Application Period for the IAP 2023 Subject Design Track
2022-12-14 12:00 - 2022-12-18 23:59 (America/New_York) | Zoom
About the Program

The Subject Design Track is a sequence of three interactive 2-hour workshops focused on course design. Participants will learn to build a course by first identifying goals and then organizing assignments and content to align with these goals. Over the course of the program, participants will develop a syllabus for a course of their choice with feedback from the instructor.

Visit our page on Grad Teaching Development Tracks learn more. All workshops will be held on Zoom.

Workshop TitleIntended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)Date & TimeDefine Your Goals and ScopeDescribe the elements of the backward design process.Identify and articulate learning outcomes for a course you wish to teach.Thu, Jan 12, 2:00 – 4:00 pm (ET)Plan Your AssessmentsOutline a unit from the course you wish to teach, including unit-level learning outcomes that align with course-level outcomes and a narrative description of the unit.Identify an appropriate summative assessment method that aligns with discipline priorities and the intended learning outcomes of the unit.Design assessments that support belonging and equity.Outline a unit from the course you wish to teach, including unit-level learning outcomes that align with course-level outcomes and a narrative description of the unit.Thu, Jan 19, 2:00 – 4:00 pm (ET)Draft Your SyllabusDescribe how a student-centered syllabus differs from a content-centered syllabus.Articulate course policies that align with learning outcomes and teaching philosophy.Write a student-centered syllabus based on components developed over the course of the Subject Design TrackThu, Jan 26, 2:00 – 4:00 pm (ET)FacilitatorBen Hansberry, Assistant Director for Graduate Student Teaching

How to Apply

The application window will be open from 12:00 noon Wednesday, December 14 through 11:59 pm Sunday, December 18. Participants from previous workshop tracks are given priority. The remaining applications will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications must be received by the deadline to be considered.

Apply

Leveraging Best Practices to Support Community, Wellbeing, and Belonging
2022-12-15 14:00 - 15:00
Join us for our next talk in TLL’s Speaker Series: Reigniting the Spark of Learning.

During the pandemic, many instructors realized the importance of community, wellbeing, and belonging in student learning, and the central role that they themselves played in developing the structures and processes to create supportive and inclusive learning environments.

In this talk, members of the RIC16 Ad Hoc Committee* will discuss their year-long work to understand and document how MIT instructors and faculty fostered community, wellbeing and belonging during remote teaching and how these strategies continue to be used in classrooms and other learning spaces across campus. TLL’s Director and member of the committee, Janet Rankin, will moderate.

All are welcome!

For Zoom details, please register via Eventbrite below.

Panel

Katrina LaCurts Senior Lecturer & Undergraduate Officer, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science. (EECS) Katrina’s academic interests lie in the intersection of computer systems and society. She specializes in teaching large undergraduate systems courses. and currently, teaches 6.02 (Introduction to EECS via Communication Networks), 6.033 (Computer Systems Engineering), and 6.S057 (Computer Systems and Society). LaCurts received the inaugural School of Engineering Distinguished Educator Award. LaCurts received her MS and PhD in CS from MIT.

David McGee, Associate Professor, Earth, Atmospheric & Planetary Science. (EAPS) David came to MIT in 2012 after graduate studies at Tulane and Columbia Universities and a postdoc at the University of Minnesota. Prior to grad school, he taught secondary school science for 6 years. Outside of the lab group, he directs the Terrascope first-year learning community and serves as the departmental faculty lead for diversity, equity and inclusion.

Meghan Perdue, MITx Digital Learning Scientist, School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. (SHASS) Meghan Perdue is the Digital Learning Scientist for the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. She works to produce innovative massive open online courses for SHASS. She also works with faculty to incorporate best practices from digital learning technologies into residential courses. She does research on a variety of topics looking at improving pedagogy in online learning, and is currently finishing a Doctorate in Education at Northeastern.

Krishna Rajagopal, William A. M. Burden Professor of Physics. Professor Rajagopal’s research areas are quantum gravity and field theory, strong interactions and Nuclear Theory. Professor Rajagopal did his undergraduate work at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada. He then spent one year at Caltech before coming to MIT in 1997. He became the Associate Head of the Department of Physics in 2009, served as the Chair of the MIT faculty from 2015 to 2017 and as MIT’s Dean for Digital Learning from 2017 to 2021.

*The committee was formed in response to a recommendation from RIC16 (Undergraduate and Graduate Living and Learning Refinement and Implementation Committee) of Task Force 2021 and Beyond.

The full report of the ad hoc committee is available on TLL’s website, and is featured in a recent MIT News article about the work of the committee.

Registration for IAP 2023 TA Days NOW OPEN.
2023-01-17 00:00 - 2023-02-02 23:59
IAP 2023 TA Days: Monday, January 30, through Thursday, February 2.

Before the start of each semester, TLL offers a series of workshops for TAs to help them prepare for the role and responsibilities of the position of teaching at MIT. Topics include how to give feedback, present a class session, and facilitate office hours, among other practical subjects related to teaching. Please visit our TA Days page to view the full schedule and detailed descriptions of the workshops. Registration is now open via Canvas. (Link below.)

