This Week for Graduate Students: Get on track with the Teaching Development Program!

About the TDP

The Teaching Development Program (TDP) offers doctoral and MFA students a means to organize, document, and articulate their teaching development at Columbia. Completion of the TDP is certified by the CTL and noted on transcripts for doctoral students in Arts and Sciences, SEAS, Mailman, Nursing, Social Work, Business, Journalism, and GSAPP—and for MFA students in the School of the Arts. 

The TDP website provides information about the program’s structure and benefits, along with testimonials from Columbia graduate students who have completed it.

TDP info session this Friday

Students currently in the TDP and those thinking about jumping in are invited to join us at a live information session on Friday. In particular, we welcome to this session:

• Prospective participants in the TDP who are interested in learning more about the program
• Participants who recently joined the TDP’s Foundational Track who are interested in learning more about tips for getting started
• Current participants on the Foundational Track of the TDP who want to work with the CTL and peers to map out strategies for track completion

Date: Friday, September 6, 2024
Time: 1:00-2:00pm
Location: 212 Butler Library

Essentials of Teaching and Learning Workshops

The Essentials of Teaching and Learning workshop series offers new or developing graduate student instructors approaches to better facilitate student learning and improve teaching practices. Join us at these foundational workshops to deepen insights that you have started to develop at teaching orientations or in early teaching experiences. Sessions are listed below. Each live session is accompanied by a 20-minute module in Canvas to be completed in advance. Workshops are conducted in-person in Butler Library. 

• Essentials 1: Inclusive Teaching – Wednesday, September 11, 10:10-11:40 am
• Essentials 2: Designing Learning Objectives – Wednesday, September 18, 10:10-11:40 am
• Essentials 3: Active Learning – Wednesday, September 25, 10:10-11:40 am
• Essentials 4: Assessment & Feedback – Wednesday, October 2, 10:10-11:40 am

Completion of the Essentials workshop series satisfies a core requirement of the Teaching Development Program

Innovative Course Design Seminar

Participants in the Innovative Course Design Seminar (ICDS) explore inclusive, evidence-based instructional design practices and apply these concepts to the creation of a learner-centered syllabus. Participants use the principles of backward design and inclusive teaching to develop context-specific learning objectives, aligned and scaffolded assessments, and a range of engaging activities across formats and contexts within a single course. Applications are now being accepted through Monday, September 23.

ICDS is running in Fall 2024 in person from 10:10am-12pm in Butler Library on five successive Thursdays: October 10, October 17, October 24, October 31, and November 7.

For those enrolled in the Teaching Development Program (TDP), this seminar satisfies the Advanced Track seminar requirement.

Approaching the Academic Job Market

Starting your academic job search and looking for guidance on the standard components of an academic job application? The CTL has designed three self-paced resources to introduce you to the teaching statement, diversity statement, and the elements of a compelling teaching portfolio. Each resource is designed to introduce the material, help you kickstart the writing of your first draft, and give you ways to edit and revise current drafts. Click on the links below to access the respective modules and get started!

• Intro to the Teaching Statement: Access module
• Intro to the Diversity Statement: Access module
• Intro to the Teaching Portfolio: Access module

Graduate Student Advisory Committee

The Center for Teaching and Learning launched the Graduate Student Advisory Committee in Fall 2023. Guided by CTL staff, this committee has two broad purposes: to engage a range of diverse student communities across the Columbia campus and, in so doing, to obtain community-centered input and advice on graduate student teaching support needs, CTL offerings, and effective modes of outreach.

We encourage current graduate students who are committed to drawing on diverse perspectives, experiences, and communities across the Columbia campus to apply. Applicants do not need to have been a regular attendee of CTL programs to qualify for this role. 

Applications for a one year (renewable) appointment to the 2024-25 Committee are being accepted through Monday, September 9. For questions about the application process or other aspects of the Graduate Student Advisory Committee, contact CTLgrads@columbia.edu.

💡Resource Spotlight
Teaching in Times of Stress and Challenge

Emotions play a vital role in teaching and learning and it is especially important to be responsive to the vast range of emotions that may surface in the classroom during challenging times. This resource offers strategies for teaching during times of stress and highlights campus supports available to help instructors and their students navigate challenges. Access resource

Support this summer

Consultations
The CTL provides graduate students and postdocs with consultations at all points in their teaching career. These include consultations on teaching statements, professional development, preparing for the job market, teaching online, and general teaching-related support. Request a consultation.

Office Hours
We invite current Columbia graduate students with questions about maintaining an inclusive teaching environment and all other aspects of pedagogy to drop by office hours on Fridays from 2:00–4:00 pm. We also welcome conversations about CTL fellowships, programs, services, job market preparation, and making progress in the Teaching Development Program.

No appointment is necessary; you can join us in-person in 212 Butler Library, or via Zoom. To join office hours via Zoom, email CTLgrads@columbia.edu to obtain the link.