US Jobs: Empowering the Teachers in Nigeria Programme at MIT, USA

Started by MyInfoStride, Aug 03, 2010, 06:24 AM

MyInfoStride

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) together with its corporate partners Total and Google announce a new "Empowering the Teachers" project to enable outstanding young Nigerian faculty in science and engineering to collaborate with faculty at MIT in developing new curriculum and teaching methods. Professor Akintunde Ibitayo Akinwande, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT is the Director of the MISTI Africa "Empowering the Teachers" Program and he along with other faculty at MIT will welcome Nigerian colleagues in their classrooms.

In its first year, "Empowering the Teachers" will select up to ten outstanding young faculty from the disciplines of electrical engineering, computer science, and computer engineering in Nigerian universities to spend a semester at MIT.  They will observe instruction in their fields and work as a group to prepare innovative curricula and approaches to teaching that can be introduced into their home universities on their return.  In future years, the program plans to extend to include Mechanical Engineering, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Geology, Geophysics, Ocean Engineering, and Materials Science.

"Empowering the Teachers" will cover the travel, living, and instructional materials expenses of the participants.  The home universities of the successful applicants will commit to provide paid leaves of absence during the period of the MIT program.
The young faculty selected to participate in the MISTI Africa "Empowering the Teachers" program would spend Spring (February-May 2011) semester at MIT observing classes similar to ones they themselves currently teach.  They would work on new curricular materials and teaching approaches for adoption in their own classes.  During their stays, they would participate regularly in at least two MIT subjects (including recitations and tutorials) that correspond to courses the faculty members teach at their home universities.  They would attend weekly Africa Fellows Seminar meetings on curriculum development and meet with professors and teaching assistants. Beyond the fellowship semester at MIT, "Empowering the Teachers" will support online communications, periodic reunions, and meetings in Nigeria in order to build over time a community of faculty devoted to excellence and innovation in science and engineering education.

"Empowering the Teachers" welcomes applications from all qualified faculty.  To be eligible for consideration for selection, a faculty member must hold a PhD and teach in a department corresponding to Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.  Only candidates at the level of Lecturer One rank will be considered. Applications must be submitted by Friday, August 13, 2010.  An MIT committee will establish a list of top candidates.  These candidates will be interviewed in Nigeria by MIT faculty in the first week of October, 2010.  Up to ten postdoctoral fellows will be announced shortly thereafter.

Download a copy of the Application Form.

Please submit completed application form along with a current CV tomisti-africa@mit.edu by 13 August 2010. 

Be sure to include on the CV which coding languages you know how to use.

For more information: US Jobs: Empowering the Teachers in Nigeria Programme at MIT, USA