This Week for Grad Students: Fall 2025 Teaching Orientation
Fall 2025 Teaching Orientation for Graduate Students
CTL offers graduate student instructors orientation resources and sessions to learn about practical, evidence-based strategies that they can implement on the first day of class. These orientations help supplement department-based orientations and trainings. CTL orientations are open to all new teaching assistants, teaching fellows, and graduate students in an instructor role.
In Fall 2025, CTL is offering two forms of orientation:
- Comprehensive guidance online, available to graduate students anytime
- An in-person live orientation program on August 28
Descriptions and links for each orientation are below.
On-demand materials
This video introduces the goals and requirements of the TDP, describes why Columbia doctoral and MFA students might join, outlines what to expect, and suggests how to get started. Additional information is available online at https://tdp.ctl.columbia.edu
In-person orientation
CTL is also offering a live teaching orientation program on Thursday, August 28, for new TAs and instructors looking for teaching community, peer mentorship, and individual feedback heading into the new semester. This in-person offering complements the on-demand modules listed above.
Current Columbia graduate students can request to join the morning session or the full day program.
Morning program: Experienced TA panel and individual guidance for developing first day of class plans and policies
Full day program: In addition to morning session, lunch with experienced TAs and practice teaching support
Experienced TAs Discuss Challenges and Realizations
During the in-person orientation in Fall 2024, a panel of Columbia graduate students with extensive teaching experience shared a range of perspectives and advice with their peers. They discussed methods for building community in a class, dealing with imposter syndrome, and crafting class policies that are responsive to student needs.
Access video: Experienced TA Panel Discussion
Call for Applications
Join the 2025-26 CTL Graduate Student Advisory Committee
Guided by CTL staff, the Graduate Student Advisory Committee has two broad purposes: to engage a range of diverse
student communities and to obtain community-centered input and advice on graduate student teaching support needs, CTL offerings, and effective modes of outreach. In recent years, this Committee has been instrumental in helping CTL revise and expand its Teaching Orientation for Graduate Students and its Office Hours for Graduate Students.
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 will be accepted until positions on the committee are filled.
Work with CTL as a 2025-26 Fellow in Academic Administration
The GSAS Fellowships in Academic Administration (FAA) program offers advanced doctoral students in Arts and Sciences departments the opportunity to gain experience in administrative offices across Columbia’s campuses. This program enhances graduate student professional development by supplementing the training GSAS students receive in research and teaching with an introduction to the day-to-day operations of the University. The experience allows students to cultivate a stronger professional profile and develop administrative skills in preparation for any future career.
Applicants can apply for opportunities in specific offices, including CTL. The CTL FAA works closely with CTL directors to support the development, assessment, and communication of the Teaching Development Program (TDP), contributing to the design and delivery of programming that helps graduate students grow as reflective, evidence-based instructors.
Open to doctoral students in Arts and Sciences. Applications due August 11.
Upcoming Workshops
Making Your CourseWorks Site More Accessible
This session offers simple ways to improve the accessibility of your CourseWorks site for all your students. Learn how to use the Ally accessibility checker, to improve the accessibility of your course materials, and how to make your site more welcoming and easy to navigate. The session will include opportunities to ask questions and to reflect on how you can integrate accessibility practice into your teaching context.
This workshop counts towards track completion in the Teaching Development Program.
Date: Wednesday August 6
Time: 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM
Location: Online
Reading and Writing in Community: Social Annotation Tools for the Classroom
Would you like to help your students engage more deeply in the course reading, and more meaningfully with each other during collaborative assignments? Do you need a space where students can read and annotate together? Are you looking for new ways to promote reading for comprehension?
Experience a short demonstration of Perusall, a free tool developed at Harvard to promote social reading and collaborative annotation. The demo will end with a quick overview of other similar tools for annotation and be followed by opportunities to ask questions and to reflect on how you might intentionally integrate Perusall and other tools for collaboration into your teaching context.
This workshop counts towards track completion in the Teaching Development Program.
Date: Thursday August 7
Time: 1:30 PM – 2:00 PM
Location: Online
Faster, Fairer: Using Gradescope for Grading in Science & Engineering
Join us for an introduction to Gradescope, a Columbia-supported tool that can help you manage your grading load. Gradescope is an assessment platform integrated with CourseWorks that allows you to build rubrics for faster and more equitable grading, respond to handwritten student work in an online environment, and provide feedback to students efficiently. This session will provide a demonstration of how to grade a handwritten assignment, provide feedback to students, and link your CourseWorks courses and assignments with Gradescope.
This session is best suited for: Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology, Engineering, Economics, and Social Science courses which use paper-based or programming assignments.
This workshop counts towards track completion in the Teaching Development Program.
Date: Tuesday August 12
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Location: Online
Reading the Room: How to Set Up Poll Everywhere
Join us for an introduction to Gradescope, a Columbia-supported tool that can help you manage your grading load. Gradescope is an assessment platform integrated with CourseWorks that allows you to build rubrics for faster and more equitable grading, respond to handwritten student work in an online environment, and provide feedback to students efficiently. This session will provide a demonstration of how to grade a handwritten assignment, provide feedback to students, and link your CourseWorks courses and assignments with Gradescope.
This session is best suited for: Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology, Engineering, Economics, and Social Science courses which use paper-based or programming assignments.
This workshop counts towards track completion in the Teaching Development Program.
Date: Wednesday August 13
Time: 1:30 PM – 2:00 PM
Location: Online
The CTL is here to help!
Office Hours
Drop by CTL’s Office Hours for graduate students to consult with us about any aspect of teaching, CTL fellowships and other offerings, job market preparation, or making progress in the Teaching Development Program. Learn more about office hours.
Consultations
Graduate students can now request consultations to get support for their teaching and learning needs. The CTL provides consultations on a range of topics, including syllabus design, creating and refining a teaching statement, integrating instructional technologies into class activities, and presentation practices. Learn more and request a consultation.