Announcing Search for TEAMS Adjunct Faculty!

Professional Development Opportunities for High School Teachers

The TEAMS Academy also offers rewarding professional development opportunities for high school teachers.  Click on the links below to learn about…

• Co-developing and instructing a semester-long college course for the TEAMS Academy ($4,500 stipend + $15,000 sabbatical)
  
              – review of applications starts on March 15, 2007 until filled

• Co-developing and instructing a 90 minute high-tech seminar for our fall Sophomore Exploration program (summer stipend + teaching stipend)
  
              - planning starts in April 2007

Become a TEAMS Academy Adjunct Faculty member for a summer & a semester

Develop a unique applied college course for advanced high school students…

We are now searching for eight teachers to work closely with our faculty to develop our first four college courses, and then join us in the mornings for one semester to co-instruct the course.  We will help teachers apply for a part time sabbatical.  At the end of this process, teachers will have new advanced skills and experiences as well as close ties to UMass Lowell to benefit your school for years to come.

Two high school teachers will co-develop each of the four courses below with university faculty oversight (eight teachers in total).  Each teacher will receive a $4,500 stipend to develop curriculum that they will co-teach in the fall or spring.  Teachers will have the flexibility to manage the work to fit their schedules in the spring and summer (for fall courses) and in the summer and fall (for spring courses).  Four college-level, hands-on courses will be developed (click on the links below for more details):

• Environmental Biotechnology (Fall):  Students will explore the impact of pollutants on aquatic life through an exploration of molecular biology, chemistry, and environmental engineering.
• Interactive Robotics (Fall):  Students will work in a new robotics lab and learn how to create robots to solve interesting tasks using robotics kits, electrical sensors, and programming.
• Bat Engineering Design (Spring):  Students will use the engineering design process and concepts in materials science, mechanical engineering, and statistics to design, build and test a bat.
• Assistive Technology & Electronics (Spring):  Students will apply math and physics as they learn about electronics and how to apply those skills to building products to help disabled people.

…then join UMass Lowell to teach the course in the Fall or Spring!

Teachers are expected to take a part time sabbatical from their home districts and will be appointed as adjunct faculty to instruct the courses in the fall or spring.  Teachers are expected to be present each morning from approximately 7:20 a.m. to 9:20 a.m. to prepare for and to instruct the courses with the aid of a university teaching assistant.  They return to their home districts for the remainder of the day.  The Academy’s semester schedule will be aligned with regional high school schedules.  UMass Lowell plans to provide a lump-sum payment of $15,000 per teacher payable to the home school district to cover the cost of replacing the teacher for half of the day, half of the year (pending state funding approval).  We will work with each home district to address all issues including scheduling, preparation time, etc. 

Application process & timeline

See the formal position descriptions for instructions (click on links below):

• Environmental Biotechnology Position Description (PDF file) (Fall)
• Interactive Robotics Position Description (PDF file)  (Fall)
• Bat Engineering Design Position Description (PDF file)  (Spring)
• Assistive Technology & Electronics Position Description (PDF file)  (Spring)

We will begin reviewing applications on March 15, 2007 and continue until the positions are filled.  Applications received after March 15 will still be considered if positions are sill available.  Candidates should coordinate their application with their home districts.

Develop new seminars for our one day TEAMS Sophomore Exploration Program

A great opportunity for you and your students to explore STEM career fields!

Last fall 270 sophomores attended the TEAMS Exploration Program—a series of one day field trips where students can interact with faculty and high schools teachers in 90-minute workshops designed to test TEAMS course concepts.  This one day program is an excellent opportunity for student to explore science, technology, engineering and math career fields in a high quality technological university setting.

Last year six teams, comprised of university and high school faculty, developed workshops to prototype course concepts and allow students to experience the hands-on nature of the program.  Students were given the opportunity to work with peers from other schools in small groups just as they will in the Academy.  Our exit surveys indicated that students generally had a more positive outlook on STEM career opportunities after attending this introductory program.

Join us starting in April to help develop our Fall 2007 program!
If you have an idea for an interesting high-tech seminar are interested in working with university faculty to develop the concept, contact the TEAMS Academy Coordinator, Don Rhine at donald_rhine@uml.edu.
We will be holding two or three afternoon planning meetings from April to June to develop ideas, and then we plan to offer stipends to develop the seminars this summer.  The seminars would be presented to sophomores in the fall.