Fall 2024 opportunities for graduate students, TAs, and postdocs

GET SET Institutes & Workshops

• GET SET Institute: Essentials of Teaching Institute
• GET SET Institute: Course Design Institute
• Inclusive Teaching Institute

Essentials of Teaching Institute

In this four-part workshop series, you will explore strategies to foster a positive classroom environment, create effective interactive teaching activities to help students learn, and develop fair methods for assessment and grading.

Take each workshop individually or as a series. Participants who complete an entire institute (all 4 workshops) may request a letter of completion for their teaching portfolio (only Cornell students are eligible for the letter of completion).

The Essentials of Teaching Institute will occur on four consecutive Thursdays, from September 19 to October 10, 2024.

Read more about the Essentials of Teaching Institute.

Roles of TAs in Cultivating an Inclusive Classroom

• Held Thursday, September 19, 2024, 12:00–1:15 p.m. (online via Zoom)
• How do you create a learning environment in which all students can thrive? This workshop introduces ways to encourage open and active dialogue, address culturally and socially sensitive topics, promote cross-cultural exchanges, and cultivate an appreciation for diversity and difference in the classroom.

Supporting Student Learning as a TA

• Held Thursday, September 26, 2024, 12:00–1:15 p.m. (online via Zoom)
• How do students learn, and what does this mean for you as a TA? This workshop will introduce evidence-based theories of learning and explore how these frameworks motivate the use of specific teaching strategies, activities, and course structures you implement as a TA.

Effective Grading and Feedback

• Held Thursday, October 3, 2024, 12:00–1:15 p.m. (online via Zoom)
• How do you assign grades, devise a grading rubric, and grade in a fair, consistent way? A course grade reflects student competency and mastery of the material. This workshop will discuss components of grading students' understanding and mastery of the course material.

Final Session: Discussion of an Action Plan

• Held Thursday, October 10, 2024, 12:00–1:15 p.m. (online via Zoom)
• This workshop is for those who have completed the earlier workshops and would like a letter to document their participation in the Essentials of Teaching Institute. The capstone experience is an opportunity for participants to get peer feedback on their action plan.

Course Design Institute

This series of four workshops guides you through the basic elements of course design, and strategies to define learning outcomes, align assignments and activities, evaluate student learning, and create a student-centered syllabus. 

Take each workshop individually or as a series. Participants who complete an entire institute (all 4 workshops) may request a letter of completion for their teaching portfolio (only Cornell students are eligible for the letter of completion). 

The Course Design Institute will occur on four consecutive Tuesdays from October 22 to November 12, 2024.

Read more about the Course Design Institute. 

Backward Course Design: Developing Learning Outcomes

• Held Tuesday, October 22, 2024, 12:00–1:15 p.m. (online via Zoom)
• Where do you start when developing a course? Creating learning outcomes and aligning them with assignments and assessments is an effective place to start. This workshop introduces key steps for designing learning outcomes.

Developing a Syllabus from Scratch

• Held Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 12:00–1:15 p.m. (online via Zoom)
• How do you create a syllabus focused on student learning? This workshop will provide a useful syllabus design template and explore resources for designing and aligning course goals, learning objectives, instructional activities, and assessment strategies.

Designing Assessment of Student Learning 

• Held Tuesday, November 5, 2024, 12:00–1:15 p.m. (online via Zoom)
• Assessments do not have to be anxiety-inducing exams! In this workshop, we will explore a variety of assessment strategies and discuss which are appropriate and effective for your course.

Final Session: Peer Review

• Held Tuesday, November 12, 2024, 12:00–1:15 p.m. (online via Zoom)
• This workshop is for those who have completed the earlier workshops and would like a letter to document their participation in the Institute. This capstone experience is an opportunity for you to develop a draft of a syllabus for a course you might teach in your field and receive peer feedback.

Inclusive Teaching Institute

• Held Friday, October 25, 2024, 9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. (in person)
• The Inclusive Teaching Institute for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars is an opportunity to explore diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education learning environments. This interactive workshop invites you to reflect and connect with graduate students and postdocs to share knowledge, explore how and why social identities come into play in the learning environment, consider how to remove barriers and increase accessibility, and create a plan to support student learning.
• Read more about the Inclusive Teaching Institute.

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Teaching Resources

Teaching Assistant Online Orientation

The TA Online Orientation, designed to prepare new graduate teaching assistants for success in their first few weeks of teaching, is a series of self-paced, asynchronous modules that introduce teaching essentials and resources available to support them while at Cornell.

Teaching at Cornell Guide

The purpose of the Teaching at Cornell guide is to introduce key aspects of teaching and learning at Cornell University through the lens of the five elements the CTI believes to be critical to instructor success. It is intended to begin, not complete, a dialogue on excellence in teaching and learning.

Teaching Portfolio Program

A portfolio encourages you to document and reflect on your teaching at Cornell. Register at any time to be part of CTI’s Teaching Portfolio Program and gain access to resources, consultations, and support for your teaching.

Teaching with Technologies

If you're interested in resources to incorporate technology, CTI offers Upcoming Teaching with Technology Workshops.

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