MIT-Empowering the Teachers Home Page

Our Mission

The MIT-Empowering the Teachers (MIT-ETT) program provides an intense, semester long teaching-focused engagement for selected cohorts of faculty members (ETT Fellows) from African universities. By introducing the ETT Fellows to cutting edge student-focused teaching methodologies the ETT strives to foster innovation in science and engineering education in tertiary academic institutions in Africa. Our vision for the students of our Fellows is to graduate ready for the demands of today's job market, equipped with hands-on problem solving and critical thinking capabilities. NNPC & TotalEnergies EP Nigeria are the corporate partners and sponsors of the program.

How ETT Works

Objective

The overarching goal of MIT-ETT is to facilitate the development of young African faculty leadership in science and engineering education who will introduce innovation and creativity into science and engineering curricular. There are two main objectives of the MIT-ETT program: to provide young African professors with exposure to cutting-edge pedagogical methods in the highest-rated engineering and science departments in the U.S. and to provide American faculty who have a deep interest in connecting with those in their disciplines in emerging economies a concrete means of engagement.

Approach

In an attempt to address the problems articulated above, MIT established the MIT-Empowering the Teachers (MIT-ETT) Program lead by Professor Akintunde Ibitayo Akinwande (EECS). The program invites young, brilliant and upcoming African academics, who recently completed their doctoral degree, to spend an intensive and inclusive semester at MIT in a bid to understudy the mode (& dynamics) of curricula development and content delivery at MIT. The aim is to facilitate in African institutions improved teaching content development that is geared towards (1) students-centered content delivery (2) problem solving and (3) creativity. This amongst other things will result in the development new courses and the modification of existing curricula to ones that are geared towards critical thinking, open ended problem solving and hands-on design but also promote innovation and creativity. While at MIT, these African academics developed new course content for their home universities which are consistent with the objectives of developing these skills in their students.

While on Campus

During their semester at MIT, Fellows do the following:

observe instruction in their own disciplines & subjects
interact with MIT faculty teaching in their own disciplines & subjects
develop courses based on problem-solving approach inspired by equivalent course at MIT
discuss & explore curricular enrichment & reform through both formal and informal interaction with the MIT community

The ultimate goal is to reform their current curricular using new materials, approaches and methods that exemplify the best of MIT’s practices: problem-solving, student-centered, innovation and bringing knowledge to bear on the world’s greatest challenges.

How to Apply

The application is presently opened.

Apply Here

FAQs

Unfortunately you have to complete your PhD to apply for the program. You are welcome to try again next year if you receive your PhD by then.

Generally speaking, the MIT-ETT program accepts only Lecturer 1 professors. However, if you think you have special circumstances, you can apply and your case will be considered by the accepting committee.

ett.support [at] mit.edu (Please email us).

Alumni Testimonials

Hear from the amazing Empowering The Teachers Fellows.

Dr. Ameer Mohammed, FALL 2019

Fall 2019 Fellow, Department of Electrical Engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT)

"MIT is an innovation powerhouse, not because of its enormous resources, but because of its unimaginable belief that everything is possible and its creative use of resources. An ecosystem that harnesses and tacitly infuses such mentality in educators, like the ETT program, is poised to revolutionize the Nigerian education sector by providing a critical mass of instructors that will train the inventors of the future."

Dr. Amir Abdullahi Bature

Fall 2019 Fellow, Department of Electrical Engineering, Bayero University Kano

"The ETT program totally changes the mindset of next generation of academicians for engaging the current world standards of learning and teaching. They get the opportunity to learn and mingle with the best Professors and experience and practice the best university level teaching methods that are in line with creativity and problem solving in the best engineering university in the world."

Dr. Chika Yinka-Banjo

Spring 2019 Fellow, Department of Computer Science, University of Lagos

"ETT has enhanced my teaching and research capabilities, it is only logical, that getting more lecturers with the same type of acquired mindset from this program will revolutionize the education sector in Nigeria."

dr toyin odutola mit empowering the teachers misti

Dr. Odutola Toyin Olabisi

Spring 2020 Fellow, Department of Petroleum and Gas Engineering, University of Port Harcourt

"The ETT experience has been exceptional and has fundamentally changed my views and thoughts on teaching and learning. It was indeed a rare privilege to learn innovative pedagogical concepts from the world’s best engineering professors."

Meet the ETT Program Manager

Contact Us

Get in touch with Yoav Danenberg, the Empowering the Teachers Program Manager, to get your questions answered.

Prof. Akintunde Ibitayo Akinwande

Professor of EECS and ETT Program Faculty

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Empowering the Teachers (MIT-ETT)

Spring 2019 Cohort