Evidence-Based Teaching in Science and Engineering Seminar
The Evidence-based Teaching in Science and Engineering (ETSE) seminar is built around an eight-module, self-paced online course offered by the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL). These modules review evidence-based fundamentals of teaching, cultivate understanding of how people learn, provide tactics for developing and assessing learning objectives, and present inclusive strategies to support all learners. ETSE seminar members work through the modules, meet as a learning community to debrief and discuss them, and develop an original, peer-reviewed lesson plan.
For graduate students enrolled in the Teaching Development Program (TDP), this seminar satisfies the Advanced Track seminar requirement.
How to join this seminar
ETSE will run online during Spring 2026 starting the week of March 9. A call for applications will go out in early February. To make sure you are alerted for this call, subscribe to CTL’s weekly newsletter for graduate students. For more information about ETSE, contact CTLgrads@columbia.edu.
Who
This seminar is open to Columbia University graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who are interested in moving through a structured course presenting core aspects of teaching, delivered by faculty, staff, and other teaching and learning experts from across the United States — and in discussing insights arising from this course in a supportive setting with peers at Columbia University.
Since all course materials and meetings are online, this seminar is ideal for participants whose research commitments limit their opportunity to attend in-person events.
While the CIRTL course focuses on evidence-based teaching fundamentals in STEM, grad students and postdocs in other disciplines who are interested in interdisciplinary approaches to teaching are welcome to participate.
When
Seminar participants will for a learning community that meets every other week via Zoom four times, beginning the week of March 9. These four meetings will be scheduled around participant availability, once participants are admitted to the seminar.
The online CIRTL course, divided into eight modules, is asynchronous and self-paced. ETSE participants will be expected to complete modules ahead of the meetings that discuss them. See the schedule of meetings below.
Seminar objectives and activities
The ETSE seminar is designed to develop future faculty committed to implementing and advancing evidence-based teaching practices to create undergraduate educational experiences that are accessible to all learners. This seminar supports the following CIRTL learning goals at an introductory level:
- Develop evidence-based teaching knowledge
- Connect with community to enhance teaching
The CIRTL modules at its center were originally created with funding from the National Sciences Foundation and have been iteratively updated to reflect contemporary teaching and learning topics. Work in these modules entails interacting on optional discussion boards, short quizzes to check your knowledge after each module, and three assignments that guide you through applying what you’re learning to your own teaching context.
ETSE participants work through all eight CIRTL modules at their own pace and meet synchronously on Zoom four times as a learning community. These learning community meetings, scheduled around participant availability, are as follows:
- ETSE meeting 1 (week of March 9): Seminar convening: Overview, Goal Definition
- ETSE meeting 2 (week of March 23): Discuss Modules 1 – 3 (Principles of Learning, Learning Objectives)
- ETSE meeting 3 (week of April 6): Discuss Modules 4 – 7 (Assessment, Active Learning, Inclusive Teaching)
- ETSE meeting 4 (week of April 20): Discuss Module 8, Peer review of original lesson plans, guidances for TDP credit
Successful completion of ETSE entails completion of all modules, attendance at all meetings, and the development of an original lesson plan that reflects insights developed through the CIRTL modules and discussions of them.
Seminar participants who successfully complete all activities receive a letter from Columbia CTL certifying completion as well as letter from the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL). Successful completion of ETSE also satisfies the Seminar requirement for participants registered in the Teaching Development Program.
Contact
Email CTLgrads@columbia.edu with any questions about this seminar.
The CTL is here for graduate students.
The Columbia Center for Teaching and Learning provides an array of support for graduate students in both their current and future teaching responsibilities.