Please note that the IAP 2023 TA Days schedule includes a mix of in-person and online sessions. All workshops held on campus will take place in 1-190.

How the Pandemic has shaped Leading Universities’ Integration of Digital Learning
2023-01-21 17:30 - 18:30 | Silver Lining for Learning (Online)
How the Pandemic has shaped Leading Universities’ Integration of Digital Learning with Bharat Anand, Cindy Behrtram, and Janet Rankin

How is the pandemic changing the ways leading universities integrate digital education into their institutional strategies? This episode of Silver Lining for Learning features TLL’s Director, Janet Rankin, joining guests from Harvard and Stanford to discuss their recently published reports on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on teaching and learning — and the lessons learned from emergency remote instruction during that period. While much has been made of the difficulties students experienced after they left campus, this show delves into the potential for innovations and advances in learning that this disruption helped to reveal. Guests will share their thoughts on how digital education could transform their universities over the next decade.

Each report is unique in its genesis and design, and each offers a unique perspective on the impact of the pandemic. The authors will discuss the process of planning and developing their reports and the impact these reports have had, including how higher education might move forward from the pandemic with a renewed focus on meaningful and impactful transformation.

Janet Rankin, Ph.D.,

Director, Teaching +Learning Lab

Bharat N. Anand, Ph.D.,

Vice Provost for Advances in Learning at Harvard University and the Henry R. Byers Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School.

Cindy Behrtram

Associate Director of Project Management for Digital Education at Stanford University

Polish your Syllabus: Increase Transparency & Purpose to Support Student Belonging
2023-01-24 13:30 - 15:00 | 56-180
In this interactive workshop facilitated by the Teaching + Learning Lab (TLL), and Student Support Services (S3), participants will consider and discuss the importance of transparency, purposefulness, and supportiveness in student learning. There will be opportunities for participants to revise their existing syllabi to incorporate these attributes that center learning, equity, and wellbeing.

Space is limited for this in-person workshop, and registration is required.

Festival of Learning 2023
2023-02-01 09:15 - 14:00 | MIT Stata Center
The Festival of Learning is a yearly free event for MIT faculty, students, and staff to engage with each other regarding innovation in teaching and learning. The Festival of Learning is co-sponsored by MIT Open Learning and the Office of the Vice Chancellor.

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Bror Saxberg

The keynote will address what we know from the learning sciences and lessons learned in supporting learners across settings, including higher education. Dr. Saxberg will share insights from his time as Chief Learning Officer at Kaplan, Inc, helping convert Kaplan into a “learning engineering” organization. Using those lessons, Dr. Saxberg will end with what we can do based on results from e-learning, instructional design, motivation, deliberate practice, and Learning Engineering communities.

This event is open to all. Registration is not required.

For more information and to view the schedule, click the button below.

Students' Sense of Belonging Matters: Evidence from Three Studies
2023-02-16 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom
Join us for our next talk in TLL’s Speaker Series: Reigniting the Spark of Learning

Over the last decade, research examining and documenting the importance of students’ sense of belonging in college has increased substantially. In this workshop, Dr. Maithreyi Gopalan, Assistant Professor of Education & Policy, Penn State University, will provide a broad overview of this research and the accumulating evidence regarding the critical role that feelings of belonging play in helping students thrive in college. Specifically, Dr. Gopalan will present examples from three studies she has conducted to unpack the various facets of belonging among college students with a specific eye toward highlighting practice and policy-relevant insights for higher education, this includes:

Their significance and linkages with academic outcomes as well as mental health.

How students’ sense of belonging has been conceptualized and defined in the literature within the post-secondary context, and how it varies by student and institutional characteristics.

A summary of the evidence from particular approaches and interventions used to foster student belonging in colleges.

Reflections on some of the open questions for the field when it comes to fostering students’ sense of belonging in college.

All are welcome. To receive the Zoom link, please register via Eventbrite below.

About the Speaker

Maithreyi Gopalan is an Assistant Professor of Education and Public Policy at The Pennsylvania State University. She earned a Ph.D. in Public Affairs from Indiana University, Bloomington. Broadly speaking, her research interests center on bringing social psychological insights to bear on education and social policy, writ large. She uses experimental and quasi-experimental research methods to conduct interdisciplinary, policy-relevant, research that has a strong focus on examining the causes and consequences of racial and socioeconomic disparities in educational outcomes.

Teaching in the Artificial Intelligence Age of ChatGPT
2023-03-22 15:30 - 16:30 | Zoom
Image generated by DALL-E using the prompt “a friendly robot writing a paper using unexpected tools”

Join us for our next talk in TLL’s Speaker Series: Reigniting the Spark of Learning

With the advent of easy-to-use artificial intelligence (AI) text generation tools like ChatGPT, educators must grapple with this question and what it means for their course and assignment designs. In this practical session, Dr. Derek Bruff will briefly survey the landscape of AI tools for generating text and other media, then dive into the teaching choices they present:

What changes do we need to make to our learning objectives, if any, in light of ChatGPT, and other AI tools?

How can we design assignments that either integrate, disallow, or minimize AI tools to meet those learning objectives?

