Graduate Student Development

We offer one-on-one consultations for teaching statements and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) statements for graduate students and postdocs preparing for their future teaching careers. If you apply for a position or for admission at an institution in the United States, you may be asked to submit a teaching statement, a DEI statement, or a hybrid DEI statement, such as one that discusses your teaching or research practices as they relate to your commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our consultants at the Center for Teaching and Learning are ready to support you to prepare your documents with such positions in mind.  In ou consultations, we will review your statement(s) and discuss how to communicate your student-centered goals, values, and experiences in these documents. 

In order to maximize our time together, we require you to upload a draft of your teaching and/or DEI statement at least 48 hours before your appointment. 

For more information about teaching statements, please review our resources on drafting teaching statements and creating a teaching portfolio. 

For more information about DEI statements, please review our resource on drafting DEI statements.

• Visit our Consultations page to learn more and schedule an appointment with one of our consultants.

In collaboration with campus partners, which include the Counseling and Mental Health Center, Office of the Ombuds, Title IX Office, Sanger Learning Center, and Services for Students with Disabilities, the Center for Teaching and Learning facilitates a series of active learning sessions each semester that are open to all graduate students to develop skills specific to their teaching roles. Graduate students have the opportunity to learn about, observe, practice, receive feedback on, and reflect upon teaching techniques.

Complete three sessions for a "Teaching Preparation Certificate," or seven sessions and submit a qualifying teaching statement for an "Advanced Teaching Preparation Certificate."

• Find out more information here

Each fall, in collaboration with the Graduate School, the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Natural Sciences, and Undergraduate Studies, GSD offers a semester-long, zero-credit hour, professional development seminar aimed to support first-time Teaching Assistants (TAs) in their instructional duties. In this seminar, TAs will learn strategies for leading effective discussions/labs and receive personalized support to become more confident and effective instructors. Graduate students become part of a community of TAs interested in brainstorming and troubleshooting with each other.

The Inclusive Course Design Institute (ICDI) is a two-week intensive interdisciplinary intensive designed to help new and experienced Assistant Instructors (AIs) design a course from the ground up. Over the course of two weeks in July, selected participants will work synchronously via Zoom and asynchronously via Canvas on a variety of collaborative and self-reflective activities as they learn to integrate accessible and inclusive teaching practices to promote community and belonging throughout each stage of course design. By using principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and best-practices from other evidence-based course-design frameworks, participants developed a syllabus for a new course using strategies to maximize success for all students in their classrooms. 

Each spring semester, graduate students compete for the chance to present quick, compelling talks about teaching at the Graduate Teaching Showcase. This event brings together graduate students, faculty, and staff to hear about exciting approaches about teaching and learn about issues graduate students are grappling with in their own teaching contexts. See all of the presentations here.

Visit our webpage for more information.

GSD staff are available to support and coach you on all aspects of teaching such as syllabus and instructional activity design, effective classroom management, and motivating your students to learn. Our staff can also assist you with obtaining and interpreting feedback from your students, including designing mid-semester feedback surveys, planning formative and summative assessments, creating rubrics, analyzing exam questions, and interpreting mid-semester feedback and course instructor survey (CIS) results. 

Contact us.