Giving a test lecture, what should I keep in mind?

Question

I hold a PhD in computer science. I've been travelling to conferences presenting my papers and sometimes as part of my teaching assistance duty, I had to give some very simple lectures to students. I found a position as professor and researcher in a university, and I've been asked to deliver a "test lecture" on a subject I don't know to students from a different background than mine. There will be a body of professors evaluating my teaching skills as well.I am in the process of preparing the lecture, and realised I am preparing it as a presentation. I was wondering, what should I keep in mind when preparing the lecture? I am used to present in front of (a lot of) people, so that is not a problem. I am also used to prepare presentations for my work, so I was wondering if there is something I should keep in mind while preparing/delivering a lecture which is different from delivering a presentation.Thank you!

Answer 1

I know this question is coming a little late, but congratulations on landing this opportunity nevertheless! I can't speak from the angle of preparing a test lecture, but I can speak from the evaluation end. I'd say the biggest thing to keep in mind is that they won't be judging you just on the content in your talk. There are a number of soft-factors that they'll probably be examining too.

When I was an undergraduate, my school hired a candidate who gave a test lecture that was not as impressive as another candidate's. Their justification was a few things that were particular to our school -- namely: 1) The speaker knew his content but wasn't locked in to a rehearsed script. It showed he was flexible. 2) The candidate took time to mention specifically why he wanted to go to our school; he was a herpetologist, and some of the local fauna around the college were organisms he thought that he and students could study without much difficulty. 3) He took time to answer questions with the students after the talk. He showed important skills for a small, teaching-focused college.

From graduate school, I had a number of friends who were on the search committees (I was not, but they talked to me). It seemed at my larger, research-focused institution, that the faculty were evaluating a candidate more on the strength of their research and/or strength of their professional pedigree. They also wanted someone who the university could present as a good face for the department. Students, I'm sorry to say, were secondary.

So, in the end, good content is the minimum thing you need to have. Think back to good teachers you've had, and try and suss out what made them special. Then, try and build in things that show you'd be a good asset to the university: it's image and what it feels its mission is to its students.

And one final, final caveat -- don't rely on tech, too much (or at least have a backup plan in case it's not working). I remember a candidate who spent ten minutes trying to get an iPad to work so their formulas could be seen on the projector (ignoring the functional chalkboard behind the screen). That lowered their confidence for the rest of the talk, and they didn't get the job.

Good luck with this job interview and any others that may come your way!