What new norms and policies for academic integrity do we need to develop in an age of AI?

This session will feature teaching principles and examples of practice to help answer these questions.

About the Speaker

Derek Bruff is an educator, author, and higher ed consultant. He directed the Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching for more than a decade, where he helped faculty and other instructors develop foundational teaching skills and explore new ideas in teaching. Bruff consults regularly with faculty and administrators across higher education on issues of teaching, learning, and faculty development. Bruff has written two books, Intentional Tech: Principles to Guide the Use of Educational Technology in College Teaching (West Virginia University Press, 2019) and Teaching with Classroom Response Systems: Creating Active Learning Environments (Jossey-Bass, 2009). He writes a weekly newsletter called Intentional Teaching and produces the Intentional Teaching podcast. Bruff has a PhD in mathematics and has taught math courses at Vanderbilt and Harvard University.

Arrangements for the appearance of Derek Bruff made through RedBrick Agency, NY, NY

2023 Spring Lecture on Graduate Student and Postdoc Well-Being
2023-04-06 15:00 - 16:30
Thursday, April 6, 2023; 3pm – 4:30pm; Virtual Session

Dr. John Lloyd from MIT Medical will discuss issues of depression, anxiety, and relational challenges inherent to the graduate student/postdoc experience from a developmental perspective. Dr. Lloyd will take a clinical approach to the topic, use examples, and draw from his experience working with MIT graduate students. He will also discuss effective ways of managing these challenges and mental health treatment offered at the MIT Student Mental Health and Counseling Services.

This CAPD event is open to MIT graduate students & postdocs. Please register via Handshake.

Application Period for the Spring 2023 Lesson Planning Track
2023-04-17 12:00 - 2023-04-23 23:59
About the Program

The Lesson Planning Track is a sequence of 3 workshops focused on preparing an effective lesson plan for a class session or recitation, developing skills for classroom presentation and effective classroom activities, and giving formative feedback to students. Over the course of the workshop track, participants develop a detailed lesson plan on a topic of their choice with feedback from the instructor.

Workshop Schedule

Facilitating Learning

Tuesday, May 9, from 2- 4 pm (ET)

Intended Learning Outcomes:

Describe the benefits of implementing ILO-aligned active learning strategies in the classroom.

Identify the specific benefits and challenges of implementing a particular active learning strategy

Design opportunities for practice that engage students cognitively and align with desired ILOs through the use of active learning strategies.

Reduce barriers to inclusion by intentionally using a variety of active learning techniques with attentiveness to implementation details.

Planning for Learning

Tuesday, May 16, from 2- 4 pm (ET)

Intended Learning Outcomes:

Describe the impact that prior content knowledge, previously mastered skills, and beliefs about learning have on how students learn

List some strategies to ascertain students’ prior knowledge, skills, and beliefs.

Use scaffolding and an understanding of prior knowledge and skills to sketch an outline of a class session that includes active learning.

Feedback

Tuesday, May 23, from 2- 4 pm (ET)

Intended Learning Outcomes:

Describe the characteristics of effective feedback.

Explain how cultivating a growth mindset in your students can foster resilience and increase academic performance.

Provide targeted and growth-oriented feedback.

To complete the track and receive a letter of completion, participants must attend all three workshops and complete the required out-of-class work.

How to Apply

Any graduate student is welcome to apply. Participants from previous workshop tracks have priority. After that, applicants are selected on a first-come, first-served basis, so please apply early. Applications must be received by the deadline to be considered.

Applications for the Spring 2023 session of the Lesson Planning Track open at 12:00 noon ET on Monday, April 17, and close at 11:59 pm Sunday, April 23. (Please note that the Apply button will not work until applications open.)

Supporting Student Learning Through Metacognitive and Motivational Strategies
2023-05-10 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
Join us for the last talk in our 2022-23 Speaker Series: Reigniting the Spark of Learning

Supporting Student Learning Through Metacognitive and Motivational Strategies

Dr. Cristina D. Zepeda, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University

As students advance in their educational trajectories, there is an increasing demand for them to independently monitor and control their own learning. Two complementary constructs that inform how students regulate their learning are their metacognitive and motivational processes and strategies. Metacognition consists of knowledge and skills that enable learners to monitor their thoughts and take action when they are not learning effectively. Likewise, motivation is also integral to how learners think about their abilities and motives, which can impact their learning trajectories through persistence and effort or lack thereof. But how do we support students in engaging in these strategies effectively?The goals of this talk are to:

Describe how students metacognitively and motivationally regulate their learning.

Provide concrete examples of how to support these two types of learning strategies in and out of the classroom.

Highlight how we can equitably and inclusively support students in these endeavors.

All are welcome!

About the Speaker

Cristina D. Zepeda, Ph.D. (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Human Development at Vanderbilt University, where she directs the Advancing Learning Lab. Dr. Zepeda received her Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh in 2018, where she worked at the Learning Research and Development Center. From there, she went on to complete her postdoctoral training in Education and Psychological & Brain Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. In her research, Dr. Zepeda applies theories of cognition and motivation to educational practice and investigates how students regulate and adapt their learning processes. In particular, she examines how metacognition, motivation, and other instructional techniques can inform our understanding of learning and transfer with the goal of making education more equitable.

