Course Design
& Delivery
Certificate Program
About the Program
This five-part professional development workshop series provides graduate student instructors (GSIs) with research-based frameworks and practices for designing and delivering equity-minded courses that center student learning. The program is organized around an interdisciplinary learning community that strives to apply the following core practices to their own courses:
- Developing course outcomes for significant learning
- Designing effective and accessible assessments that align with learning outcomes
- Enacting equity-minded course policies and syllabus design
- Understanding how learning works and utilizing active learning techniques in any course modality
- Selecting accessibility-aware and trauma-informed instructional strategies
During the program, participating GSIs will craft and refine course materials including course learning outcomes, accessible course syllabi, equity-minded assessments, and lesson plans that put learning research into practice. The program will also include access to structured support around selected learning technologies that align with GSIs’ course design goals and choices.
Intended to support graduate students teaching courses in the Summer Sessions, the program includes individualized support from the TLC’s Peer Support Team, a group of graduate student educators who have completed the TLC’s professional development programs and who are committed to building community around accessible and equity-minded pedagogy. The members of this team also attend the five workshops of the program, provide feedback on GSIs’ course materials, and serve as a resource in both Spring and Summer as program participants prepare and then teach their courses. Participants are asked to meet at least twice with their peer support person during Summer Session (or complete an equivalent, such as engaging in a peer observation of teaching) as a requirement of the certificate.
Upon completion of the workshops, graduate students receive a professional development certificate indicating their successful participation.
How to Participate
Registration for the 2023 program is closed. Check back in Winter 2024 for information about the next offering.
The 2023 program includes five sessions during Spring 2023, every other Friday from 9:30 to 11:30 AM Pacific Time on the following schedule:
- April 14 (Week 2)
- April 28 (Week 4)
- May 12 (Week 6)
- May 26 (Week 8)
- June 9 (Week 10)
We’ll determine modality (e.g. hybrid in-person and Zoom, or fully online) based on feedback from GSIs who enroll.
In between these sessions, you’ll continue to develop/refine your course materials and submit them for recursive feedback and conversation.
The program continues in Summer 2023 with individualized support, teaching consultations, and teaching observations while you teach. This individualized support can be offered in person or remotely depending on your availability and preferences.
The program is limited to 30 participants, and is open to all disciplines. Priority registration is given to graduate students who are teaching as GSIs in the upcoming Summer Sessions.
Participants commit to: attending 5 interactive workshops; crafting and refining select course materials, with feedback from their peer support person; peer-reviewing another participant’s course syllabus; and meeting at least twice (or equivalent) with their peer mentor during Summer Session.
For additional information about the program, please contact tlc@ucsc.edu.