Teaching Development Opportunities
In addition to workshops, consultations, and other services for all Notre Dame instructors, we offer several teaching development opportunities that are designed specifically for graduate students and postdocs. They include:
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 4-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, develop teaching resources, and contribute to other activities to help graduate students and postdocs grow as teachers. This position is an excellent opportunity to develop as an instructor, a professional, and a leader.
For more information, email kaneb@nd.edu.
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.
TAs and Graduate Instructors of Color Learning Community
Graduate students of color are invited to take part in the TA and Graduate Instructors of Color Learning Community. This ongoing, biweekly conversation creates space for TAs and Graduate Instructors of color to share their experiences with teaching and learning, work/life balance, and power differentials. We discuss the challenges of navigating a predominantly white institution and student body, while also developing teaching strategies, discussing diversity and inclusion in academia, equity, and more. In this intellectual community of peers we support each other’s formations as teacher-scholars by listening to and affirming classroom experiences, discovering and sharing skills, and learning from diverse pedagogical perspectives. This program is co-sponsored by The Graduate School.