Participant checklist to prepare for the workshop

To help you get the most out of the workshop, please complete the preparatory activities outlined below by the deadlines listed.

**If you find that your plans to attend the workshop have changed, please let Barb Tewksbury know as soon as possible so that we can offer your spot to someone on the waiting list.

Many of our participants in past workshops have been successful in finding funding to help cover travel and registration for the workshop. Consider asking your advisor, department chair, director of graduate programs, dean, career center and/or the teaching and learning center on campus. Offering to give a seminar or workshop next fall based on the workshop is one way of providing something in return for the support you receive.

By March 23:

  • (Optional) Stipend applications due -- In cases where the cost of attending this workshop would cause financial hardship, you can apply for a stipend to help defray these costs.

By April 4:

  • Register and pay the registration fee for the workshop. The registration fee of $245 (or $200 for NAGT members) includes lodging and meals during the workshop itself. The registration fee for participants who are local (and will not need housing or breakfast) is $145 (or $100 for NAGT members).
  • Decide whether to attend optional sessions on Sunday afternoon and/or Wednesday morning.
  • Submit the travel information form. See the travel and logistics page for information on travel options and arrival and departure times.

By May 2:

  • Choose your sessions for the optional and concurrent workshop sessions.
  • Complete the index of learning styles questionnaire AND report your results to us using the online ILS report form. Note - you must complete two forms, because we do not have access to the questionnaire results from NCSU. Optional: read more about the Index of Learning Styles.
  • Complete the Beliefs About Reformed Science Teaching and Learning (BARSTL) Survey

Note: May 7 is the last date to withdraw from the workshop and be eligible for a refund. Arrangements have been made on your behalf that have associated real costs (e.g. housing, logistics, materials), and your confirmation has secured a place that has been denied to other interested colleagues. Exceptions for a refund will only be made in cases of extreme personal hardship.

Prior to the workshop:

  • Complete pre-workshop job search homework assignment.
  • At the workshop, you will have an opportunity to present and work on an "elevator talk." This is a very brief, conversational description of who you are, what your research is, and why it's important - something that you could say in the length of an elevator ride (hence the name). Another way to think about it is the "30-60 second sound bite" version of who you are, what you do, and why. Before the workshop, plan what you might say in an elevator talk, and come prepared with a couple of different variants - one for a geoscientist who is not in your specialty, one for an administrator (who may not be a natural scientist) whom you might meet during a job interview. You could even practice it (maybe in your head!) on your next elevator ride or plane trip or while you're waiting in line at the grocery store.
  • Bring a laptop.
  • Optional:
    • If you are participating in the optional teaching and/or statement review sessions: Print 8 copies of your teaching and/or research statement(s), and bring them with you to the workshop. Draft versions are fine - you don't need to upload polished versions of these statements. Each group will work with one of the workshop leaders, who will offer constructive feedback. Make sure that your name is on each statement.
    • If you have a CV and/or cover letter, you can have them reviewed by a workshop leader on a first-come, first-served basis on Tuesday evening. To accommodate as many interested participants as possible, the review will be kept to 10 minutes per person. If you are interested in participating, please print and bring a copy of your CV and/or cover letter.