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Thriving in Academe
Becoming a Master Teacher
Faculty must move beyond content and get to know their students.
By Susan Ambrose and Michael Bridges, Carnegie Mellon University

Although many faculty have not been trained as teachers, we can all acquire new skills and improve as teachers.

Research shows that the development of mastery or expertise in any domain takes at least 10 years. Experts possess a great deal of knowledge, have logged many hours of persistent practice in their field, and have received adequate guidance and feedback. Teaching is no different; it requires knowledge, sustained dedication, and support to move toward and realize expertise.

To become master teachers, faculty members need a knowledge base not only in their content area, but also in a variety of other areas. Here we focus on one aspect of that knowledge base—understanding students in multiple ways that represent the complex human beings they are. Drawing from research in cognitive science, social psychology, and education, we can learn more about how students develop intellectually, socially, and emotionally, as well as begin to understand our students through the lens of the culture and history in which they were raised.

Our focus, then, is on three areas that have not received as much attention with faculty as they deserve: the psychosocial development of students; the integration of cognitive theory into teaching practice; and the impact of the political, social, and economic status of the 1980s and 1990s on current college students (termed the Millennials). This knowledge can greatly impact the way we teach and design courses.

Meet The Authors
Susan Ambrose is the Associate Provost for Education, Director of the Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence, and a teaching professor in the Department of History at Carnegie Mellon University. She has consulted and led faculty workshops at colleges and universities in the United States and abroad, and teaches courses on immigration. Susan can be reached at sa0n@andrew.cmu.edu.
Michael Bridges is the Associate Director of Assessment in the Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and adjunct professor of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University. He teaches courses and workshops in stress and coping, personality, motivation and survey research design. Mike can be reached at mb4h@andrew.cmu.edu

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