Teaching Scholars Program Details and Application Process

Applicants must:

• Hold a UCSF appointment for at least one year as a teacher/educator in any of the professional schools or the graduate division, for any level of learners.
• Describe and provide examples of: 
  • Commitment to education, e.g., teaching and/or curriculum development experience, education committee participation, goals indicate desire for further engagement in education beyond teaching.
  • Engagement in personal development as an educator, e.g., participation in workshops for educators at UCSF or elsewhere; reflection on teaching that led to improvements.
  • Commitment to anti-oppression, equity, and social justice in health professions education and/or in health care, e.g., personal statement demonstrates understanding of anti-oppression, equity, social justice; specific activities that contribute to DEIA.
• Have support from Division/Department for time needed for TSP.
• Complete and submit a TSP Application Form by the deadline.

Other considerations:

• While applicants from the School of Medicine have priority, there is the potential for two spots for applicants from the other UCSF schools.
• The TSP cohort will reflect diversity and equity with respect to race/ethnicity, gender, specialty.

September 9  to June - Interactive Seminars:

• Topic-based sessions every Tuesday 1-5 pm, Sessions are primarily on Zoom with planned face-to-face meetings so that everyone will know each other.  We will have a face-to-face meeting in the beginning and schedule others in a way that works for the cohort.
• Our first in-person meeting for the 2025 class will be on September 16 at Parnassus. We aim to schedule at least one in-person session per quarter and will notify the group of these dates well in advance. While weekly meetings continue through the summer, scholars will work increasingly independently on their projects in preparation for graduation.
• Scholars will complete the Teach for UCSF Certificate in Education Leadership in the spring (two full days of training)
• A monthly mentoring session, one Tuesday per month with a CFE researcher and a small group of TSP participants.

July and August - Ongoing Project Work Time:

• Tuesday 1-5 pm project work and works in progress sessions that are aligned with participants’ personal and work schedules.

Early September - Graduation:

• Graduation and project presentations

Members of the TSP selection committee review applications and select each TSP cohort. The current committee includes TSP program leadership, the Associate Dean for Curriculum, and TSP graduates representing diverse perspectives. 
The selection committee strives to select a cohort of teaching scholars that reflects diversity with respect to specialty, race/ethnicity, gender and other identities.  We seek applicants from a range of backgrounds and with educational experiences across the continuum of health professions education, and we consider the following:

• A UCSF appointment for at least one year as a teacher/educator in any of the professional schools or the graduate division, for any level of learners.
• Evidence of commitment to education, e.g., teaching and/or curriculum development experience, education committee participation, goals indicate desire for further engagement in education beyond teaching.
• Evidence of engagement in personal development as an educator, e.g., completion of a Teach for UCSF certificate in General Teaching or Educator Essentials, participation in workshops for educators at UCSF or elsewhere; reflection on teaching that led to improvements.
• Evidence of commitment to anti-oppression, equity, and social justice in health professions education and/or in health care, e.g., Personal statement demonstrates understanding of anti-oppression, equity, social justice; Includes specific activities that contribute to DEIA.
• Support from Division/Department for time needed for TSP.

The committee strives to select a cohort of participants who reflect diversity and equity with respect to race/ethnicity, gender, specialty.

The Teaching Scholars Program is a learning community committed to the professional development of educators. One of the great strengths of the program is the opportunity for scholars to learn with, from, and about one another through discussion of concepts, collaborative activities, application exercises, and peer feedback. The TSP course policies, in conjunction with the community agreement created by each TSP cohort, aim to support the success of the TSP learning community. 

Attendance

• Regular attendance is expected. We understand that scholars may miss some sessions for vacation, clinical service, personal leave, and other professional commitments. If you need to miss a session, part of a session, or a series of sessions, please notify the TSP administrator (Raven Twilling) and directors as soon as possible. TSP sessions involve small group activities, so knowing absences in advance of the session allows us to adjust groups and activities as needed.
• If a scholar has 3 consecutive absences or misses 6 sessions during the core curriculum blocks (September – June), the TSP directors will ask to meet with the scholar to discuss options for continuing in the program.
• The summer sessions (July-August) involve more independent work time, including project work time, consultations with the faculty, practice for final TSP presentations, and peer feedback. Attendance is expected, with the understanding that scholars may miss 1-2 sessions for vacation, conferences, or other purposes.

Absences

• We generally do not record sessions because they often involve small group activities and discussion.
• All materials from the session are available on the wiki. TSP faculty are available upon request to meet with scholars who miss the session to review the content and activities. 

Participation and Expectations

• We strongly recommend that scholars participate in TSP Zoom sessions via a computer with a webcam (rather than a cell phone) because of active participation in writing, teaching, demonstrations, discussions, and screen sharing during TSP sessions and workshops.
• Scholars are welcome to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) during TSP. If you use AI, we look forward to hearing how you use AI to enhance your learning.  For readings, we recommend that you read the full text of the assignments for the benefit of your learning and retention.
• Scholars will work on a scholarly project over the course of the year and are expected to show progress on their project during the year.

CE/CME Credit

• For CE/CME credit letter requests, https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/b7445e97a25d4aeb946fb8fa073656e7

Timeline

• Deadline: Monday, March 3 at midnight
• Notification: Between April 1 - 15

Instructions

To apply to the Teaching Scholars Program:

1. Gather the elements of the application packet as listed below in a single pdf for submission:
   • Curriculum Vitae. Preferably in UCSF format.
   • Application Statement. Please write a narrative of approximately 1000 words describing:
     • Teaching background: Describe your teaching responsibilities and efforts to improve your teaching, including evidence of engagement in personal development as an educator, e.g., completion of a Teach for UCSF certificate in General Teaching or Educator Essentials, participation in workshops for educators at UCSF or elsewhere; reflection on teaching that led to improvements. NOTE: The Teach for UCSF Certificate in Education Leadership is included in the TSP curriculum.
     • Education Interests: Describe what interests you about education in general. What kinds of education projects have you participated in and/or are you interested in? This can include curricular innovations, development of assessment tools, program evaluation, and/or educational research.
     • Commitment to anti-racism and anti-oppression: Describe what you have done and what you would like to do to address racism and oppression. How does this relate to your role as an educator?
     • Educator career: How will participation in the Teaching Scholars Program advance your career plans as an educator?
2. Assemble the documents into a single .pdf document.
3. Complete the TSP Application Form online, including an upload of the single pdf document by March 3 at midnight. In the form you must provide:
   • the date of your original UCSF appointment
   • the name of your department chair or division chief, whom we will contact to attest to:
     • Supporting your participation in the program and its alignment with your career development and the educational goals of the department.
     • Release time for Tuesday afternoons for the year, early September through mid-September.
4. Contact us if you do not receive a confirmation of the receipt of your application.