Deadline: June 7, 2023
Applications are open for the MIT-Empowering the Teachers (MIT-ETT) Program 2024-2025. The MIT-Empowering the Teachers (MIT-ETT) program provides an intense, semester long teaching-focused engagement for selected cohorts of faculty members (ETT Fellows) from African universities.
By introducing the ETT Fellows to cutting edge student-focused teaching methodologies the ETT strives to foster innovation in science and engineering education in tertiary academic institutions in Africa. Their vision for the students of Fellows is to graduate ready for the demands of today’s job market, equipped with hands-on problem solving and critical thinking capabilities. NNPC Ltd. & TotalEnergies EP Nigeria are the corporate partners and sponsors of the program.
The approach to science and engineering education in African universities is yet to adopt a focus on problem solving, innovation and creativity. Furthermore, standards in these tertiary institutions have retrogressed due to severe neglect and lack of investment. Curricular and assessment methods have not adopted practices that encourage critical thinking, open ended problem solving and creativity, rather they are still built around teacher-centered lecture rooms that focus on information acquisition, memorization and regurgitation at closed book examination. Consequently, these academic institutions have not produced science and engineering graduates needed by industry to add value.
Program Objectives
- Expose junior African professors to MIT’s advanced, problem-solving pedagogical methods
- Encourage the ETT fellows to become change-agents
- Allow the ETT fellows to expand their professional network, including MIT faculty with a deep interest in emerging economies.
Program Activities
During their semester at MIT, the ETT fellows:
- Observe at least 2 MIT courses in their own disciplines
- Take a curriculum design course and implement research-based instructional design principles in their courses
- Discuss & explore curricular enrichment & reform through both formal and informal interaction with the MIT community
- Participate in numerous activities to develop critical change-agent skills. These skills include entrepreneurship, effective communication, experiential learning, reflection, collaboration, systems thinking and perseverance.
Eligibility
- Open to engineering professors who are currently teaching at local universities in Nigeria and who recently completed their Ph.D.
Application
The ETT is currently accepting applications for Spring 2024 (February-May), and for Fall 2024 (September-December).
For more information, visit MIT-ETT.
