Application Period for the Fall 2024 Inclusive Teaching Track
2024-09-25 12:00 - 2024-10-01 23:59 (America/New_York)
About the Program

In this track of workshops, we will discuss the relevant scholarly literature as we identify concrete strategies to cultivate equitable and welcoming classrooms where students from all backgrounds can thrive. Participants will practice reflecting on their own experiences and perspectives while learning effective strategies to be responsive to the diversity in their classrooms. By the end of the track, participants will be able to apply an inclusive-classroom framework to create concrete and equitable teaching practices and learning activities.

Workshop Schedule

Inclusive Teaching as a Mindset

Thursday, October 17, 2024, 2 – 4 pm

In this track of workshops, we will discuss the relevant scholarly literature as we identify concrete strategies to cultivate equitable and welcoming classrooms where students from all backgrounds can thrive. Participants will practice reflecting on their own experiences and perspectives while learning effective strategies to be responsive to the diversity in their classrooms. By the end of the track, participants will be able to apply an inclusive-classroom framework to create concrete and equitable teaching practices and learning activities.

Principles and Strategies in Inclusive Teaching

Thursday, October 24, 2024, 2 – 4 pm

In this workshop, we will discuss research that informs key principles of inclusive teaching. We will work together to apply these principles by planning how we will clearly communicate the purpose of learning, build a sense of community, and signal the importance of diverse perspectives. Through the application of these key principles, we will design structured learning activities that create an equitable and welcoming classroom in which all students can learn.

How to Apply

Applications will open at noon on Wednesday, September 25 and must be received by 11:59 PM ET on Tuesday, October 1. If you have additional questions or encounter difficulty with the application, please contact Dan Nocivelli.

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

Application Period for the Fall 2024 Microteaching Track
2024-09-25 12:00 - 2024-10-01 23:59
About the Program

The Microteaching Track is a sequence of two 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.

Any graduate student is welcome to apply. However, students who have completed the Lesson Planning Track will be given priority.

Workshop Schedule

To be determined by participant availability:

Microteaching 1: Weeks of October 14 & October 21

Microteaching 2: Weeks of October 28 & November 4

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 Tuesday, October 1. 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.

Rethinking Rigor: Challenging Students & Supporting Meaningful Learning
2024-09-25 13:00 - 14:00
This talk will invite you to re-think our assumptions about how and why we challenge our students and encourage reflection on the most effective ways to promote genuine and powerful learning.

About the Speaker

Dr. Kevin Gannon is Director of the Center for the Advancement of Faculty Excellence and Professor of History at Queens University of Charlotte in North Carolina. A longtime faculty member, program director, and department chair, he now directs a whole-career faculty development center and supports his colleagues in improving teaching and learning, producing scholarly and creative work, and developing as faculty and academic leaders. He is the author of Radical Hope: A Teaching Manifesto (2020).

Generative AI (GAI) in Teaching @MIT
2024-10-22 12:30 - 13:30
Open Learning and TLL are co-sponsoring two upcoming opportunities on the topic of GAI in teaching:

Practical AI for Educators, Dr. Lilach Mollick, Co-Director of the Generative AI Labs at Wharton

This session will explore the potential of AI as a tool for teaching and learning. The session will cover the following topics:

Educator Aids: How to make teaching easier and more effective using AI

Student Aids: AI and student-centric use cases

Combining AI with human expertise & pedagogy to enhance student learning

Teaching with and about AI: Benefits and pitfalls

Register below to receive the Zoom link. Open to the MIT Community

Please note: This session with NOT be recorded.

About the Speaker

Dr. Lilach Mollick is Co-Director of the Generative AI Labs at Wharton. Her work focuses on the development of pedagogical strategies that include artificial intelligence and interactive methodologies. She has worked with Wharton to develop a wide range of educational tools and games used in classrooms worldwide. She has also written several papers on the uses of AI for teaching and training, and her work on AI has been discussed in publications including The New York Times and Vox. She advises companies and organizations on the advantages and risks of AI in teaching. She holds a doctorate in Education from NYU.

Generative AI in Teaching: Faculty Learning Community

The Generative AI in Teaching FLC will bring MIT faculty and instructors together to explore GAI in their teaching and make tangible improvements in their subjects. Chris Capozzola, Senior Associate Dean for Open Learning and Professor of History, will be the faculty director.

