The Center for Graduate Life and Learning provides numerous workshops designed to help you sharpen your teaching skills, with topics ranging from writing a personal teaching philosophy to delivering an effective teaching demonstration. You will find a variety of resources at the CGLL to prepare you to be an effective teacher. Check our Calendar for upcoming teaching events.
Graduate Teaching Assistant Training
UNC Charlotte’s accreditation standards require that all Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) receive training prior to the start of their teaching contract. The Graduate School, through the Center for Graduate Life and Learning, offers this training online. Topics include: FERPA, Discrimination/ADA, Common First Amendment Issues, Title IX/Sexual Harassment, Syllabus Policies/Resources and more. New GTAs receive an invitation to complete the training which contains instructions for doing so. If you do not receive an invite, please contact the Center for Graduate Life and Learning at gradlifecenter@charlotte.edu.
Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Awards
Each year, UNC Charlotte's top graduate teaching assistants are honored with the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant (TA) Award. The award recognizes master's and doctoral students nominated by faculty supervisors for their outstanding and innovative teaching techniques. Dr. Judith Krauss coordinates efforts to support graduate teaching assistants through the Center for Graduate Life and Learning, including Graduate Teaching Assistant training offered at the start of the Fall and Spring semesters.
Graduate School Teaching Fellows
The Graduate School Teaching Fellowship (GSTF) is a two-semester training opportunity for doctoral students pursuing careers that include college-level teaching. This program is for doctoral students meeting specific criteria found on the Teaching Fellows web page.
CGLL GRAD Courses
(Register for graduate courses at my.charlotte.edu)
GRAD 6201/8201 | Teaching at the University Level | 3.0 credits
This course is designed for graduate students who teach or intend to teach. Topics include developing a teaching philosophy, constructing a syllabus, using student demographics and learning styles in course design, managing controversial topics, incorporating active learning and critical thinking, constructing rubrics for use in testing and grading, and applying theories of learning and motivation to the classroom. From this foundation, students will teach during class meetings to gain experience and benefit from peer review. (Fall, Spring)
GRAD 8011 | Teaching at American Colleges and Universities: Perspectives for International Students | 3.0 credits
This course, which offers the same curriculum and pedagogy as GRAD 6001/8001, Teaching at the College or University Level, is designed for and offered to international graduate students who wish to teach at American colleges or universities. This course uses your unique perspectives and cultural experiences to address relevant topics.
Students must be enrolled in a master’s or doctoral degree program. Pre- or Co-requisites: Completion of two graduate semesters in the United States is a prerequisite for this course.
GRAD 6000/8000 | Creating Best Classroom Practices Using Psychological Theories | 3.0 credits
This course offers students who teach, either alone or as TAs, an opportunity to explore the creation of effective classroom practices. Whether designing a course, planning a syllabus, or creating materials for class, teachers want to use evidence-based best practices to maximize the effectiveness of their teaching and the students' learning. This course covers established psychological theories in the areas of learning, memory, and motivation to assist teachers in finding the best practices for their classrooms. Theorists include, but are not limited to, Pavlov, Watson, Thorndike, Skinner, Piaget, as well as contemporary contributors to the fields.