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Teaching Development Opportunities

The teaching development opportunities below are designed specifically for graduate students and postdocs. For more information about any of them, email Notre Dame Learning’s Kaneb Center for Teaching Excellence at kaneb@nd.edu.

New TA Orientation

Every fall during the week before the start of classes, the Kaneb Center offers a two-day orientation to all graduate students who are serving as a TA or preparing to teach their own course. TAs who attend this event will be well prepared for their first interactions with students, dealing with common teaching dilemmas, leading class sessions, and grading student work. This event is highly recommended for all new graduate TAs and is also open to returning TAs, postdocs, and other interested graduate students. 

Foundations of Teaching Workshop Series​

At the beginning of each semester, we offer at least one four-week series for new teaching assistants designed to introduce and develop the fundamental skills of effective teaching. We cover how to communicate expectations, facilitate a class session, grade fairly and efficiently, and teach for critical thinking, providing first-time TAs with a solid foundation for successful teaching in graduate school and beyond. Foundations of Teaching is offered every August and January. To learn more, read the series description. To register, visit our Events page.

Postdoctoral and Graduate Associate Program​

Each year, we hire experienced TAs or instructors to serve as postdoctoral and graduate associates (PGAs) at the Kaneb Center. PGAs facilitate workshops on effective teaching, create teaching resources, and contribute to other activities to help graduate students and postdocs grow as teachers. These positions are an excellent opportunity to develop as an instructor, a professional, and a leader.

Graduate Peer Observation Program

Have an experienced graduate student observe your class, tutorial, or discussion section in this confidential, low-stakes opportunity for formative feedback. A postdoctoral or graduate associate will sit in on your class session and follow up to schedule an informal discussion about your teaching strengths and opportunities for improvement.