The group is open to all MIT faculty and instructors, whether just beginning to think about GAI in teaching or already actively using GAI in the classroom and looking to further advance innovations. See below for more information about this FLC. The deadline to sign-up is Sunday, October 27.

Teaching During Tense Political Times: Acknowledging the Election in the Classroom
2024-10-29 13:00 - 14:00
Ray Feller, Associate Dean & Director of Student Support ServicesJane Abbott, Lecturer, Comparative Media Studies

Please join MIT’s Ray Feller and Jane Abbott for an insightful talk on how faculty and instructors can navigate discussions around the 2024 election in today’s polarized political climate. This session will explore strategies for fostering inclusive and respectful classroom discourse, where diverse viewpoints are welcomed and civil dialogue is emphasized. The talk will also address ways to support both student and faculty wellbeing, providing tools and resources to create a constructive, inclusive learning environment during this challenging time.

About the Speakers

Prior to coming to MIT, Ray Feller spent ten years in Community Mental Health, where she worked with people from the ages of 4 to 88. She has worked with students in school settings, including the whole educational spectrum: K-12 and higher ed. Ray is particularly interested in empowering students to become successful self-advocates at MIT and, later, in “real life.”

Jane Abbott came to MIT after eighteen years in industry, where she worked with teams and individuals to improve collaboration. Her focus is on how to produce communication that is effective and authentic; in particular, how listening in its many guises guides the ways in which we write, speak, meet, lead, influence, and collaborate.

Uncovering the Hidden Curriculum in Engineering: Implications for Educational Practice
2024-12-04 14:00 - 15:00
When the hidden curriculum is unaddressed or acknowledged in learning and working environments, unintended consequences can occur among learners (e.g., student attrition, low sense of belonging, demotivation towards the profession). In the engineering classroom, research has shown that an unattended hidden curriculum negatively impacts how students perceive the engineering discipline and their fit to the field. With small changes in educational practices, hidden curriculum can be flipped to promote student motivation, performance, and persistence. Dr. Idalis Villanueva Alarcón, Associate Chair and Professor in the Department of Engineering Education at the University of Florida will provide a brief overview of the hidden curriculum in engineering education and provide simple, practical tips and strategies in engineering education practice.

About the Speaker

Idalis Villanueva Alarcón, Ph.D., joined the Engineering Education Department in the University of Florida at Gainesville in summer 2020 as an Associate Professor. Prior to this position, she was an Assistant Professor of Engineering Education at Utah State University and before that, she was a Lecturer in the Fischell Department of Bioengineering at the University of Maryland at College Park. She has a Ph.D. in Chemical and Biological Engineering from the University of Colorado-Boulder and a postdoctoral degree in Analytical Cell Biology from the National Institutes of Health. Her research interests include hidden curriculum in engineering, mentoring of minoritized students and faculty in science and engineering, and study of motivation and learning pathways in science and engineering education using mixed- and multi-modal tools (biological and physiological). In 2019, she received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) award for her 2017 NSF CAREER project on hidden curriculum in engineering. Most recently, she received the Educator Achievement Award – Higher Education in the 2024 Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Technical Achievement and Recognition (STAR) Awards.

Application Period for the IAP 2025 Subject Design Track
2024-12-09 12:00 - 2024-12-15 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 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.Thu, Jan 16, 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 23, 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 30, 2:00 – 4:00 pm (ET)FacilitatorBen Hansberry, Associate Director for Graduate Student Teaching, Teaching + Learning Lab

How to Apply

The application window will be open from 12:00 noon Monday, December 9, through 11:59 pm Sunday, December 15. 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

IAP 2025 Course (Re)Design Institute
2024-12-16 12:00 - 2025-01-05 23:59
Registration is now open!

Program Description

This hands-on workshop series will guide you through the fundamentals of learner-centered backward course design to (re)develop engaging, rigorous, and inclusive learning experiences for all students. Whether you’re starting a course from the ground up or refining an existing one, you will have the opportunity to explore evidence-based tools and strategies to enhance your course and assessment design and your teaching strategies. You can engage in one or all of the following workshops, depending on your needs, interests, and availability.

Workshop Schedule

All workshops will be in-person and held in E19-607

Course Design for Relevance and Rigor: 1/14 @ 10:30-12:30 pm

Authentic & Aligned Assessments: 1/16 @ 10:30-12:30 pm

Active Learning to Engage All Students: 1/21 @ 10:30-12:30 pm

Please submit your application by Sunday 11:59 pm on January 5th, 2025. Admitted participants will be notified on a rolling basis.

