The Tri-Campus Graduate Department of Mathematics at the University of Toronto invites applications for the Teaching Postdoctoral positions.
These positions involve both teaching and other professional development. This may include working with faculty to support some of the following projects:
- First-year Engineering Program: The First-year Engineering Mathematics includes Linear Algebra, Calculus I and II, taught as a part of the first-year engineering program, and in harmony with other first year engineering courses. Developing novel exercises, assessments, and course material that shows the usefulness of mathematics as a powerful and integral way to approach engineering is an ongoing part of this program. This involves inquiring into other first year courses such as programming and engineering design and creating course material that connects calculus and linear algebra with them.
- Mastery Based Grading: Implementing Mastery-Based Gradings or its variations (Standard-Based Grading, Attribute-Based Grading etc.) at scale is a novel project in mathematics courses. This project involves designing or improving a system of learning standards or attributes for a given course, and supporting a system that offers opportunities for practicing, analyzing feedback and eventually assessing these standards.
- TA Training and Mentoring: The Math department has over 300 TAs per year, around 90 of whom are first-time TAs. The training and mentoring of TAs, both novice and experienced, is an ongoing project with room for future innovations.
- Experiential Learning Initiatives: Our first-year calculus for commerce course is part of an ongoing project to connect students with real-world problems and community partners. A teaching postdoctoral fellow would work on a team to liaise with community partners and design tasks for students that align both with the learning goals of the course and with the partners’ goals. They would also assess the impact of the partnered project on the students’ learning.
- Community of Practice: Our first time instructors and interested grad students are part of a community that meets to discuss educational research and scholarship. This is a great opportunity for the candidates to learn more about the scholarship of teaching and learning and to take a leadership position in this community.
- First-year Calculus at Scale: Each year, there are over 5000 students that take first-year calculus, more than half of whom take an applications-based (non-proofs) calculus. Teaching this many students involves coordinating a large team of instructors and TAs. We are looking to further develop how we manage large teams and continue to provide excellent learning experiences for students.
- Interactive Manipulatives: Our second-year multivariable calculus with proofs course has initiated a project to develop teaching aids and accompanying lesson plans that aim to facilitate experimental, collaborative, and discovery-centered learning with digital and physical visualizations. A special focus is placed on implementation in large classes. This project has opportunities to design lesson plans, create novel teaching aids at scale, conduct classroom observations, and perform qualitative analysis of its impacts.
- Computational Learning Materials for Engineering ODEs and Discrete Math: The goal of this project is to develop computational learning resources and materials, including assessments, to be integrated into a second-year engineering course on discrete math and differential equations. These materials will provide students with an opportunity to further develop their computational thinking skills, and to explore real-world models with real-world data.
The University of Toronto is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from racialized persons / persons of colour, women, Indigenous / Aboriginal People of North America, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ persons, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.
All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.