Consultations
The TA and Future Faculty team offer two types of individual consultations: 1) meetings to discuss teaching, and 2) meetings to discuss your academic job search.
Teaching Consultations
Teaching assistants, graduate student instructors, and postdoctoral scholars can request a consultation to discuss teaching. During the consultation, a CTL faculty member works with you to explore your specific areas of interest and support you in using evidence-based resources to enhance your teaching. Common teaching consultation topics include:
- Instructional communication
- Grading, including how to create and use rubrics
- Classroom management
- Motivating students and capturing interest
- Using technology to promote learning
- Designing a class activity or lesson plan
- Writing learning goals
- Teaching/managing laboratory classes
- Online teaching
Academic Career Consultations
Graduate students and postdoctoral scholars embarking on an academic job search can request a consultation to review the application packet or discuss the interview or job talk. Common academic job search consultation topics include:
- How to conduct an academic job search
- How to write a CV, cover letter, teaching statement, research statement, and diversity statement
- How to prepare for an academic interview
- How to present a job talk
Most consultations can be accommodated within 2 weeks of receiving your request.
Classroom Observations
Teaching Assistants, Graduate Student Instructors, and Postdocs who are teaching can request a classroom observation from the TA and Future Faculty team. Classroom observations provide confidential, formative feedback, and are conducted by either a CTL faculty member or an experienced, trained Graduate Teaching Fellow. Research on the benefits of receiving feedback about your teaching reveals that those receive feedback experience less anxiety about teaching and receive higher student evaluations of instruction (Bell & Mladenovic, 2007).
Classroom Observation Process:
- Submit the classroom observation request form at least 2 weeks before you wish the observer to visit your class. After we receive your form, the CTL representative who will conduct your observation will establish pre-observation communication with you to introduce themselves and request a copy of your lesson plan for the class period to be observed.
- At least 2 days before the observation, send your observer a lesson plan that includes: a) your learning goals for this lesson, b) how you will assess these learning goals, c) agenda/plan for the lesson including time allocations. If you need assistance writing learning goals or a lesson plan, request a separate consultation first.
- On the day of your observation, your lesson will be video-recorded and shared only with you. Reserve at least 5 minutes at the end of class for your observer to collect student feedback.
- The observer will email you their initial feedback in writing in 24 to 48 hours.
- In the post-observation meeting, you have the opportunity to further discuss the results of the observation. This meeting is optional for Tech to Teaching capstone participants and is required for all others.
Bell, A. & Mladenovic, R. (2007). The Benefits of Peer Observation of Teaching for Tutor Development. Higher Education, 55(6), pp. 735–752., doi:10.1007/s10734-007-9093-1.