This Week for Grad Students: Ready to level-up your teaching? Request a Mid-Course Review!

Get confidential feedback on your teaching!

CTL offers current Columbia graduate students a number of ways to get feedback on the efficacy of their teaching, along with advice on how to build on current strengths and make improvements.

These structured, confidential, and formative services are provided by trained graduate student Teaching Consultants.

CTL services satisfy the Application and Practice requirements in the Teaching Development Program for graduate students.

Mid-Course Review

If you’re currently leading a section or recitation, a Teaching Consultant can drop by to interview your students in your absence about how your teaching practices are impacting their learning in the course. Afterwards, in a confidential debrief meeting, the TC can help you build on current strengths and plan improvements that your students will appreciate! 

MCRs are most effective when completed during weeks 4-7 of the semester. The deadline to request one for Spring 2025 is February 28.

Teaching Observation

This is a unique opportunity to receive confidential, individualized, practical feedback on your teaching. A Teaching Consultant can visit your course or section to watch you teach and debrief with you afterwards. CTL observations are coordinated to your course goals and provide you evidence-based strategies to implement going forward. 

A Teaching Observation must be requested at least two weeks in advance of the date you would like to be observed.

Practice Teaching

Even if you do not currently have an instructional role at Columbia, you can still get individualized, supportive feedback on your teaching! A Practice Teaching session, led by a Teaching Consultant, brings together a small group of graduate students who rehearse teaching approaches and get direct feedback from each other.

Practice Teaching sessions run periodically at CTL. The next one is this Wednesday Feb. 12. Custom sessions in departments can also be requested.

🌟 Resource Spotlight 🌟 Early and Mid-Semester Feedback

The CTL recommends capturing student feedback at various points within the semester, including mid-term. The goal is to undertake a dialogue about students’ learning, not an evaluation of the instructor’s teaching. Even if you don’t request a Mid-Course Review, you can still collect valuable feedback from your students on your own! This resource outlines two simple yet effective approaches.

Essentials of Teaching and Learning workshops

These foundational workshops offer new or developing graduate student instructors approaches to better facilitate student learning and improve teaching practices. Join us to deepen insight that you have started to develop at teaching orientations or in early teaching experiences.

In Spring 2025, the Essentials series are running in-person in 203 Butler Library. One more Essential workshop is running this seminar: it’s not too late to register!

• Essentials 4: Assessment & Feedback – Tuesday, February 18, 10:10-11:40am

Each session is accompanied by a 20-minute module in Canvas to be completed in advance. Access modules here.

Essentials workshops count towards completion of the Foundational Track of CTL’s Teaching Development Program (TDP) for graduate students. CTL offers the Essentials sequence every semester.

Spring 2025 focus on Ecopedagogy

Climate Pedagogy for a Just Transition

In 2024–2025, Teachers’ Lounge is hosting Climate Cafes where instructors can gather to discuss how to leverage their teaching to build a just and sustainable future, no matter the discipline! 

In this session, we will take a look at the Climate Justice Alliance’s Just Transition Framework and apply it to teaching and learning. Participants will leave with ideas for making their classrooms incubators for a just and sustainable future, including learning objectives and teaching strategies to incorporate climate across the curriculum.

A light, climate friendly lunch will be available to registered participants.

Climate Wayfinding Seminar: Teaching for Climate Healing

In this six-week intensive seminar, participants look inward, look outward, and look forward to create a pedagogical practice that meets the needs of a changing world. This heart-centered learning community explores how to address the emotionality of the climate crisis, incorporate climate content and competencies across the curriculum, infuse ecological values throughout the classroom experience, and make a plan for next steps and implementation. Participants leave with a fuller understanding of their own climate engagement, a plan for supporting students in theirs, and a climate-informed teaching artifact for their teaching portfolios. The seminar runs March 26–April 30; applications to join are being accepted through February 17.

This program satisfies the Advanced Track requirement of CTL’s Teaching Development Program (TDP) for graduate students.

Teaching Development Program (TDP)

Showcase Your Teaching Development: TDP Advanced Track

The Teaching Development Program (TDP) offers doctoral and MFA students a means to document and articulate their teaching development at Columbia. Completion of a track in the TDP is certified by the CTL and noted on Columbia University transcripts. Watch a brief overview of the TDP.

We invite the following to join us at this special informational event:

• TDP participants who recently switched to the Advanced Track who are interested in discussing tips for making progress
• Participants who want to learn about or work toward the e-portfolio capstone assignment
• Participants on the Advanced Track who want to work with the CTL and peers to map out strategies for track completion

Date: Friday, February 14
Time: 1:00-2:00pm
Location: 212 Butler Library

The CTL is here to help!

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.

Office Hours

Live office hours for graduate students are running during the Spring 2025 semester on Fridays from 2:00-4:00 pm ET. Drop by 212 Butler or join our Zoom room to consult with us about maintaining an inclusive and supportive learning environment, any other aspect of teaching, CTL fellowships and other offerings, job market preparation, or making progress in the Teaching Development Program. To join office hours via Zoom, email CTLgrads@columbia.edu for the link.