2023-2024 Teaching Development Fellows
2023-05-22 23:59
Applications are now open for the 2023-2024 Teaching Development Fellows Cohort. The deadline for applying is Monday, May 22, at 11:59 pm (ET)

Information Session

If you were unable to attend this year’s information session, you can view the recording below. If you have additional questions, contact Ben Hansberry, Associate Director for Graduate Student Teaching, or your department’s current fellow.

About the Fellowship

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

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.

Eligibility Requirements

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 will receive additional training during summer, 2023 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.

Application Details

The online application will ask you for 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 a fellow might address these challenges

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

Description of teaching training

Description of prior leadership experience

Applicants must also upload a current CV which includes teaching experience

We are also excited to announce several at-large positions for fellows who design programs to support graduate students across the entire Institute and focus on a particular audience or topic.

If you are interested in being considered for this kind of position, please also identify what topics or audiences you would be interested in supporting. Previous at-large fellows have included:

Supporting English-as-a-second-language TAs. This at-large fellow supports the particular challenges of ESL TAs, including supporting communication skills, challenges of teaching as a non-native English speaker, and social aspects of teaching in your non-native language.

Supporting graduate student mentors. This at-large fellow supports the teaching activities of graduate student mentors, working in collaboration with the UROP office. Past projects have included running grad student mentor trainings, supporting mentor-mentee communication, and contributing to a mentoring handbook.

Supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion. This at-large fellow supports DEI initiatives across the Institute in collaboration with the TLL. Projects could include designing inclusive teaching workshops or identifying systemic barriers to inclusive teaching that graduate students can help to address.

Supporting peer observation. This at-large fellow conducts teaching observations for graduate students and provides feedback. Projects could also include coordinating peer-observation programs or designing observation protocols.

Upon completion of the application, your advisor or graduate officer (identified in the application) will be contacted to confirm good academic standing and to acknowledge 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 Monday, May 22, 2023.

Apply Here

Application Period for the Summer 2023 Subject Design Track
2023-06-23 12:00 - 2023-06-29 23:59
About the Program

The Subject Design Track is a sequence of three interactive 2-hour workshops focused on course design. Participants will learn to build a course by first identifying goals and then organizing assignments and content to align with these goals. Over the course of the program, participants will develop a syllabus for a course of their choice with feedback from the instructor. All workshops will take place on Zoom.

Visit our page on Grad Teaching Development Tracks learn more.

Workshop TitleIntended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)Date & TimeDefine Your Goals and ScopeDescribe the elements of the backward design process.Identify and articulate learning outcomes for a course you wish to teach.Identify evidence of a supportive learning environment in existing syllabi.Tue, Jul 25, 2:00 – 4:00 pm (ET)Plan Your AssessmentsOutline a unit from the course you wish to teach, including unit-level learning outcomes that align with course-level outcomes and a narrative description of the unit.Identify an appropriate summative assessment method that aligns with discipline priorities and the intended learning outcomes of the unit.Design assessments that support belonging and equity. Outline a unit from the course you wish to teach, including unit-level learning outcomes that align with course-level outcomes and a narrative description of the unit.Tue, Aug 1, 2:00 – 4:00 pm (ET)Draft Your SyllabusDescribe how a student-centered syllabus differs from a content-centered syllabus.Articulate course policies that align with learning outcomes and teaching philosophy.Write a student-centered syllabus based on components developed over the course of the Subject Design Track.Tue, Aug 8, 2:00 – 4:00 pm (ET)FacilitatorBen Hansberry, Assistant Director for Graduate Student Teaching

How to Apply

The application window will be open from 12:00 noon Friday, June 23, through 11:59 pm Thursday, June 29. Participants from previous workshop tracks are given priority. The remaining applications will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications must be received by the deadline to be considered.

Apply

NOW OPEN! Application Period for the Fall 2023 Kaufman Teaching Certificate Program (KTCP)
2023-08-01 12:00 - 2023-08-20 23:59
The Kaufman Teaching Certificate Program (KTCP) is an interactive workshop series intended for late-program graduate students and postdocs interested in academic careers or developing skills to support their teaching at MIT.

The application includes these two short-answer questions. You may wish to draft your answers (1500 character limit for each) before beginning your application.

Describe your teaching responsibilities in the next two semesters (If applicable).

What are two teaching practices or skills you hope to learn by completing this program?

To learn more, review the program schedule, and find answers to frequently asked questions, please see our dedicated KTCP page.

Priority will be given to applicants who will have fewer future opportunities to participate in the program (e.g., final year grad students, postdocs, etc.)

Applications must be received by 11:59 PM ET on August 20.

If you have additional questions or encounter difficulty with the application, please contact Dan Nocivelli. (Please note that the application button will not work until the application period begins.)

Registration for IAP 2023 TA Days NOW OPEN.
2023-08-14 08:00 - 2023-08-31 16:00
Summer 2023 TA Days: Monday, August 28, through Thursday, August 31.

