Graduate students and postdoctoral scholars serving as instructor of record are invited to join the GSI Teaching Seminar. Sponsored by the Center for Teaching and Learning, this cohort will provide support and feedback as you navigate the experience of leading your own course.
What will you do in the GSI Teaching Seminar?
- Participate in weekly meetings with the CTL facilitator and other GSIs to discuss teaching challenges and strategies.
- Discussions topics include delivering effective lectures, engaging students in active learning, designing and administering formative and summative assessment, managing your time, and more.
- Provide and receive at least one classroom observation of teaching. Classroom observations help new instructors identify a variety of teaching strategies while receiving supportive feedback about their own teaching.
- Submit a final reflection paper at the end of the fall semester to earn the CTL Reflective Teacher badge.
What are the benefits of participating in the GSI Teaching Seminar?
- Teaching your own course can be a challenge. Your CTL consultant will be available to help you plan and deliver the most effective course possible.
- Connecting to a community of graduate student instructors helps to make teaching feel less isolating. Talking about your teaching with other new instructors provides space to experiment and reflect on your teaching.
"I have greatly appreciated the files shared and other resources. However, I think it's been more helpful to have a community to sympathize with. I often really benefit from the creative ideas that are brought up every week for how different people handle different aspects of their class." -- Fall 2021 GSI Teaching Seminar participant
"Being able to get confirmation or suggestions for improvement from different perspectives is really helpful. Also, the very well curated support material we have received. I think this is the teaching seminar where thanks to the flexibility and small workgroup, I had the most support. Ever." --Fall 2021 GSI Teaching Seminar participant
"The most helpful part is to be able to talk about my concerns, and know about how others have also had the same concern, or have used different ways to resolve them. This provides me with confidence in myself, in a sense." --Spring 2022 GSI Teaching Seminar participant
Note: Space is limited. Priority enrollment will be given to first-time instructors who are not participating in CTL’s Tech to Teaching program.
Check back for updates about the next GSI Teaching Seminar opportunity.