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[heatperson]

Hi,

My field is Materials Science and Engineering (closely related to Mechanical Engineering). I am preparing for my first interview in a research university (a top 50 engineering school, but not the elite top 10 or top 5 schools). This is my first interview and I really don't have experiences. When I read the guides online, I found that one of the things that I need to prepare is a detailed teaching plan -- what courses to teach, what textbooks to be used, what are the syllabus to be used, etc. I read that I should prepare 3 "common" courses that the department already has, and another one that I want to develop. Since most of the guides/suggestions I read are written for humanitarian/social science applicants, I am not sure whether the same applies to an engineering applicant to a research-based university? Please kindly share your experiences/advices so that I know how detailed I should prepare my teaching plan....

Thanks a lot in advanced.

[cranefly]

What did the school ask you to bring?
Add to that with enough detail to show you took the time to get to know what they teach at that school. I'd prepare one syllabus for a course they already offer (large 1st year, for example), and one for a new course you could offer.
 They'll probably never ask for it and it probably won't come up, but it's good to be prepared and show you care enough to put the effort in.

[janedoh]

At a research university interview in a STEM field, you just need to be prepared to talk about teaching. What classes can you teach, what would you be interested in teaching--that kind of thing. I had interviews at all different types of departments (I am very interdisciplinary and fit ads posted in 6 different depts) at research universities, and no one cared about syllabi, textbook choices, or other details. Just general stuff that shows you've given teaching some thought.

[heatperson]

Thanks for the infos. I think that is inline with what I heard from my colleagues. Just basic stuffs like what I could teach, but to the details of the syllabus or text books... Thanks a lot again.