Teaching@UChicago

Teaching@UChicago is the CCTL’s annual orientation event for graduate students at the beginning of their teaching careers at the University of Chicago. This orientation is designed to be useful for graduate students serving as TAs, Interns, and instructors, especially those new to teaching roles at the University. Participants will learn more about resources and strategies for effective teaching, informed by evidence and by reflections from undergraduate learners, graduate student teachers, and CCTL staff. 

This orientation, consisting of a half-day live webinar and a brief asynchronous course, will provide participants with an overview of how teaching works at the University and guidance to develop their pedagogy. They will leave with an improved awareness of the resources available to them, common challenges to overcome, and some concrete strategies to use as a graduate student instructor, with a particular focus on the first day in the classroom, and will identify a set of next steps to take depending on their roles and personal priorities as educators.  

After completing the synchronous and asynchronous components of Teaching@UChicago, participants will be able to: 

1. Situate themselves and their role as a TA or instructor at the University.   
2. Locate resources and people available to support instructors at UChicago.   
3. Recognize key pedagogical principles for effective teaching and learning. 
4. Reflect on challenges, successes, and important decisions faced by beginning instructors.  
5. Deploy good teaching practices on the first day of class and beyond.