Belonging and Motivation Go Hand-in-Hand: Evidence-Based Practice for Understanding and Regulating Student Belonging for Academic Success
2025-02-20 13:00 - 14:00
Image: Shoemixer/Adobe Stock

Dr. Jill Allen, Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives; Associate Professor of Psychology, Drake University

Description

This presentation integrates theoretical, methodological, and applied perspectives on the interplay between belonging and motivation in higher education. Drawing on the Motivational Experiences Model (Thoman et al., 2013) and novel approaches to capturing the fluctuating nature of belonging (“experience sampling methodologies”), this talk will describe possible interventions which elevate the motivational experience of students and subsequently increase their belonging and academic persistence (e.g., Allen et al., 2021). At a time when higher education’s value is questioned, this talk is tailored to educators seeking to help students foster a sense of inclusion and connection, both within and outside their classes, which sustains students’ passion for learning and research in higher education.

About the Speaker

Dr. Allen is currently an Associate Professor of Psychology at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. Since 2015, Dr. Allen has served Drake University in a variety of faculty roles, including the Director of the Slay Fund for Social Justice (since 2023) and Associate Dean of Strategic Initiatives in the College of Arts and Sciences (since 2024).

Her primary field of study is social psychology. Dr. Allen teaches courses in experimental social psychology, psychology of prejudice and diversity, psychology of gender, and research methods in psychology. Her research program examines the consequences of stereotyping and sexual objectification on motivation and behavior. Current research focuses on increasing gender, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity within STEM-fields (through belonging interventions) and reducing the negative effects of sexual objectification on women and girls.

Dr. Allen earned her B.A. in psychology and community sociology from Wartburg College (a small, liberal arts institution in Iowa), her M.S. in Applied Psychology from Montana State University (a mid-sized land-grant institution in southwest Montana), and her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Midwestern R1), with a certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies.

Application Period for the Spring 2025 Inclusive Teaching Track
2025-03-17 12:00 - 2025-03-23 23:59
About the Program

In this track of workshops, we will discuss the relevant scholarly literature as we identify concrete strategies to cultivate equitable and welcoming classrooms where students from all backgrounds can thrive. Participants will practice reflecting on their own experiences and perspectives while learning effective strategies to be responsive to the diversity in their classrooms. By the end of the track, participants will be able to apply an inclusive-classroom framework to create concrete and equitable teaching practices and learning activities.

Workshop Schedule

Inclusive Teaching as a Mindset

Thursday, April 10, 2 – 4 pm

In this track of workshops, we will discuss the relevant scholarly literature as we identify concrete strategies to cultivate equitable and welcoming classrooms where students from all backgrounds can thrive. Participants will practice reflecting on their own experiences and perspectives while learning effective strategies to be responsive to the diversity in their classrooms. By the end of the track, participants will be able to apply an inclusive-classroom framework to create concrete and equitable teaching practices and learning activities.

Principles and Strategies in Inclusive Teaching

Thursday, April 24 – 4 pm

In this workshop, we will discuss research that informs key principles of inclusive teaching. We will work together to apply these principles by planning how we will clearly communicate the purpose of learning, build a sense of community, and signal the importance of diverse perspectives. Through the application of these key principles, we will design structured learning activities that create an equitable and welcoming classroom in which all students can learn.

How to Apply

Applications must be received by 11:59 PM ET on Sunday, March 23 to be considered. If you have additional questions or encounter difficulty with the application, please contact Dan Nocivelli.

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

Grading for Growth: Toward More Humane, Authentic, and Trustworthy Ways to Evaluate Student Work
2025-03-18 15:00 - 16:00
Image: 994yellow/Adobe Stock

Dr. Robert Talbert, Professor of Mathematics and Senior Faculty Fellow for Learning Futures at Grand Valley State University

Description

Grading as we know it is significantly broken. The traditional approach involving one-and-done assessment, points, partial credit, and averaging is demotivating for students, demoralizing for faculty, time-consuming, disconnected from science, and of questionable statistical validity. But it is changeable, and in fact there is no better time than now to explore alternatives that prioritize student growth and align better with how humans learn. In this talk, we will explore the history and issues of traditional grading, propose a framework for “alternative” grading practices, and see how to implement alternative grading without massive requirements of time or energy.

