Applications for the 2022-2023 TDF cohort are NOW CLOSED.
The Teaching Development Fellows Network (TDFN) is a professional development and leadership opportunity for graduate students who are interested in improving their teaching while promoting pedagogical development and discussion among their peers. Fellows organize and direct department-based events. They also develop resources aimed at developing TA’s teaching skills in their home department with support from TLL and an interdisciplinary network of fellows.
The program is an opportunity to improve your teaching practice, demonstrate your commitment to teaching, and help elevate the quality of teaching in your department.
2022-2023 Teaching Development Fellows
| Fellow | Department |
|---|---|
| Alexandria Schmid | Operations Research Center |
| Apekshya Prasai | Department of Political Science |
| Belén Saldías Fuentes | Media Arts and Sciences Program |
| Bradley Turner | Department of Management |
| Charles Dawson | Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics |
| Danielle Freeman | MIT-WHOI Joint Program |
| Ellen Kan | Department of Biological Engineering |
| Eva Cai | Health Sciences and Technology |
| John Bell | Mechanical Engineering Department |
| Kruthika Kikkeri | Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science |
| Leyla Akay | Department of Brain and Cognitive Science |
| Louna Bou Ghanem | Department of Architecture |
| Michael Das | Department of Physics |
| Nina Wexelblatt | Department of Architecture |
| Pablo Cárdenas Ramirez | Department of Biological Engineering, at-large fellow for mentoring |
| Patrick Oare | Department of Physics |
| Pradeep Natarajan | Department of Chemical Engineering |
| Riley Shu | Integrated Design and Management |
| Sean Chen | Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences |
| Tian Zhao | Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering |
| Vincent Zu | Department of Chemical Engineering, at-large fellow for ESL TAs |
Fellows’ activities
Teaching Development Fellows focus their activities on addressing the teaching needs in their departments. Since the needs and teaching experience of each department varies, fellows take the lead in identifying and designing programming that would be most appropriate for their peers.
Each semester, fellows are expected to complete 2 departmental projects:
- Fellows may design an event that either presents a pedagogical concept or teaching practice in a disciplinary context or provides training for new TAs in their department (e.g, a workshop, training session, or faculty panel).
- Fellows may design a project or event that fosters a collaborative culture of teaching in their department, such as organizing microteaching or peer observation, leading a learning community or reading group, hosting a luncheon, or developing departmental resources. This may be an existing program that the fellow maintains or enhances.
In addition to departmental projects, fellows will:
- Receive training from TLL on workshop and pedagogical design, as well as topics across the scholarship of teaching and learning
- Collaborate with peers across the Institute and assist in TA Days programming
- Meet regularly as a cohort to share ideas and discuss teaching topics
- Observe at least one other fellow’s programs
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 $2,000.
Aims and impact
The Teaching Development Fellows Network is designed to improve TA teaching, benefiting the Institute on several levels.
- Fellows benefit departments by providing specialized training for TAs with oversight from TLL.
- Fellows benefit the graduate student community by acting as teaching mentors, organizing collaborative learning communities, and providing a connection to other programs.
- Fellows benefit undergraduates by providing resources and training to new TAs, improving their ability to help undergraduates succeed.
- Fellows benefit themselves through academic and pedagogical professional development by continuing a reflective teaching practice, designing original workshops, and working in a collaborative and interdisciplinary network.