In addition, eight undergraduates help out at the end of the week to "personalize" the information, "demystify who students are and get rid of stereotypes," Maurer says.

The undergraduates and TFs watch and discuss a tape titled "What Students Want." During the video, about 40 students explain what they expect from their teaching fellows.

The most prevalent themes are a "more interactive classroom," wanting the TF to "really know the material and communicate why the material is important and exciting" and to "care about the students."

During the two semesters which the program has run, it has met with rave reviews from undergraduate students and TFs alike.

Although the Bok Center could not release the names of participating TFs in order to protect their privacy, the TFs' enthusiasm for the program was apparent by the evaluations they filled out at the end of the week.

Across the board, responses to all the questions ranged from fours to fives on a five-point scale. Of the written responses, the microteaching component received the most positive comments.

"It was a very warm and appreciative group," observes Wilkinson. "They were very grateful to everything Virginia [Maurer] did. They seemed energized and inspired."

The undergraduates who participated in the last two days, earning about $70, also say they were impressed with the program.

"As a whole it was pretty successful and important," says Trevor W. Barcelo '97. "I learned a few things, and I am sure they did too."

"It seemed really effective," says Seth Diehl '97. "The TFs were there for a purpose."

Past training

The TIE program was developed in response to a Faculty Council discussion of TF training that began in the fall of 1994.

At that time, many in the faculty were concerned about the quality of training that TFs received.

"I'm not going to sit here smugly and say that everything's fine," Knowles said in March of 1994. "Nothing is ever perfect."

With no uniform requirements, it was left to departments and individual instructors to make their own training decisions. And for the most part, international students who are teaching sections have had to seek out English training on their own.