Before the start of each semester, TLL offers a series of workshops for TAs to help them prepare for the roles and responsibilities of the position of teaching at MIT. Topics include giving feedback, presenting a class session, and facilitating office hours, among other practical subjects related to teaching. Please visit our TA Days page to view the full schedule and detailed descriptions of the workshops. Registration is now open via Canvas. (Link below.)

Please note that the Summer 2023 TA Days schedule includes a mix of in-person and online sessions. All workshops held on campus will take place in 2-190.

Application Period for the Fall 2023 Lesson Planning Track
2023-08-14 12:00 - 2023-08-20 23:59
About the Program

The Lesson Planning Track is a sequence of 3 workshops focused on preparing an effective lesson plan for a class session or recitation, developing skills for classroom presentation and effective classroom activities, and giving formative feedback to students. Over the course of the workshop track, participants develop a detailed lesson plan on a topic of their choice with feedback from the instructor.

Workshop Schedule

Facilitating Learning

Tuesday, Sep 5, from 2- 4 pm (ET)

Intended Learning Outcomes:

Describe the benefits of implementing ILO-aligned active learning strategies in the classroom.

Identify the specific benefits and challenges of implementing a particular active learning strategy

Design opportunities for practice that engage students cognitively and align with desired ILOs through the use of active learning strategies.

Reduce barriers to inclusion by intentionally using a variety of active learning techniques with attentiveness to implementation details.

Planning for Learning

Tuesday, Sep 12, from 2- 4 pm (ET)

Intended Learning Outcomes:

Describe the impact that prior content knowledge, previously mastered skills, and beliefs about learning have on how students learn

List some strategies to ascertain students’ prior knowledge, skills, and beliefs.

Use scaffolding and an understanding of prior knowledge and skills to sketch an outline of a class session that includes active learning.

Effective Feedback

Tuesday, Sep 19, from 2- 4 pm (ET)

Intended Learning Outcomes:

Describe the characteristics of effective feedback.

Explain how cultivating a growth mindset in your students can foster resilience and increase academic performance.

Provide targeted and growth-oriented feedback.

To complete the track and receive a letter of completion, participants must attend all three workshops and complete the required out-of-class work.

How to Apply

Any graduate student is welcome to apply. Participants from previous workshop tracks have priority. After that, applicants are selected on a first-come, first-served basis, so please apply early. Applications must be received by 11:59 pm Sunday, August 20, to be considered.

Application Period for the Fall 2023 Microteaching Track
2023-09-18 12:00 - 2023-09-24 23:59
Any graduate student is welcome to apply. However, students who have completed the Lesson Planning Track will be given priority.

About the Program

The Microteaching Track is a sequence of 2 microteaching workshops. In a microteaching workshop, a small group of students each present a brief teaching demo and receive feedback from peers and TLL staff. Following the first microteaching workshop, participants incorporate the feedback they received into their teaching demo and present the improved version in the second session.

Workshop Schedule

Microteaching 1: Weeks of October 2 & 9

Microteaching 2: Weeks of October 16 & 23

Note: To receive a Letter of Completion and count toward a Certificate, participants must have previously completed the Lesson Planning Track. The Microteaching Track is the only series that can be taken more than once.

Applications must be received by 11:59 PM ET on Sunday, September 24. If you have additional questions or encounter difficulty with the application, please contact Dan Nocivelli

Please note that the application button will not work until the application is open.

Finding the Why: Integrating Purpose in STEM as a Path to Student Engagement
2023-09-28 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
Virtual Talk

Join us for our next talk in TLL’s 2023-24 Speaker Series

Many students across different demographic groups highly value opportunities to advance their knowledge and skills (agentic goals) and fulfill a larger purpose that contributes to the world and solves social problems (communal goals). However, STEM fields are often stereotyped as careers that are more focused on individual goals and less on fulfilling communal ones. In this talk, Dr. Amanda Diekman will explore how instructors and lab directors in STEM contexts can integrate cues and reflection about the purpose of their work. Considering students’ “why” in pursuing STEM provides a valuable vantage point to foster both broader participation and deeper engagement in STEM.

All are welcome. To receive the Zoom link, please register via Eventbrite below.

About the Speaker

Amanda Diekman is Provost Professor at Indiana University, where she also serves as Associate Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs. Her research investigates how stereotypes stem from and reinforce the social structure, with a particular focus on disparities in STEM interests and predictors of trust in science. Her research has been published in outlets such as Psychological Science, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. She has served as PI or co-PI on multiple grants from the National Science Foundation to support basic research and evidence-informed student programs. She is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, and the Society of Experimental Social Psychology.

Book Launch with Justin Reich
2023-10-03 16:00 - 17:30 | MIT Bartos Theater, MIT Bldg. E15-070 | 20 Ames Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02142, United States
Iterate: The Secret to Innovation in Schools

Justin Reich, Associate Professor, Comparative Media Studies/Writing and director of MIT Teaching Systems Lab, will hold a talk on his newest book, Iterate: The Secret to Innovation in Schools. This event will be held on Tuesday, October 3 at MIT Bartos Theatre (E15-070), 20 Ames Street, Cambridge, MA or you can join virtually on zoom.

Iterate: The Secret to Innovation in Schools is a playbook for making big, joyful changes in schools out of a series of small, manageable steps.