About the Speaker

Robert Talbert is a Professor of Mathematics and Senior Faculty Fellow for Learning Futures at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan. He holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Vanderbilt University. Through over 25 years of being a classroom instructor, Robert has experimented with and advocated for research-based, student-focused innovation in teaching and learning. He was an early adopter of computer-based learning in mathematics and helped to pioneer the use of flipped instruction at the college level. He turned these experiences into a blog, Casting Out Nines, in 2006 which catalyzed a global online community around instructional innovation.

In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Robert holds the position of Senior Faculty Fellow for Learning Futures at Grand Valley State, where he works on behalf of the university president to coordinate institution-wide pedagogical innovation projects. He is the author of Flipped Learning: A Guide for Higher Education Faculty and the co-author (with his GVSU colleague Dr. David Clark) of Grading For Growth, and gives keynote addresses and workshops to faculty groups throughout the US and abroad. His continued writing projects include the Grading For Growth Substack and Intentional Academia, a Substack publication about productivity and purpose in higher education.

Robert lives in western Michigan with his wife, teenage children, and three cats. On weekends and evenings, you can find him playing bass in one of four bands he belongs to in the Grand Rapids area.

2025-2026 Teaching Development Fellowship
2025-03-20 12:00 - 2025-05-11 23:59
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.

Building a Better Learning Experience: Using Student Data to Enhance Active Learning for Neurodivergent Students
2025-05-14 14:00 - 15:00
Image: Premium Graphics /Adobe Stock

Dr. Mariel Pfeifer, Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Mississippi

Description

This talk will present findings from research about optimizing active learning to better serve neurodivergent STEM learners. Attendees will leave with concrete takeaways, including a general and a specific teaching tip that they can integrate into their courses to foster a more supportive learning environment for all students. Attendees will also receive additional resources to support future pedagogical decision-making.

About the Speaker

Mariel Pfeifer is an Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Mississippi. She is dedicated to promoting access to STEM fields for students and faculty with disabilities. Mariel earned her Ph.D. in Plant Biology from the University of Georgia, where she received both an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and an ARCS Foundation award. As a trained biology education researcher and cell biologist, she aims to leverage her expertise in research, teaching, and mentoring to help eliminate barriers in STEM education.

Application Period for the Summer 2025 Subject Design Track
2025-07-14 12:00 - 2025-07-20 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 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.Thu, Aug 7, 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, Aug 14, 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, Aug 21, 2:00 – 4:00 pm (ET)FacilitatorBen Hansberry, Associate Director for Graduate Student Teaching, Teaching + Learning Lab

How to Apply

The application window will be open from 12:00 noon Monday, July 14, through 11:59 pm Sunday, July 20. 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 apply button will not work until the application window opens.

Apply

Application Period for the Fall 2025 Kaufman Teaching Certificate Program
2025-07-28 12:00 - 2025-08-10 23:59
Application

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 are in their final year of graduate or postdoctoral studies.

The application window will be open from 12:00 noon, Monday, July 28, through 11:59 pm, Sunday, August 10.

For more information about the program and frequently asked questions, please visit the KTCP page. If you have additional questions or encounter difficulty with the application, please contact Dan Nocivelli.

Please note: The button is not active until the application opens.

APPLY

Application Period for the Fall 2025 Lesson Planning Track
2025-08-11 12:00 - 2025-08-17 23:59
About the Program

The Lesson Planning Track is a sequence of three 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, September 2, 1:00-3:00 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, September 9, 1:00-3:00 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

Tuesday, September 16, 1:00-3:00 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, August 17, to be considered.

Cultivating a Convivial Classroom in the Age of AI
2025-09-10 12:00 - 13:00
How the Technological Critics of the 20th Century Can Help Us Wisely Navigate Generative AI in Education

Reihaneh Golpayegani & The Bigger Picture / https://betterimagesofai.org / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Dr. Josh Brake, Associate Professor of Engineering at Harvey Mudd College

Description

Generative AI is dominating the conversation around education today. Sentiments span the spectrum from deeply felt anxiety to unbridled optimism. Meanwhile, individual educators and students are searching for solid footing as they seek to understand generative AI and its implications. While there is no shortage of books and blogs offering suggestions for how we ought to respond, these perspectives often focus narrowly on the specific technology of generative AI without considering its broader historical, social, and technological context. Perhaps surprisingly, some of the most insightful writing about AI was published over fifty years before the phrase artificial intelligence was even coined. This collection of technological critics—writers and thinkers like Neil Postman, Jacques Ellul, Marshall McLuhan, Ursula Franklin, Lewis Mumford, Ivan Illich, and C. S. Lewis—offers us a broader aperture through which to see education, technology, and their intersection. In this talk, we will explore what these thinkers have to offer us as we strive to build a solid foundation and chart a wise path forward in a rapidly evolving landscape.

