The 1818 Program’s success is dedicated to the many talented high school teachers who facilitate the program within their own classrooms. 1818 Program instructors are extremely qualified in their subject area and offer exceptional learning experiences for involved students.
The minimum qualifications required to be hired as a faculty member at SLU are detailed in SLU’s Faculty Qualifications Policy. In summary, minimum qualifications for 1818 Program faculty are as follows:
- An earned master's degree (or higher-level degree) in the discipline or interdisciplinary field of study of the 1818 Program course the faculty member is to teach; OR
- An earned master's degree (or higher-level degree) in any discipline or interdisciplinary field of study that either a) included or b) was supplemented by an additional 18 graduate-level credit hours earned in the discipline or interdisciplinary field of study of the 1818 Program course the faculty member is to teach.
In exchange for their participation in the program, 1818 Program instructors qualify for various benefits within the program and complete various responsibilities throughout the year to ensure the program meets the rigor expectations governed by the Higher Learning Commision (HLC) and Saint Louis University.
Meet an Instructor
Kate Toussaint
Saint Louis University High School
Chair, Department of Modern and Classical Languages
- Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Literature from University of Richmond, Virginia
- Master of Arts in Spanish Literature from Saint Louis University
"Participating in the 1818 program has ensured that my students receive credit for their work meeting the learning targets required in a college level course. It is with great satisfaction that we work together to improve our language proficiency."
Role of the 1818 Instructor
The most important responsibility a SLU 1818 instructor has is to teach the course while adhering to the standards set by the specific department at SLU. SLU 1818 instructors have been accorded a high degree of professional respect and autonomy. It is expected that all SLU 1818 instructors will do the following:
- Work with your SLU faculty liaison to ensure that your course design, pedagogy and assessments of student learning meet SLU expectations.
- Upload your course syllabi annually, adhering to SLU 1818 deadlines for syllabus submission.
- Participate in associated professional development (PD) for your academic discipline. Dates for the academic year are posted each August.
- Submit sample exams, assessments, and other graded material willingly upon the request of the faculty liaison or SLU 1818 Program staff.
- Be knowledgeable about SLU 1818 academic policies and student standards and commit to upholding them.
- Promote the SLU 1818 Program to interested and qualified students.
- Facilitate site visits to your classroom by SLU faculty liaisons and 1818 program staff (see below) by communicating the best times and dates for observations.
- Seek to create a college environment in the SLU 1818 classroom.
- Notify SLU 1818 Program staff and faculty liaisons when challenges arise outside of their control.
- Report grades at the end of each term according to SLU 1818 established deadlines. For fall term classes, grades are due in January. For spring term and yearlong classes, grades are due in June. Timely completion of these grades ensures that students have access to complete transcripts to send to their college(s) of choice.
- Encourage students to complete their SLU-administered student course evaluations.
- Use student course evaluation feedback thoughtfully, along with feedback from your SLU faculty liaison, in your future curriculum design, pedagogy, and assessment work.
Site visits to each individual course are conducted on a biennial basis and are a required element of the Higher Learning Commission’s (HLC) accreditation process. Because each individual course must be visited, instructors may be visited more than once in a single academic year. Your faculty liaison will contact you to arrange a site visit if your course is scheduled for a site visit this academic year.
Benefits of Partnering with 1818
The primary benefit of being an 1818 Program partner with SLU is the ability to offer highly motivated, high-achieving students the opportunity to earn transferrable college credit from a well-respected national research university while still in high school.
Well-respected college credits earned before graduating from high school enable many students to complete their college careers early and at considerable financial savings. For many other students, the transferable 1818 Program credits provide curricular flexibility while in college if they attend for a full four years (or the equivalent). Double majors, minors, internships and study abroad programs become much more viable for students who enter college with 1818 Program credit as it frequently satisfies multiple graduation requirements at colleges and universities throughout the U.S.
In addition, the benefits for partner high schools and teachers as SLU adjunct faculty in the 1818 Program include the following:
- Tuition scholarships for 1818 Program faculty toward graduate education at SLU.
- Access to Saint Louis University’s extensive educational resources including University libraries and research databases, software, etc.
- Annual discipline-specific professional development for 1818 Program faculty and Coordinators.
- Program awards as recognition for excellence and service.
- Mentoring to 1818 Program faculty provided from discipline-specific SLU faculty liaisons in the form of ongoing classroom visits and professional development to support faculty teaching.
- Support from and collaboration with an expansive network of other 1818 Program partners.
- Opportunities to serve on the 1818 Program Advisory Board.
- A nominal annual honorarium in acknowledgement of the additional work that may be presented by participation in our program.