Copies will be for sale on-site. Pizza and book signing will be available after the talk on campus.

Speaking up in STEM: Investigating the self-advocacy and classroom experiences of undergraduates with ADHD and specific learning disorders
2023-10-26 13:00 - 14:00
Dr. Julie Dangremond Stanton, Associate Professor of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia

Artwork by danjazzia on Envato Elements

When students with disabilities transition to college, they become solely responsible for accessing and using their accommodations for the first time, which requires self-advocacy. Although self-advocacy is considered an essential skill for the success of students with disabilities in college, we are still learning about how students practice self-efficacy and how faculty and staff can encourage students’ self-advocacy. In this talk, Dr. Stanton will explore the answers to three key questions and will share insight on how to support the success of students with learning disabilities in STEM:

What does self-advocacy look like for STEM undergraduates with learning disabilities?

What factors influence self-advocacy in STEM?

How does active learning in STEM courses affect students’ perceptions of learning and self-advocacy?

About the Speaker

Dr. Julie Dangremond Stanton is an Associate Professor of Cellular Biology at the University of Georgia. Although she was trained as a cell biologist, Stanton’s passion for helping students learn led her to pursue education research as a faculty member. In her primary research area, she investigates the metacognitive development of undergraduate life science students. In addition, Dr. Stanton studies the self-advocacy experiences of students with learning disabilities and ADHD in STEM with Dr. Mariel Pfeifer (University of Mississippi) and the strengths and assets of Black science majors with Dr. Darris Means (University of Pittsburgh). She is the PI of two NSF grants for biology education research, including a CAREER award to study metacognition. Through her teaching and research, Dr. Stanton is dedicated to helping undergraduates learn and persist in life science majors.

Application Period for the Spring 2024 Kaufman Teaching Certificate Program
2023-11-27 12:00 - 2023-12-10 23:59
About the Program

The Kaufman Teaching Certificate Program (KTCP) is an interactive workshop series intended for late-program graduate students and postdocs interested in academic careers or developing skills to support their teaching at MIT. To learn more, review the program schedule, and find answers to frequently asked questions, please see our dedicated KTCP page.

How to Apply

The application includes these two short-answer questions. You may wish to draft your answers (1500 character limit for each) before beginning your application.

Describe your teaching responsibilities in the next two semesters (If applicable).

What are two teaching practices or skills you hope to learn by completing this program?

Priority will be given to applicants who will have fewer future opportunities to participate in the program (e.g., final year grad students, postdocs, etc.)

The application window will be open from 12:00 noon Monday, November 27 through 11:59 pm Sunday, December 10.

If you have additional questions or encounter difficulty with the application, please contact Dan Nocivelli.

Please note: The link button will not work until the application period opens.

IAP 2024 Flipping Failure Storytelling Workshop
2023-12-01 08:00 - 2023-12-14 23:59
Everyone has faced challenges. Everyone has a story. Flipping Failure want to hear yours!

Join us for Flipping Failure’s IAP 2024 Storytelling Workshop Series! The workshop series will be a guided process of reflection and discovery to craft and record your unique story in a small cohort of MIT undergraduate and graduate students. You do not need any prior knowledge or storytelling experience to participate!

Benefits of Participation

Through the process of constructing and sharing their stories, MIT students found meaning in their experiences, felt less alone in their struggles, and recognized how they’ve grown and become more resilient. View the video below to hear how storytelling shifted their perspectives.

Browse all of Flipping Failure’s stories on their website.

What to expect:

The workshop series will combine exercises in observation, mindfulness, and journaling with instruction in crafting a narrative. Guidance and feedback on the crafting and shaping of your story will be provided.

The majority of the time in workshops will be spent working on your stories and recordings. There will also be optional experimentation and brief exercises that you may complete on your own each week.

There will be three 3-hour in-person workshops January 9, 11, & 16, and a 1.5-hour individual meeting during the week of January 22.

How to apply:

For more information, including frequently asked questions and the link to the application, click the button below. MIT undergraduate and graduate students are welcome to apply.

Applications are due by 11:59 pm Thursday, December 14th, 2023.

SPACE IS LIMITED!

Apply

Application Period for the IAP 2024 Subject Design Track
2023-12-04 12:00 - 2023-12-10 23:59
About the Program

The Subject Design Track is a sequence of three 2-hour interactive workshops focused on course design. Participants will learn to build a course by first identifying goals and then organizing assignments and content to align with these goals. Over the course of the program, participants will develop a syllabus for a course of their choice with feedback from the instructor. All workshops will take place on Zoom.

Visit our page on Grad Teaching Development Tracks to learn more.