About the Speaker

Dr. Josh Brake, Associate Professor of Engineering at Harvey Mudd College

Josh Brake is an Associate Professor of Engineering at Harvey Mudd College. He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology and an M.S. and B.S. in Engineering with an Electrical Concentration from LeTourneau University. He is the principal investigator of the Harvey Mudd Biophotonics Laboratory, where he has the privilege of guiding a group of talented and motivated Mudders to build optical tools for biomedicine.

In addition to his teaching and research activities on campus, Josh writes The Absent Minded Professor, a weekly Substack about technology, education, and human flourishing. His weekly manifestos often orbit around his core conviction that the builders of the future must be deeply shaped by philosophy and the humanities in order for us to cultivate a flourishing future together. He is also a Venture Partner with Praxis, helping to advance redemptive quests to address the major issues of our time.

Josh lives in Southern California with his wife and three young children. On evenings and weekends, you’ll often find him biking around town with the kids on the back of his cargo e-bike or making pizza in the Ooni. Except, that is, for Monday evenings. On Monday evenings, when the kids are in bed and the house is quiet, you’ll find him head down at the keyboard, feverishly cranking out his next blog post.

Application Period for the Fall 2025 Microteaching Track
2025-09-15 12:00 - 2025-09-21 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

To be determined by participant availability:

Microteaching 1: Weeks of October 6 & October 13

Microteaching 2: Weeks of October 20 & October 27

How to Apply

Prerequisite: Applicants must have already completed the Lesson Planning Track to be considered. Priority is given to those who anticipate a teaching or TA appointment within the next two semesters. The remaining applications will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis.

Applications must be received by 11:59 PM ET on Sunday, September 21. 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.

Application Period for the Fall 2025 Inclusive Teaching Track
2025-10-06 12:00 - 2025-10-12 23:59
About the Program

The Inclusive Teaching Track is a sequence of two interactive workshops focused on cultivating equitable and welcoming classrooms in which all students can learn and reach their potential. Participants will reflect on their own experiences and perspectives and learn evidence-based strategies to design structured and relational learning experiences. By the end of the track, participants will be able to apply principles of inclusive teaching to plan a teaching practice or learning activity that will make classrooms more equitable in future teaching or education-related careers in higher education.

Workshop Schedule

Inclusive Teaching as a Mindset

Thursday, October 23, 2 – 4 pm, Bldg# 2-147

In the first workshop, we will define inclusive teaching and use it to evaluate common approaches to teaching in our disciplines. By introducing specific strategies, we will learn ways to invite students into the learning experience to be responsive to the diversity in the classroom. We will practice skills in evaluating a teaching practice to promote more inclusive classroom dynamics and to consider how your own identities impact your perspectives on teaching.

Principles and Strategies in Inclusive Teaching

Thursday, October 30, 2 – 4 pm, Bldg# 2-147

In this workshop, we will discuss research that informs students’ sense of belonging and delve into principles of inclusive teaching. We will work together to apply these principles by planning how to clearly communicate the purpose of learning, build a sense of community, and signal the importance of diverse perspectives. Through the application of key principles of inclusive teaching, participants will identify concrete strategies to create a structured and relational classroom in which all students can learn and reach their potential.

How to Apply

Applications must be received by 11:59 PM ET on Sunday, October 12, to be considered. If you have additional questions or encounter difficulty with the application, please contact Ben Hansberry.

