This Week for Grad Students: Get started with the Teaching Development Program (TDP)!
Showcase Your Teaching Development with the TDP
The Teaching Development Program (TDP) offers doctoral and MFA students a means to document and articulate their teaching development at Columbia. Completion of foundational or advanced tracks in 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.
CTL is happy to offer a TDP information session for all interested Columbia graduate students. 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, January 24
Time: 2:00-3:00pm
Location: 212 Butler Library
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.
- Essentials 1: Inclusive Teaching – Tuesday, January 28, 10:10-11:40am
- Essentials 2: Designing Learning Objectives – Tuesday, February 4, 10:10-11:40am
- Essentials 3: Active Learning – Tuesday, February 11, 10:10-11:40am
- 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.
CTLgrads Learning Community
CTLgrads Learning Communities are interdisciplinary conversations about teaching and learning topics, designed and co-facilitated by CTL Senior Lead Teaching Fellows and other select graduate students. By participating in these discussions of the teaching literature with other graduate student instructors, you will develop new frameworks to innovate your teaching and connect to a network of interdisciplinary colleagues focused on pedagogy at Columbia.
Upcoming Learning Community:
Beyond the Lecture-Essay Model: Learning Through Non-traditional Modalities
In-Person Learning Community designed and run by Senior Lead Teaching Fellows Tahlia Pajaczkowska-Russell (Philosophy) and Garima Raheja (Earth and Environmental Science).
Spring 2025 Teaching Orientation
CTL is pleased to offer teaching orientation materials online, available to Columbia graduate students anytime. Five orientation modules are available to all with a Columbia UNI here. These five modules address the following topics:
- Establishing instructional goals and an inclusive learning climate
- TA teaching roles and modalities
- Creating a policy sheet and a first day of class plan
- Common TA challenges, campus resources that help to navigate them
- Next steps for teaching and professional development
See also advice from experienced TAs through the video recording of our live orientation from Fall 2024 below, which compliments the above modules.
CIRTL Seminars
The Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) provides resources, trainings, and networking opportunities for future faculty in STEM and other fields. Graduate students and postdocs are invited to participate in its national online cross-network opportunities to develop their teaching. Registration for the events below opens on Monday, January 13 and fills up quickly!
Upcoming seminars:
Many CIRTL offerings, including these highlighted sessions, satisfy the pedagogy workshop requirements of the Teaching Development Program.
On-Demand Resources
CTL offers many on-demand modules for graduate students that can be accessed anytime by Columbia University affiliates. These asynchronous offerings offer support for developing teaching statements and portfolios, and for other teaching and professional development.
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
Office Hours
Live office hours for graduate students are running during the Spring 2025 semester on Fridays from 2:00-4:00 pm ET, beginning January 24. 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.