2025-2026 Teaching Development Fellowship
2025-03-20 12:00 - 2025-05-11 23:59 (America/New_York)
The application deadline for the 2025-2026 Teaching Development Fellowship has been extended to Sunday, May 11!

What are TDFs?

Teaching Development Fellows work within an interdisciplinary network of peers dedicated to teaching and learning. They receive training and mentorship in teaching from TLL and design and lead independent, department-based workshops and events (in-person or remote) aimed at improving grad student teaching skills.

Fellows should plan to commit approximately 8-10 hours per month from August to May to achieve the work associated with this program. Their work is supported by each fellow’s department with a total stipend of $2,100. There are also a number of at-large positions available, supported directly by the TLL.

What do TDFs do?

We encourage TDFs to pursue events and activities that they are interested in and think will be valuable to their graduate-student peers in their departments. It’s a key value of the program to promote graduate student leadership. But some examples of recent successful TDF activities are listed below to give you a better sense of what you might do as a TDF

TA Check-inMost fellows, small-scale project
An informal meeting with current TAs to find out what challenges they are facing and, if possible, answer their teaching questions. These check-in’s are a opportunity for the fellow to introduce themselves to the TAs and figure out what kinds of events or projects they might be interested in for the future. Some TDFs host multiple check-ins over the semester.The basic objective of Unified is to give a solid understanding of the fundamental disciplines of aerospace engineering, as well as their interrelationships and applications. […]

Leading a Teaching Careers Alumni Teaching PanelPrerna Ravi (24-25 TDF for EECS), small to mid-scale project.
An in-person, one-hour panel discussion with recent graduates from EECS discussing their career path so far, how much of their time is devoted to teaching and research at different types of institutions, and how they approach teaching. Panelists also answered questions about the transition from TA to instructor-of-record and what resources they might take advantage of in graduate school to prepare to teach as a future-faculty member.

Graduate Teach-off CompetitionHalie Olson (21-22 TDF for BCS) small- to mid-scale project
A friendly competition where graduate students design and present 10-minute micro-lessons with scoring and feedback from department and TLL staff. This style of event may be conducted as a one-off event, but in this iteration there was a pre-competition round in which participants presented their lessons to the TDF and received feedback in advance.

Feature Film as a Teaching Tool workshopWright Smith (24-25 TDF for Political Science)
An interactive workshop on a topic of special interest to the facilitator and graduate students in the department. The TDF led active learning strategies focused on using feature films as a tool in the classroom and led participants in an activity to brainstorm how to apply this technique in their own teaching.

Conducting a TA Experience SurveyLaurel White (24-25 TDF for Physics), mid- to large-scale project
An exit survey for fall-semester TAs collecting anonymized information on time spent as a TA, primary duties, and support from department and subject instructor. Data from these surveys is synthesized and shared with appropriate department stakeholders to recommend systemic departmental changes where possible.

Developing TA Resource DocumentsEllan Kan (22-23 TDF for BE) and Kasey Love (23-24 TDF for BE), large-scale project
A collection of resources developed over the course of two years by two TDFs from the same department. These documents focused on helping improve communication across teaching teams and set clear expectations for TA activities. Fellows used their own experience, feedback from peers, and input from their department to develop the collection of resources.

Designing a Special Seminar on TeachingScott Weimann (24-25 TDF for WHOI), large-scale project
A credit-bearing (2-unit) subject co-taught with department faculty. The subject was conducted as a scaled-down version of TLL certificate programs for students who would not have the opportunity to take them, including lesson plan and course development, and microteaching.

Who can be a TDF?

Applicants must be graduate students in good academic standing with at least one semester of teaching or TA experience. Priority will be given to applicants who demonstrate a commitment to developing a community of evidence-based and reflective teaching in their departments, have additional teaching experience, and/or have already completed the Kaufman Teaching Certificate Program (KTCP), Grad Teaching Development Tracks, or equivalent training.*

Selected applicants who have not previously completed KTCP or similar program will receive additional training during summer 2025 before beginning the program.

*Examples of equivalent training are achieving an undergraduate or graduate degree in education, or completing the CIRTL MOOC, NSF GK12 program, or MIT Scheller Teacher Education Program.

How do I apply?

The online application includes the following:

Contact and department information

Previous participation in teaching development programming

Short answer questions on the following topics:

Challenges to developing teaching skills for graduate students in your department and proposals for how to address these challenges

Description of teaching philosophy and teaching methods currently in use or planned

Description and explanation of how you would approach a short TA check-in in your department.

Explanation of teaching philosophy and experience

Description of prior leadership experience

If interested in an at-large position, a short description of what kind of project you would like to be involved in.

Applicants must also upload a current C.V. including teaching experience

A strong application should include includes:

A specific description of the challenges to developing teaching skills within your and a specific plan to address these challenges.

An evidence-based understanding of what makes for effective teaching

At least one semester of TAing or similar teaching experience

Upon completion of the application, your advisor or graduate officer (identified in the application) will be contacted to confirm good academic standing and acknowledge your prospective participation). A letter of reference is not required.

Fellows are selected by a committee of TLL staff and former fellows in consultation with their departments. All materials must be received no later than May 11, 2025.
