonable when I am going to be teaching in a class in the future. For instance, before GSTEP I believed that the ability to teach is somehow inherent, and good teachers always have a gift. During this course I understood that everyone who is interested in teaching can learn the techniques and strategies. Implementing these strategies accompanied by enthusiasm towards teaching can help everyone become a great teacher. On the other hand, there is not a single way to follow for being a good teacher."

"I realized there was a certain sense of arrogance on my part, in that if I was teaching it, they should be learning it. Never really taking into account how they would approach me if they were having difficulty or if they did not understand it. I realized I very well could be the obstacle I was trying to prevent. I do not ever want to be that teacher. And quite honestly, thanks to you, I will not be."

DSI CLEAR Outstanding Online Teacher and Course Award

The DSI CLEAR Outstanding Online Teacher & Course Award is a University-wide program to recognize excellence in the design of online courses and the facilitation of the instructional experience using educational technology.

The Outstanding Online Teacher and Course Award recipient receives the distinction of being recognized that their online course has been deemed outstanding based on nationally recognized standards for excellence in online course design. The award also provides recipients with a trophy and monetary stipend.

Nominations

Circle with apple at the center and mouse at the center of the apple We are once again extending the opportunity to acknowledge exceptional online design and pedagogy from our UNT teaching community. This year, we intend on highlighting faculty who have participated in our ‘Course in a Box’ as well as our Coursera course development processes. If you, or a faculty member you know, designed and delivered an online course during the Spring 2022, Summer 2022, or Fall 2022 semesters and you think their efforts are worthy of consideration for one of these awards, please send an email to Benjamin.Nye@unt.edu and include the name of your nominee, the name of the course, as well as a link to their course in Canvas or Coursera by Friday, November 11, 2022.

Award presentations will take place during the Spring 2023 Salute to Faculty Excellence Awards Celebration.

Awards will include:

$1500 (taxable award) and a trophy will be awarded to each of the recipients for the Outstanding Online Teacher & Course Award in Canvas as well as Coursera.
The recipients will both be recognized at the Spring 2023 Salute to Faculty Excellence Awards Celebration, and their names will be included on a perpetual award plaque displayed in the Center for Learning Experimentation, Application, and Research.

We want to thank all our online faculty who strive to make online learning at UNT an exceptional experience. We look forward to receiving your nominations soon!

Past Winners

2022 Outstanding Online Teacher & Course Award in Coursera
Dr. Susan Watson
Fundamentals of Inquiry and Discovery

2022 Outstanding Online Teacher & Course Award in Canvas
Dr. Kara Fulton
Archaeological Science

2021 Outstanding Online Teacher & Course Award
Allyson Packer

2020 Outstanding Online Teacher & Course Award
Dr. Roxanne Long

2019 Outstanding Online Teacher & Course Award
Dr. Brian Lain
The Zombie as Rhetorical Figure

2019 Exemplary Online Teacher & Course Award
Alexandra Veselka-Bush
Human Sexuality

2018 Outstanding Online Teacher & Course Award
Frances Perkins
Media Arts

2018 Exemplary Online Teacher & Course Award
Dr. Gayle Prybutok
Health Services Administration

2017 Outstanding Online Teacher & Course Award
Dr. Gayle Prybutok
Health Services Administration

2017 Exemplary Online Teacher & Course Designer Award
Dr. Kelly Donahue-Wallace
Art and Business

2016 Outstanding Online Teacher & Course Award
Dr. Lisa Henry
Peoples and Cultures of the Pacific

2016 Exemplary Online Teacher & Course Designer Award
Dr. Judi Bradetich
Child Development

2015 Outstanding Online Teacher & Course Award
Dr. Stephen Garretson
Family, School and Community

2015 Exemplary Online Teacher & Course Designer Award
Dr. Royce George
Theories of Organizational Development and Reform

2014 Outstanding Online Teacher & Course Award
Dr. Nancy Boyd Lillie
Business Ethics and Social Responsibility

2014 Exemplary Online Teacher & Course Designer Award
Dr. Manjula Salimath
International Management Perspectives

2013 Outstanding Online Teacher & Course Award
Dr. Elizabeth Arnold
Creating Consumer Experiences

2013 Exemplary Online Teacher & Course Designer Award
Dr. Linda Stromberg
Instructional Leadership

2012 Outstanding Online Teacher & Course Award
Dr. Rossana Boyd
Pedagogy for English as a Second Language for EC-12 classrooms

