Teaching Assistant (Physical Geography)

Teaching Assistant in Physical Geography (Interdisciplinary Courses)

Job Description

The Department of Geography at the National University of Singapore invites applications for three full-time teaching assistants to support the delivery of its interdisciplinary courses (IDCs). The position is on the Education Track that aims to attract, train and retain suitably qualified and effective teaching staff who approach teaching as a scholarly practice and are passionate about excellence in teaching as a means of supporting student learning. The track provides opportunities for promotion to Instructor.

The IDCs offered by the Department of Geography are part of the common curriculum of the NUS College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS). These courses are aimed primarily at students of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Science, while they are also read by students from other Faculties and on exchange. Broadly, the IDCs teach students how to integrate knowledge across disciplines to better understand and find solutions to complex issues. The following IDCs offered by the Department of Geography synthesize perspectives from environmental sciences, geomorphology, human geography, policy studies: ‘Earth and Beyond’, ‘Facts or Feelings: What Drives Environmental Decisions’, and ‘Transition to Just and Clean Energy. For more information on IDCs see: https://chs.nus.edu.sg/programmes/common-curriculum/interdisciplinary-courses-i-ii/ 

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct tutorials (discussion groups) and/or lab sessions and support students via e-mail and office hours.
• Provide administrative support and assist in the day-to-day running of the courses. 
• Evaluate course assessment components.
• Assist in preparing educational resources and course materials. 
   

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline is a requirement, i.e. physical geography, environmental sciences. In addition, a master’s degree in a relevant discipline is desirable.
• Candidates must have excellent verbal, reading and written skills, and be able to explain difficult concepts clearly. 
• Fluency with quantitative analysis including and not restricted to statistics, econometrics, simulation modeling.
• Comfort with teaching basic concepts of physics such as mass-energy balance, basic intuition behind thermodynamic concepts and laws of motion.
• Be able to work independently and as a member of an interdisciplinary team with diverse research interests and pedagogical approaches. 
• Strong interest in continued engagement with the variety of humanities and non-humanities disciplines as well as pedagogical improvement and strong ability to facilitate discussions for undergraduate students.
• Past teaching and facilitation experiences (especially at the university level) with good student feedback will put candidates in a strong standing.
• Experience with interdisciplinary learning and/or teaching will be a benefit.

Application

• Letter of application (cover letter), which explains the extent to which the candidate meets the qualifications and can fulfil the responsibilities indicated in the advertisement.
• Abridged CV (5-page max): including details on education, employment history, experience of teaching and supervision, research activities (including publications) and achievements, honours and awards, and service accomplishments. 
• Qualifications: Scanned copies of academic degrees. 
• Teaching evaluations and peer review reports, if available. Other evidence of teaching excellence and/or contributions, e.g., curriculum development, pedagogical innovation etc., should also be provided. 
• Name and contact details of three referees.

Incomplete applications, e.g. applications without referees’ information will not be considered. Inquiries about the job position should be directed to Ms. Kris Tham (kris_tham@nus.edu.sg). Review of applications will commence on 15 November 2024 and will continue until a suitable candidate is identified only short-listed candidates will be notified.