Teaching Resources

Return to Postdoc Services RESOURCES

Interested in a career in teaching? Want to improve your pedagogical skills? Opportunities exist at Duke and in Durham to learn about teaching and build your teaching experience!

HANDS-ON TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES (details below)

TEACHING WORKSHOPS, EVENTS and RESOURCES (click on links for information)

HANDS-ON TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES

1. Duke Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) Program

Interested in a career as a faculty member at an institution like Elon University, Guilford College, Durham Tech, NC Central, NC State, or Meredith College? The Preparing Future Faculty Program provides a yearlong experience for PhD students and postdocs to prepare them for the multiple roles they may be asked to assume as future faculty members in a variety of academic institutions, not just research-intensive universities like Duke. PFF fellows learn about the broad range of faculty roles and responsibilities by visiting nearby cluster campuses, working closely with a mentor at one of six partner institutions, and attending colloquia at Duke on critical issues in academia. Typically about 25 to 30 PFF fellows are selected annually, including up to five postdoctoral fellows.

More information

2. Thompson Writing Program Lecturing Fellowship

Duke's Thompson Writing Program is a nationally recognized leader in preparing scholars across fields to successfully integrate writing pedagogy into their discipline-specific teaching. The TWP Lecturing Fellowships are for PhDs in a broad range of STEM or policy fields with an interest in developing their teaching abilities and gaining substantial undergraduate teaching experience. Successful candidates will join a multidisciplinary faculty charged with teaching an innovative first-year course in Academic Writing.

We have two aims for the Thompson Writing Program Fellows at Duke:

To build a top-flight faculty for our first-year course in Academic Writing; and
To offer the individuals who join us as Fellows a strong set of opportunities to develop as both scholars and teachers of undergraduates.

More information

3. Durham Technical Community College

Durham Technical Community College teaches hundreds of classes a year. Durham Tech is often looking for part-time instructors, especially in the summer. If you are interested, reach out to the Chair of the program/pathway you are interested in teaching (eg, Science & Math; Creative & Liberal Arts). Durham Tech is very close to Duke, and easy to get to by car or bus.

For more information, contact the Chair or Dean for your area of research.

4. NC School of Science and Math

The NC School of Science and Math is a Durham magnet high school where students study a specialized curriculum built around science and mathematics. Admission is extremely competitive. NCSSM instructors are often happy to have guest lecturers come in and teach a class or two. It helps if you can lecture on a topic that has been in the news recently, although you will discuss this with the course instructor.

For more information, contact faculty in your department of interest

5. Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Duke

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Duke (OLLI at Duke) began in 1977 as the Duke Institute for Learning in Retirement, a joint venture of Duke Continuing Education and the Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development. OLLI at Duke offers a wide array of courses in literature, history, religion, philosophy, natural sciences, social sciences, performing arts, art and architecture, economics, finance, computers and lifestyle issues. OLLI at Duke welcomes postdocs who would like to teach a course.

More information

6. Duke Family & Community Medicine Learning Together Program

Since 2002, Learning Together has created community partnerships and offered training, mentoring, and outreach opportunities for Duke learners (students) interested in providing health-related service. To date, learners have taught health education at several schools and community sites throughout Durham, responded to health promotion and social service requests made by community partners, and assisted with data collection, surveying, and assessments within Duke’s Division of Community Health.

Duke learners often serve community populations as an interdisciplinary team of medical residents and students, doctorate-level physical therapists, physician assistant and nursing students, and other graduate and undergraduate learners. Projects to serve the local community better include:
- Assisting with projects centered on health benefits enrollment
- Helping clinic patients with paper and electronic processes (health and technology literacy)
- Participating in community health fairs
- Teaching cooking classes at Durham Public School sites (sponsored by Durham County Health Department)
- Teaching health education at school and community sites
- Assisting with community surveying, data collection, and statistical analyses

More information

7. SciREN Triangle

The Scientific Research and Education Network (SciREN) aims to connect local STEM researchers and educators to foster the dissemination of current research and ultimately enhance the science literacy of today’s youth. SciREN aims to achieve our goals and mission through annual networking events and lesson plan workshops. The networking events bring researchers and teachers to the table for face-to-face interaction and exchange of ideas and materials. The lesson plan workshops help researchers translate their work into classroom-ready exercises that meet state and national standards.

More information