This Week for Graduate Students: Request a Mid-Course Review by March 3!
Mid-Course Review
In a Mid-Course Review (MCR), a Teaching Consultant gathers feedback from your students about what they find to be helpful and challenging when learning in your section or course. The Consultant then meets with you to unpack what your students have said. Doing an MCR now can help you make adjustments and improve your students’ experience for the rest of the semester.
To arrange for an MCR, submit a request at least two weeks prior to the date when you would like a Teaching Consultant to visit your class. All MCRs must be completed by March 24, 2023. Requests for MCRs will close on Friday, March 3, 2023.
Mid-Course Reviews count towards completion of CTL’s Teaching Development Program for graduate students.
Innovative Course Design Seminar
In the five-week Innovative Course Design Seminar, participants explore evidence-based, inclusive instructional design practices and create a learner-centered syllabus of their own design. Participants apply the principles of backward design and inclusive teaching to develop context-specific learning objectives, aligned and scaffolded assessments, and a range of engaging activities that facilitate student learning within the context of a single course. Applications will be accepted Feb. 24 – March 10
In-person seminar meetings are scheduled for Thursdays March 23, March 30, April 6, April 13, and April 20, 2:40–4pm Eastern Time in Butler 212, supplemented by online modules to be completed between sessions.
For those enrolled in the Teaching Development Program (TDP), this seminar satisfies the Advanced Track seminar requirement.
Introduction to CTL Fellowships (LTF, TOF, TAF)
Are you looking for ways to extend your pedagogical development? Would you like to be more involved with the Center for Teaching and Learning? Join the CTL’s Graduate Student Programs and Services team to learn more about paid fellowship opportunities at the CTL that provide Columbia doctoral students (and in some cases, MFA students at SOA) with sustained professional development experience. This information session is one of two that will be offered in Spring 2023 and will focus on the following opportunities:
- Lead Teaching Fellowship (LTF)
- Teaching Observation Fellowship (TOF)
- Teaching Assessment Fellowship (TAF)
In this session, CTL staff will review all fellowship opportunities available to graduate students. They will then be joined by current and past fellows in each of the above programs to share the expectations, development opportunities, and timelines for applying to each fellowship. At the end of the session, participants will be invited to ask questions in an interactive Q&A.
Date: Friday, March 3, 2023
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Location: Butler Library, Room 212
Making it Hard to Cheat
As part of Academic Integrity Awareness Week, this session asks the question: how can we design courses and assignments that discourage or make it difficult to cheat? Cheating will continue to be a persistent problem, however, the research on cheating suggests that there are predictable conditions that can induce cheating behaviors. We’ll explore the research on cheating in higher education and use it to devise strategies to reduce cheating and even improve students’ overall performance in our courses by fostering their own intrinsic motivations to learn deeply in our classes.
Participation in this session counts towards completion of the Teaching Development Program (TDP).
Date: Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Time: 10:10 AM – 11:40 AM
Location: Butler Library, Room 212
Learning by Observing: Effective Teaching Observations
Observing faculty or peers teaching can be a powerful way to expand your awareness of teaching techniques, train your attention on student learning, and generate reflection about your own instructional approaches. But how can you ensure that an observation leads to all these benefits? This workshop will provide participants with a model for conducting online or in-person observations of teaching that focus on learning objectives, student engagement, and insights about the observer’s own teaching development. While the session will be immediately useful to participants completing the Advanced Track of CTL’s Teaching Development Program, it is open to all interested graduate students and postdocs.
Participation in this session counts towards completion of the Teaching Development Program (TDP).
Date: Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Time: 12:00 PM–1:30 PM
Location: Butler Library, Room 212
2023 Celebration of Teaching and Learning Symposium: March 21 & March 23!
The Office of the Provost and the Center for Teaching and Learning invite the Columbia community to the 2023 Celebration of Teaching and Learning Symposium to celebrate the ways that faculty and graduate students are transforming their courses and pedagogies.
Join us for an in-person faculty panel and celebratory reception on Tuesday, March 21, and three live online panels on Thursday, March 23, featuring Columbia faculty and graduate students.
Making the Most of Mentorship
Columbia graduate students and postdocs are invited to a special interactive workshop, in which participants will learn concrete strategies for identifying and addressing common mentorship challenges, and hear candid perspectives from an interdisciplinary group of mentor-mentee pairs. The session will end by identifying on-campus resources and steps for taking a mentorship relationship to the next level.
This session will offer pertinent guidance and models for current and future mentees and those planning to take on the role of academic mentor during their careers. It is a collaborative offering of the Center for Teaching and Learning, the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, and the Office of Research Compliance and Training. Light snacks will be available to registered participants.
Date: Thursday, March 23, 2023
Time: 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Location: CUIMC Campus, 1202 & 1203 Vagelos Education Center
Participation in this session counts towards completion of the Teaching Development Program (TDP).
Upcoming Lead Teaching Fellow Events
The 45 2022-23 Lead Teaching Fellows are running workshops and discussions in departments all around Columbia. These are generally advertised locally. Below are upcoming events that are open to participants beyond the LTFs home departments.
LTF events count towards track completion in the Teaching Development Program.
Play!
In this workshop, we will play different games to learn how fun can be used to teach climate concepts. There will also be a brief discussion of neuro theory and the science behind using games for learning. Food from Dos Toros will be provided.
This event is led by Lead Teaching Fellow Garima Raheja (Earth and Environmental Sciences). It is open to students from all departments.
Date & Time: Tuesday, February 28, 1:10 PM–2:10PM
Location: Schermerhorn, Room 506
Registration: here
Mentorship Strategies for PhD Students: From the Classroom to the Lab
As graduate students in STEM, we often find ourselves teaching outside of the classroom, particularly when training new students in the lab. This role can be rewarding and positive, but it can also be daunting without prior experience. In this workshop, we ‘ll learn general mentorship strategies, discuss how to navigate challenges in mentorship, and reflect on our experiences as both mentors and mentees. Pizza and snacks will be provided!
This event is led by Lead Teaching Fellow Ramon Flores Pinedo (Latin American and Iberian Cultures). It is open to all engineering PhD students.
Date & Time: Wednesday, March 1, 6:00 PM–7:00 PM
Location: BME Multipurpose Room (ET343, 3rd floor Mudd Building)
Registration: here
Academic Integrity: How to Define Plagiarism and Avoid Unintentional Academic Misconduct
Academic integrity is the key value and moral code of academia. As a student, we are often reminded to avoid any forms of academic misconduct during our studies, but sometimes unintentional plagiarism may occur in some academic settings due to the unawareness of the boundary between integrity and misconduct. In this workshop, we will:
- Review the definition of academic integrity in the new tech era (emergence of AI-based technologies).
- Explain the differences between quoting, summarizing and paraphrasing and how to avoid unintentional plagiarism.
- Resources will be available for instructors to identify plagiarism and help students maintain academic integrity.
This event is led by Lead Teaching Fellow Diandian Zhao (Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics). It is open to students from all departments.
Date & Time: Wednesday, March 8, 12:30 PM–1:30 PM
Location: Mudd 611 (Civil Engineering Conference room)
Registration: email dz2442@columbia.edu
Consultations & Office Hours
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
Live office hours for graduate students are being held each Friday from 2:00 – 4:00 pm ET. Current Columbia graduate students seeking guidance on teaching approaches and tactics, preparing materials for teaching portfolios, or completing tracks in the Teaching Development Program are invited to drop in, no appointment necessary – in-person in 212 Butler or online via Zoom (https://columbiauniversity.zoom.us/my/CTLgrads).