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

Doing “All the Things”: Leveraging Data, Collaboration, and Evidence-based Design to Transform Gateway Courses
2025-10-23 12:00 - 13:00
Image by alswart / Adobe Stock

Dr. Denise Galarza Sepúlveda, Director of the University of Michigan’s Foundational Course Initiative (FCI) at the Center for Research and TeachingDr. Heather Rypkema, Head of Learning Analytics at the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT) and Associate Director of FCI, University of MichiganDr. Alicia Romero, Lecturer III, Department of Statistics, University of Michigan

Description

Gateway courses play a crucial role at most institutions. They can be students’ only exposure to a discipline, or a make-or-break experience that can alter their chosen career paths. For faculty and instructional teams, teaching these courses can feel like having to do “all the things.” There is the crush of content as they prepare students to succeed in different downstream courses, challenges in integrating active learning and authentic assessments, heavy logistical demands, and structural and resource constraints. Given these issues, the task of redesigning these large gateway courses can feel unmanageable or even impossible for faculty. In this talk, Drs. Galarza Sepúlveda and Rypkema will share a model that addresses the complexity of teaching and learning in these courses with a multifaceted and sustainable approach. This model is exemplified in the University of Michigan’s Foundational Course Initiative (FCI), which provides faculty with the resources, support, and design expertise to help them make high-impact changes while moving away from feeling they have to do “all the things.” Additionally, Dr. Alicia Romero will join the discussion to share her experience teaching the FCI redesigned course for STATS 250. Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis. They will also discuss FCI’s course reports and provide redesign project examples from an array of FCI-partnering courses, including Physics, Engineering, Earth and Environmental Sciences, and Statistics.

About the Speakers

Denise Galarza Sepúlveda is the Director of the University of Michigan’s Foundational Course Initiative (FCI), which provides faculty with the resources, support, and design expertise needed to create transformative learning experiences in large gateway courses. Dr. Galarza Sepúlveda establishes the program’s strategic priorities, leads partnership recruitment efforts, and manages a talented team of consultants dedicated to redesigning gateway courses. She also contributes strategic direction to the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching as part of its Senior Leadership Team. Before joining CRLT, she served as director of the community-based learning office in the Division of Undergraduate Education at UM’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.

Dr. Galarza Sepúlveda received her Master’s degree from Purdue and her Ph.D. from Emory University, both in Spanish. Prior to Michigan, she held a faculty position for twelve years in Lafayette College’s Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. At Lafayette, she also chaired the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program. Throughout her career, she has received curricular design grants, teaching awards, and secured an endowment to support high-impact learning programs.

Dr. Heather Rypkema is Head of Learning Analytics at the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT) at the University of Michigan, as well as an Associate Director with the Foundational Course Initiative (FCI). She earned her Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from Harvard University and held faculty positions in Chemistry and Climate Science before transitioning to her current role at the interface of teaching and data analytics in 2018. She supports course and curricular design efforts through data collection, analysis, and triangulation of databases that include institutional, LMS, instructional technology, and survey data.

Dr. Alicia Romero is a Lecturer III in the Department of Statistics at the University of Michigan, where she leads STATS 250, one of the university’s largest undergraduate courses with more than 2,000 students each semester. She coordinates a large instructional team and has spearheaded major innovations through the Foundational Course Initiative, including the integration of structured group work during lecture. She serves on the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and advises undergraduate students. In 2024, she was named a finalist for the Provost’s Teaching Innovation Prize.

IAP 2026 Course (RE)Design Institute
2025-11-07 08:00 - 2025-12-21 23:59
Applications are Open!

We are pleased to announce the return of the winter Course (Re)Design Institute series for MIT Faculty and Lecturers over December 2025 and IAP 2026!

This hands-on, interactive workshop series leverages principles of course design and the science of learning to support effective, efficient course (re)design. Whether you are building a course from the ground up or refining an existing one, you will have the opportunity to explore evidence-based teaching and course design strategies to energize and strengthen student learning. Together, we will share and apply practical tools and approaches to create engaging, rigorous, and inclusive learning experiences. The workshop series provides dedicated time, structured activities, and a supportive community that can help you avoid the “spinning wheels” phase that often comes with (re)designing alone.

Each 2-hour session builds on the last, and attending the full series helps deepen connections and ideas within our growing community of practice. We realize there are many demands on your time and varied timelines for course design. To that end, we are offering flexible options for engagement with:

Two opportunities to take Workshop 1 (one in December for an early start and one in January; attendance at one of these workshops is sufficient)

An optional third workshop with multiple pathways for what you’d like to explore

We will wrap up each session with a light lunch and informal conversation, an opportunity to share insights, questions, and good company.