Workshop TitleIntended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)Date & TimeDefine Your Goals and ScopeDescribe the elements of the backward design process.Identify and articulate learning outcomes for a course you wish to teach.Identify evidence of a supportive learning environment in existing syllabi.Wed, Jan 10, 11:00 – 1:00 pm (ET)Plan Your AssessmentsOutline a unit from the course you wish to teach, including unit-level learning outcomes that align with course-level outcomes and a narrative description of the unit.Identify an appropriate summative assessment method that aligns with discipline priorities and the intended learning outcomes of the unit.Design assessments that support belonging and equity. Outline a unit from the course you wish to teach, including unit-level learning outcomes that align with course-level outcomes and a narrative description of the unit.Wed, Jan 17, 11:00 – 1:00 pm (ET)Draft Your SyllabusDescribe how a student-centered syllabus differs from a content-centered syllabus.Articulate course policies that align with learning outcomes and teaching philosophy.Write a student-centered syllabus based on components developed over the course of the Subject Design Track.Wed, Jan 24, 11:00 – 1:00 pm (ET)FacilitatorJanet Rankin, Director, Teaching + Learning Lab

How to Apply

The application window will be open from 12:00 noon Monday, December 4, through 11:59 pm Sunday, December 10. Participants from previous workshop tracks are given priority. The remaining applications will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications must be received by the deadline to be considered.

Please note: The link button will not work until the application period opens.

Balancing High Expectations and Flexibility: Supporting Student and Faculty Mental Health with Compassionate Challenge
2023-12-13 12:00 - 13:00
Dr. Sarah Rose Cavanagh, Senior Associate Director for Teaching and Learning in the Center for Faculty Excellence, Simmons University

Co sponsored by DoingWell at MIT

Join us for the final talk of the semester, with the option to attend a viewing in the Wellbeing Lab located in the newly renovated Student Center.

When you ask people to tell a story about their favorite teacher in their educational journey, they nearly always describe an instructor or coach who was warm, funny, empathetic… but challenged them to rise to high expectations of effort and success. We know from motivation research that the best goals are specific and difficult, as setting a low bar for oneself can be enervating rather than energizing.

How can we create classrooms that encourage students to set challenging goals for themselves, that mobilize energy and stimulate creativity while also being compassionate about the many difficulties our students face to adjust to their learning needs? In this interactive talk, Sarah Rose Cavanagh will present some research and food for thought based on her most recent book on creating learning environments of compassionate challenge, ending with practical tips for teaching self-determined seekers of knowledge.

About the Speaker

Sarah Rose Cavanagh is the Senior Associate Director for Teaching and Learning in the Center for Faculty Excellence at Simmons University, and is an Associate Professor of Practice in the Psychology Department. Before joining Simmons, she was an Associate Professor of psychology and neuroscience (tenured) at Assumption University, and served in the D’Amour Center for Teaching Excellence as Associate Director for Grants and Research. Sarah’s research considers the interplay of emotions, motivation, learning, and quality of life. Her most recent research project, funded by the National Science Foundation, convenes a network of scholars to develop teaching practices aimed at greater effectiveness and equity in undergraduate biology education. She is author of four books, including The Spark of Learning: Energizing the College Classroom with the Science of Emotion (2016) and Mind Over Monsters: Supporting Youth Mental Health with Compassionate Challenge (2023). She gives keynote addresses and workshops at a variety of colleges and regional conferences, blogs for Psychology Today, and writes essays for venues like Literary Hub and The Chronicle of Higher Education. She’s also on BlueSky too much, at @SaRoseCav.

Registration for IAP 2024 Teaching Days is closed.
2024-01-16 09:00 - 2024-02-02 16:00
To register for the **IAP 2025 Teaching Days** Please click here.

IAP 2024 Teaching Days: Monday, January 29, through Friday, February 2.

Before the start of each semester, TLL offers a series of workshops for TAs and teacher trainees to help them prepare for the roles and responsibilities of the position of teaching at MIT. Topics include giving feedback, presenting a class session, and facilitating office hours, among other practical subjects related to teaching. Please visit our Teaching Days page to view the full schedule and detailed descriptions of the workshops. Registration is now open via Canvas. (Link below.)

Please note that the IAP 2024 Teaching Days schedule includes a mix of in-person and online sessions. All workshops held on campus will take place in 4-370

How to Leverage Self-Regulated Learning in Mentoring
2024-01-22 10:00 - 11:00
Image by SKvector

Self-Regulated Learning is a framework for teaching and learning that supports mentoring in the following ways:

Teaching your mentees how to direct their own research progress makes for more independent mentees, allowing your role as mentor to shift from a more directive role to a collaborative one.

Helping your mentees with time management, improving their motivation and engagement in the work you are doing together, and preparing them for future research opportunities with less external direction.

Many first-time mentors find the initial planning stage to be the most challenging aspect of undergraduate mentoring. By modeling self-regulated learning strategies, you and your mentee can develop goals, strategies, and a timeline collaboratively, schedule reflection check-ins, and identify resources available to your mentee ahead of any challenges arising.

Come learn about how SLR can be leveraged to collaboratively plan goals for the semester with your mentees and support mentees in the development of key metacognitive skills! Coffee and pastries provided to attendees!

Presented by Annick Dewald, Teaching Development Fellow, MIT AeroAstroLocation: 33-218

Climate Across the Curriculum: An Octopus's Journey
2024-02-15 13:00 - 14:00
Dr. Sandra Goldmark, Columbia University

What do we need to infuse climate into our courses? Join Sandra Goldmark (Barnard College and Columbia Climate School) for a discussion about climate-responsive teaching in almost any discipline. Goldmark will share her experiences incorporating climate concepts into her theatre courses; expanding climate teaching at Barnard College; and piloting a Climate Ready curriculum at the Columbia Climate School. Participants will be invited to share their own interdisciplinary climate teaching experiences and provide feedback on the Climate Ready framework.

