Early Career Teachers’ Network (ECTN) Pre-Conference Workshop

Early Career Teachers’ Network (ECTN) pre-conference workshop will take place in-person prior to the INFORMS Annual Meeting on Saturday, October 19, 2024. During this workshop, participants will meet their fellow ECTN participants to begin forming a teaching community and learn the basics of constructing high-quality learning experiences for engineering and analytics students.

Who: Early career teachers and anyone interested in joining a teaching community to share and gain knowledge from one another.

What: A comprehensive, day-long workshop featuring teaching-oriented activities, including a morning mentorship program and afternoon panel discussions.

When: Saturday, October 19, 2024

Where: Hyatt Regency Seattle, Seattle, WA

There are three ways you can participate in the workshop:

Mentee

If you are currently in the last two years of a PhD program and plan to pursue a teaching stream career, or if you have received a PhD within the last three years and hold or have accepted a teaching stream position, this is an excellent opportunity for you!

(Application required; more details can be found below.)

Mentor

If you have been in an OR/MS/Analytics teaching-stream role for more than 5 years and are dedicated to improving the OR/MS/Analytics teaching and learning, consider becoming a mentor. This role involves sharing your valuable experiences with early career faculty and prospective students.

(Application required; more details can be found below.)

Previous ECTN participants

If you have participated in the ECTN workshop in previous years as a mentor or a mentee and wish to remain connected with the community, you are welcome to join us again!

(Registration required; more details can be found below.)

ECTN Master Teacher Mentoring Program

The goal of the ECTN Master Teacher Mentoring Program is to support doctoral students in their job search for teaching-stream positions and assist early career teaching-stream faculty members in becoming master OR/MS/Analytics teachers. For the purposes of ECTN, a “teaching-stream position” is defined as either:

A teaching-focused position at a research university
A position at a university with a historical focus on teaching

(Doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars targeting research-teaching balanced universities as well as junior faculty at such institutions, are also encouraged to apply.)

Each ECTN mentee will be paired with an INFORMS member mentor who has spent considerable time in a teaching-stream position. Mentor-mentee pairs will be from different institutions to ensure a broad exchange of ideas and experiences. Additionally, there will be ample opportunities to connect with previous participants and learn from their insights.

The ECTN mentee will continue to meet with their mentor through the year to discuss teaching strategies, projects, or any other teaching related activities. ECTN participants and mentors will also convene virtually as a group several times during the year.

Mentees can collaborate with their ECTN mentor on various teaching-related subjects, such as creating a new course, publishing an OR/MS/Analytics case study, ethical use of AI in the classroom, or other forms of collaboration. The mentor will provide the participant with feedback and suggestions to improve their teaching.

ECTN mentorship program goals

Develop master OR/MS/Analytics teachers
Increase the likelihood of ECTN participants securing teaching-stream roles, achieving tenure, and/or receiving promotions
Foster an OR/MS/Analytics teaching and learning community

Program application process and requirements

The following outlines the specific details for participating in the workshop.

Selected ECTN mentees and mentors are expected to register and attend the 2024 INFORMS Annual Meeting (the deadline for speakers to register is August 1). Mentors, mentees, and previous ECTN participants will receive a certificate of completion after the workshop.

Mentees

Eligibility: Currently in the last two years of PhD program and plans to focus on a teaching stream career or received a PhD within the last three years and has accepted or holds a teaching stream position

Required Documents:

CV
Teaching statement
Letter of interest highlighting their goals for the next year and what they hope to achieve by joining ECTN

Commitment:

Must register for and attend the 2024 INFORMS Annual Meeting, including the ECTN workshop

Fee:

The fee to attend the workshop is $50. This includes lunch and a reception at the end of the day.

Apply to be a ECTN Mentee by July 5th

Mentors

Eligibility: 5+ years in a OR/MS/Analytics teaching-stream role and demonstrated commitment to OR/MS/Analytics teaching

Required Documents:

Commitment:

Commitment to serve as an ECTN mentor for at least 1 year
Must register for and attend the 2024 INFORMS Annual Meeting, including the ECTN workshop

Fee:

No fee associated with being a mentor.

Apply to be an ECTN Mentor by July 5th

Previous participants

Eligibility: Past participants do not need to reapply as they have already completed the application process in previous years.

Commitment:

Must register for and attend the 2024 INFORMS Annual Meeting, including the ECTN workshop

Fee: The fee to attend the workshop is $150. This includes lunch and a reception at the end of the day.

Click here if you are a Past ECTN Participant and would like to participate in this year’s workshop with no commitments

For more information, and for questions, please contact:
Yaren Bilge Kaya at ybk2105@columbia.edu or Mariana Escallon Barrios at mescallo@andrew.cmu.edu.