Workshop Schedule (2-hour sessions)

Time & Location: 10:30-12:30 followed by a light lunch, TLL Workshop Room E19-607

Thursday, 1/06 – Workshop 1: Course Design for Relevance and Rigor

Thursday, 1/8 – Workshop 2: Authentic + Aligned Assessments

Tuesday, 1/13 – Workshop 3: Active Learning

Thursday, 1/15 – Workshop 4 (Optional): GenAI-aware Assessments

Application deadline: Sunday, December 21. Successful applicants will be notified on a rolling basis.

Compass: An Experiment in Collaboration
2025-11-13 15:00 - 16:00
Lily Tsai, Ford Professor of Political ScienceAdam Albright, Professor of LinguisticsEmily Richmond Pollock, Associate Professor of Music.Leeland Fredlund, Senior Research Support Associate – Compass Course

Compass: An Experiment in Collaboration

Description

Last spring, the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS) launched the pilot of its new multidisciplinary offering, 21.01 Compass Course: Love, Death, and Taxes: How to Think–and Talk to Others–About Being Human. The course is designed to expose students with the tools of the humanities and social sciences to consider persistent moral and social questions central to the human experience, ultimately guiding them in shaping the kind of humans they want to be and the society they wish to help create. Compass is the result of a multi-year collaboration involving over 30 faculty from 19 departments, led by a core SHASS team and a student advisory board. Members of the Compass team, including Lily Tsai, Adam Albright, Emily Richmond Pollock, and Leela Fredlund, will discuss the challenges and rewards of large collaborations. They will show how collaborative design resulted in a Compass pedagogy that highlights the unexpected results of multidisciplinary conversations and fosters faculty vulnerability through the teaching of unfamiliar topics, transforming the class into a true collaboration between faculty and students.

All are welcome. Registration is required.

About the Speakers

Lily L. Tsai is the Director and Founder of the MIT Governance Lab (MIT GOV/LAB) and the Ford Professor of Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as well as the former Chair of the MIT Faculty. Her research focuses on accountability, governance, and political participation in developing contexts, particularly in Asia and Africa. In 2014, she founded MIT GOV/LAB, a group of social and behavioral scientists and design researchers who develop and test innovations in citizen engagement and government responsiveness. By focusing on how and why citizens become active in engaging their governments, Tsai aims to bridge researcher and practitioner communities by developing learning collaborations that can respond to governance challenges using empirical evidence in real time. Tsai has written two books, When People Want Punishment: Retributive Justice and the Puzzle of Authoritarian Popularity, and Accountability Without Democracy: Solidarity Groups and Public Goods Provision in Rural China, as well as articles in The American Political Science Review, The Journal of Politics, Comparative Political Studies, Political Behavior, Comparative Politics, and World Development.

Emily Richmond Pollock is an Associate Professor of Music. Emily’s research focuses particularly on conservatism, the historicization of modernist musical value, operatic institutions, and the relationship between modern musical style and convention. Emily joined Music and Theater Arts in 2012 and regularly teaches 21M.011 Introduction to Western Music and courses on opera, the twentieth century, and the symphonic repertoire, as well as the Advanced Seminar for music majors. She is currently the music major advisor and has served in the past as a Burchard Faculty Fellow and as an advisor to first-years and music concentrators. She remains an active amateur oboist, performing with the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra and the Mercury Orchestra.

Adam Albright received his BA in linguistics from Cornell University in 1996 and his Ph.D. in linguistics from UCLA in 2002. He was a Faculty Fellow at the University of California, Santa Cruz from 2002-2004, and is currently a Professor at MIT. His research interests include phonology, morphology, and learnability, with an emphasis on using computational modeling and experimental techniques to investigate issues in phonological theory. Other interests include: Yiddish phonology and morphology; Lakhota phonology and morphology (and many other topics in Lakhota); and the proper treatment of historical change within Optimality Theory.

Application Period for the IAP 2026 Subject Design Track
2025-12-01 12:00 - 2025-12-07 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 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.Thu, Jan 15, 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 22, 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 29, 2:00 – 4:00 pm (ET)FacilitatorBen Hansberry, Associate Director for Graduate Student Teaching, Teaching + Learning Lab

How to Apply

The application window will be open from 12:00 noon Monday, December 1, through 11:59 pm Sunday, December 7. 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 apply button will not work until the application window opens.

Apply

Application Period for the Spring 2026 Kaufman Teaching Certificate Program
2025-12-01 12:00 - 2025-12-19 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.