About the Speaker

Sandra Goldmark is a designer, professor, and circular economy expert. Sandra serves as Senior Assistant Dean for Interdisciplinary Engagement at the Columbia Climate School, and Director of Sustainability and Climate Action and Associate Professor of Professional Practice at Barnard College. From 2013-2019, Sandra founded and operated Fixup, a social enterprise repair service dedicated to healthy and circular patterns of consumption. Sandra is a co-creator of the Sustainable Production Toolkit, a free climate action and sustainability resource for performing arts organizations, and serves on the Board of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, MSNBC, the BBC, The Sunday Times of London, The Daily News, Salon.com, and many more. A graduate of Harvard College and Yale University, Sandra is the author of Fixation: How to Have Stuff without Breaking the Planet.

Application Period for the Spring 2024 Lesson Planning Track Opens April 1
2024-04-01 12:00 - 2024-04-07 23:59
About the Program

The Lesson Planning Track is a sequence of 3 workshops focused on preparing an effective lesson plan for a class session or recitation, developing skills for classroom presentation and effective classroom activities, and giving formative feedback to students. Over the course of the workshop track, participants develop a detailed lesson plan on a topic of their choice with feedback from the instructor.

Workshop Schedule

Facilitating Learning

Monday, Apr 22, from 10- 12 pm

Intended Learning Outcomes:

Describe the benefits of implementing ILO-aligned active learning strategies in the classroom.

Identify the specific benefits and challenges of implementing a particular active learning strategy

Design opportunities for practice that engage students cognitively and align with desired ILOs through the use of active learning strategies.

Reduce barriers to inclusion by intentionally using a variety of active learning techniques with attentiveness to implementation details.

Planning for Learning

Thursday, Apr 25, from 10- 13 pm

Intended Learning Outcomes:

Describe the impact that prior content knowledge, previously mastered skills, and beliefs about learning have on how students learn

List some strategies to ascertain students’ prior knowledge, skills, and beliefs.

Use scaffolding and an understanding of prior knowledge and skills to sketch an outline of a class session that includes active learning.

Effective Feedback

Monday, Apr 29, from 10- 12 pm

Intended Learning Outcomes:

Describe the characteristics of effective feedback.

Explain how cultivating a growth mindset in your students can foster resilience and increase academic performance.

Provide targeted and growth-oriented feedback.

To complete the track and receive a letter of completion, participants must attend all three workshops and complete the required out-of-class work.

How to Apply

Any graduate student is welcome to apply. Participants from previous workshop tracks have priority. After that, applicants are selected on a first-come, first-served basis, so please apply early. Applications must be received by 11:59 pm Sunday, April 7, to be considered.

Beyond Content: Teaching for Civic Participation and Engagement
2024-04-10 14:00 - 15:00
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Dr. Bryan Dewsbury, Florida International University

Dr. Bryan Dewsbury will explore the ways in which we can reconnect our classroom practice with the values, behaviors and mindsets needed for a socially just society.

About the Speaker

Bryan Dewsbury is Associate Professor of Biology and Associate Director of the STEM Transformation Institute at Florida International University. He is the Principal Investigator of the Science Education and Society (SEAS) research program, a team blending research on the social context of teaching and learning, faculty development of inclusive practices, and programming to cultivate equity in education. Previously, he was at the University of Rhode Island. Bryan is a Fellow with the John N. Gardner Institute, where he assists institutions of higher education cultivate best practices in inclusive education.

Creating a Classroom Climate that Supports Student Engagement in Active Learning
2024-04-24 14:00 - 15:00
Dr. Sarah Eddy, University of Minnesota

Active learning classrooms ask students to engage with coursework differently than traditional classrooms. Not only do they ask students to invest more effort into directly engaging with the content, they often require students to work collaboratively with their peers while learning. The risk “getting it wrong” in front of their peers can prevent some students from fully engaging in active learning classrooms. Instructors can generate student buy-in and foster students’ willingness to take risks through classroom climate. Classroom climate can be characterized by the values, norms, and relationships present in a course. In this talk, we will explore the ways in which instructors can foster student engagement in active learning by emphasizing the relevance of content, setting norms that encourage mastery goals and peer cooperation, and developing high-quality instructor-student relationships.

About the Speaker

Dr. Sarah Eddy is Associate Professor of Biology Teaching and Learning in the College of Biological Sciences at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. They received a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Purdue University and a Ph.D. in Zoology from Oregon State University. Sarah completed a postdoctoral scholarship in biology education at the University of Washington. Trained as a behavioral ecologist, Sarah has shifted from studying behavior in a field setting to behavior in college classrooms. Their lab engages in rigorous research to generate data and resources that support science instructors in creating content and course climates that promote student belonging, motivation, and a sense that their unique backgrounds and experiences are a strength within science. In addition to scholarly publications, Sarah’s work has been featured in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Science, and Insight into Diversity.