2012 Exemplary Online Teacher & Course Designer Award
Dr. Nicole Dash
Collective Behavior

2011 Outstanding Online Teacher & Course Award
Dr. Smita Mehta
Classroom and Behavior Management

2011 Exemplary Online Teacher & Course Designer Award
Dr. Lou Pelton
Culture and Consumption

2010 Outstanding Online Teacher & Course Award
Dr. Susan Dadres
Economic Concepts

2010 Exemplary Online Teacher & Course Designer Award
Dr. Kris Chesky
Occupational Health: Lessons from Music

2010 Exemplary Online Teacher & Course Designer Award
Dr. Kelly Donahue-Wallace
Art History Survey I

2009 Outstanding Online Teacher & Course Award
Dr. Smita Mehta
Educational Aspects of Students with Mild to Moderate Disabilities

2009 Exemplary Online Teacher & Course Designer Award
Dr. Anat Barnir
E-Management

2009 Exemplary Online Teacher & Course Designer Award
Dr. Susan Dadres
Principles of Macroeconomics

2009 Exemplary Online Teacher & Course Designer Award
Dr. Lynn Johnson
Organizational Behavior

2008 Blackboard Exemplary Course
Dr. Tracey Gau
Masterpieces of World Literature from the Ancients Through the Early Renaissance

2007 Outstanding Online Teacher & Course Award
Dr. Derrick D’Souza
International Management

2007 Exemplary Online Teacher & Course Designer Award
Dr. Nathan Cottle
Human Development

2007 Exemplary Online Course Designer Award
Dr. Becky Glover
Human Development

2007 Exemplary Online Teacher & Course Designer Award
Dr. Susan Dadres
Economic Concepts

2007 Exemplary Online Teacher & Course Designer Award
Dr. Lee Hughes
Principles of Biology I

2006 Outstanding Online Teacher & Course Award
Dr. Bob Insley and Michael Sexton
Communicating in Business

2005 Outstanding Online Teacher & Course Award
Dr. Elizabeth Figa
Storytelling for Information Professionals

2005 Exemplary Online Teacher & Course Designer Award
2005 WebCT Exemplary Course
Dr. Patricia Cukor-Avila and
Dr. Shobhana Chelliah
General Linguistics, Principles of Language Study (two courses)

2005 Exemplary Online Teacher & Course Designer Award
Jerry Dickenson
Resort and Club Management

2005 Exemplary Online Course Designer Award
Dr. Kelly Donahue-Wallace
Art Appreciation

Thank A Teacher

Circle with "thank a UNT teacher" in the center UNT students have a way to say “Thanks” through the “Thank a Teacher” Program here at UNT. They now can go to thanks.unt.edu to share their “thanks” with their teachers. They may complete as many of these online forms as they wish and choose to remain anonymous. After final grades have been submitted, their notes are sent to their teachers as part of a letter of recognition from the Provost!

Outstanding teachers at UNT do make a difference for students. They make learning challenging and fun; they are available when needed; and they weather many storms with students to foster bright futures. When teachers have made this kind of a difference, many students wish for a way to say “Thanks”. In reading the notes from students we can see trends. Students tend to say that their teacher has 1) made the course interesting, 2) made learning fun, 3) provided valuable help in future career choices, 4) was supportive during a difficult time, or 5) was inspirational.

Collaboration across administration, academic departments, student groups, and faculty support services provide the buy-in and support necessary to engage a ground swell in the Thank a Teacher campaign. Support from the Provost’s office, through the Associate Provost for Faculty Success, links the program in a way that provides exemplary recognition for faculty receiving these notes from their students. UNT has developed an atmosphere of gratitude and passion for teaching that is necessary to promote student success.

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