Application

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 are in their final year of graduate or postdoctoral studies.

The application window will be open from 12:00 noon, Monday, December 1, through 11:59 pm, Friday, December 19.

For more information about the program and frequently asked questions, please visit the KTCP page. If you have additional questions or encounter difficulty with the application, please contact Dan Nocivelli.

Please note: The button is not active until the application opens.

APPLY

Departmental Action Teams (DATs) Info Session
2026-01-16 11:00 - 12:00
Departmental Action Teams (DATs) support broad-scale and sustainable improvements in undergraduate education through either curriculum revision (what is taught) or pedagogical changes (how it is taught). This model is of particular interest to the selection committee for the Alex and Brit d’Arbeloff Fund for Excellence in Education.

In this webinar, Drs. Ruthann Thomas and Raechel Soicher will provide a brief overview of the goals, structure, and process for creating and sustaining Departmental Action Teams (DATs) to identify and implement curricular and/or pedagogical changes that improve undergraduate education. There will be ample time to ask questions and discuss potential proposals.

Additional information on the Departmental Action Team is available at https://tll.mit.edu/departmental-action-teams/. Reach out to tll-dat@mit.edu with any questions.

IAP 2026 Teaching Days
2026-01-26 08:00 - 2026-01-30 19:00
Registration is now open!

IAP 2026 Teaching Days: Monday, January 26 through Friday, January 30

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 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.

What Happens in the Classroom is the Main Event
2026-02-24 14:00 - 15:00
Photo: MIT Image Library

Dr. Carlo Rotella, Professor of English, American Studies, and Journalism at Boston College

Description

What happens in the classroom is getting more, not less, cutting-edge all the time. Face-to-face teaching and learning become rarer and more valuable with each advance in educational technology. At the same time, the higher-ed classroom is a black box in our culture. There’s no lack of strong opinions about what happens or doesn’t happen there, but not enough practical discussion of the details. This talk is about those details, especially the mechanics of classroom citizenship and the importance of building a community of inquiry.

About the Speaker

Dr. Carlo Rotella, Professor of English, American Studies, and Journalism at Boston College

Carlo Rotella is a professor of English, American Studies, and Journalism at Boston College. He writes regularly for the New York Times Magazine — most recently an essay on teaching English in the age of AI — and his work has also appeared in the New Yorker and Best American Essays. A recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship, U.S. State Department grants to lecture in China and Bosnia, and the Whiting Writers Award, he has written books about the postindustrial city, boxing, blues, and urban literature and film, among other subjects. His latest book, What Can I Get Out of This?: Teaching and Learning in a Classroom Full of Skeptics, is about what happens in the classroom.

Application Period for the Spring 2026 Inclusive Teaching Track
2026-03-02 12:00 - 2026-03-08 23:59
About the Program

The Inclusive Teaching Track is a sequence of two interactive workshops focused on cultivating equitable and welcoming classrooms in which all students can learn and reach their potential. Participants will reflect on their own experiences and perspectives and learn evidence-based strategies to design structured and relational learning experiences. By the end of the track, participants will be able to apply principles of inclusive teaching to plan a teaching practice or learning activity that will make classrooms more equitable in future teaching or education-related careers in higher education.

Workshop Schedule

Inclusive Teaching as a Mindset

Thursday, April 2, 1 – 3 pm

In the first workshop, we will define inclusive teaching and use it to evaluate common approaches to teaching in our disciplines. By introducing specific strategies, we will learn ways to invite students into the learning experience to be responsive to the diversity in the classroom. We will practice skills in evaluating a teaching practice to promote more inclusive classroom dynamics and to consider how your own identities impact your perspectives on teaching.

Principles and Strategies in Inclusive Teaching

Thursday, April 16, 1 – 3 pm

In this workshop, we will discuss research that informs students’ sense of belonging and delve into principles of inclusive teaching. We will work together to apply these principles by planning how to clearly communicate the purpose of learning, build a sense of community, and signal the importance of diverse perspectives. Through the application of key principles of inclusive teaching, participants will identify concrete strategies to create a structured and relational classroom in which all students can learn and reach their potential.

How to Apply

Applications must be received by 11:59 PM ET on Sunday, March 8, to be considered. If you have additional questions or encounter difficulty with the application, please contact Ben Hansberry.

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