The Costanzo Teaching Fellowship

Costanzo Teaching Fellows (TFs) are paid for 10-15 hours of teaching responsibilities per week, on average. Work fluctuates from week to week with more hours during heavy grading weeks and in in the Fall semester. Paid teaching responsibilities include:

• Teach 2 sections per week in the Fall (one co-taught with another TF, one taught solo), and 1 or 2 solo sections per week in the Spring. All TFs teach in the Fall and Spring. In the fall, co-taught sections will be held Tuesday afternoons. Solo sections will be held on Wednesdays.

• Attend every lecture Fall semester (expected to be Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:45 to 1:00)

• Attend their own 2 office hours (you would determine these).

• Proctor exams: Exams are held during the regular lecture timeslot.

• Grade papers and participation: TFs are responsible for grading four phases of the Research and Writing project for the students in their solo section and half the students in their co-taught section. They also assign participation grades. It is important that they keep accurate records of all of their grades.

• Grade exams: The teaching team grades short answers/essays as a group following each exam (Thursdays from 1:30 to 5). All TFs are expected to help grade all 3 exams unless they have a class or final exam during that time.

We will ask all students who plan to accept the fellowship to apply for work-study (if they have not already done so) and to apply any work-study they receive to the fellowship. You can learn more about the process for applying for work-study here. This requirement is because work-study (either Federal or Duke Work-Study) pays a substantial portion of the TF salary, which allows us to hire more TFs (and dedicate more of our funding to enriching your TF training and PSY101 experience!). Any (domestic*) student that submits a FAFSA is eligible for Federal or Duke Work-Study. Students not receiving aid will need to reach out to Financial Aid directly to request to be considered for work-study, as it will not be automatically awarded to them. 

*If you are an international student, check https://financialaid.duke.edu/work-study-faqs/ for guidance on whether you qualify to apply for work-study. International students who have requested need-based aid and have eligibility to work in the US may be eligible for work-study. International students who did not check the box on their initial application to Duke requesting need-based aid are not eligible. Ineligible international students can still apply for and receive the fellowship.

Costanzo Fellows commit to a full academic year of training and teaching to develop their skills. Fall semester is crucial for training, because it involves enrolling in the teaching seminar. If you plan to go abroad junior year, wait and apply for your senior year. 

• A mandatory, paid orientation will be held on the Saturday before the start of Fall classes and will cover the fundamentals of lesson planning and mentoring students.

• The weekly teaching seminar (601S) held fall semester (taken for credit) provides ongoing training and support as the TFs teach for the first time. The seminar will be held on Mondays from 10:05-12:35) This seminar focuses on issues such as teaching strategies, classroom management, and ethical issues relevant to teaching. In the seminar, the Teaching Fellows: 

  • Read 1-2 articles/essays on teaching each week and participate in a weekly discussion.

  • Write a weekly, 1-page teaching journal.

  • Observe themselves on video and writing a self-evaluation of their teaching.

  • Observe another TF teach and write an evaluation of their teaching.

  • Demonstrate an existing sample lesson plan to their peers to prepare them for upcoming teaching.

  • Design their own new lesson plan with feedback from their peers.

  • Write a final reflection on what they’ve learned from teaching that serves their future goals.

The course instructor designates particular topics to be covered in discussion sections each week. The Psych 101 teaching team has a Wiki that contains numerous teaching resources, including sample lesson plans for each week, activities, video clips, discussion questions, and articles on teaching. TFs receive a lot of resources but have flexibility to tailor lesson plans to their strengths and students’ needs.

Applicants with the following characteristics are preferred:

• Rising senior or junior status (*seniors receive priority).

• A strong interest in developing teaching, leadership, or mentorship abilities.

• Significant psychology coursework (being a psychology major is not required, but non psychology majors should have taken PSY 101 as well as at least two other psychology courses).

• Strong knowledge of research methods.

• Demonstrated ability to manage responsibility.

• Strong interpersonal skills.