Join a Program
Programs, Courses, and Learning Communities
The TLC offers a range of opportunities for educators across all academic disciplines to grow in community. Programs vary in format—one-time, multi-day, quarter-long, and year-long—and provide a collaborative space for teaching development.
Program Offerings
For Faculty
Faculty Associates
Faculty leadership role for Senate faculty across divisions. Associates co‑facilitate TLC programs and lead a new or expanding project. Includes a one‑quarter course release and collaboration with the TLC Faculty Director. Associates bring fresh perspectives and serve as campus ambassadors for teaching support.
Faculty Fellows
Faculty learning community exploring a teaching-related theme. Fellows several times per quarter and can lead related initiatives. Open to faculty across divisions, with funding for educational enrichment available.
New Faculty Teaching Academy
Two-day September program for new Senate faculty. Introduces UCSC’s student demographics, inclusive teaching strategies, equitable assessment, and educational technology. Emphasizes active learning, accessibility, and connecting new faculty with campus resources for effective and sustainable teaching.
Project REAL
Equity-focused course redesign program for faculty teaching “gateway” courses. Participants meet for three weeks in summer to improve curricular coherence, align outcomes with assessments, and address barriers to student persistence in majors, with follow-up support during implementation.
STEM TLC
Yearlong learning community for STEM faculty to address equity gaps in student performance. Meets four times per quarter to explore inclusive teaching practices, hear from guest speakers, share strategies, and discuss current research in STEM education. Open to all STEM instructors.
Teaching Orientation for Lecturers
A full-day program that equips new Lecturers and Visiting Assistant Professors with the essentials for teaching at UC Santa Cruz. Participants gain practical strategies, explore student-centered approaches, and connect with resources to support impactful teaching.
Teaching Professors Learning Community
Yearlong learning community for Teaching Professors to connect with peers, strengthen pedagogical practice, and navigate the unique dimensions of the Teaching Professor role. Meets twice per quarter to share strategies, engage with guest speakers, and discuss issues central to instructional leadership.
For Graduate Students
California Community College Internship Program (CCCIP)
Year-long internship for PhD and MFA students to explore community college teaching careers. Includes mentorship, professional development, classroom observation, and teaching practice at Hartnell College. Open to full-time students with a focus on inclusive teaching and career preparation.
Course Design & Delivery Certificate
Supports GSIs in designing equity-minded courses. Includes a Spring course (GRAD 215) and Summer peer mentoring to develop outcomes, assessments, and syllabi. Emphasizes active learning, accessibility, and inclusivity, with participants building skills to enhance student engagement and learning.
Equity-Minded Mentoring Certificate
Winter program for graduate students and postdocs in STEM and Social Sciences to develop equity-centered mentoring skills. Involves five bi-weekly Zoom sessions, assignments, and creating a mentoring philosophy statement, with emphasis on fostering mentees’ belonging and professional development.
Graduate Pedagogy Fellows
Develops graduate student leaders in TA professional development. Winter quarter: Fellows take a 10-week pedagogy course with the TLC. Spring: with TLC and their departments, they design discipline-specific programs for graduate peers, then lead them the following year.
Preparing for Inclusive Teaching
One-day program for early-career STEM and Social Science graduate TAs. Focuses on equity-centered learning outcomes, growth mindset, active learning, and learner-centered feedback to support inclusive teaching in lower-division courses. Builds cross-departmental community among graduate educators.
Preparing for the Course Approval Process for GSIs
A two-session program designed to help current or future GSIs prepare for the course approval process when proposing a new course or a modality change to an existing course.
Summer GSI Peer Support Team
Graduate student mentors support GSIs teaching in Summer Sessions through course material review, consultations, and peer observations. Emphasizes equity-minded and accessible teaching, with priority given to graduates of TLC’s cohort-based professional development programs.
Teaching as an Ethical Practice (TA Ethics)
Self-paced Canvas mini-course for graduate students and postdocs to develop teaching statements and portfolios. Guides reflection on teaching values, alignment with equity practices, and effective presentation of evidence of teaching impact for academic job applications.
Teaching Statements & Portfolios
Self-paced Canvas mini-course for graduate students and postdocs to develop teaching statements and portfolios. Guides reflection on teaching values, alignment with equity practices, and effective presentation of evidence of teaching impact for academic job applications.
For Postdoctoral Scholars
Equity-Minded Mentoring Certificate
Winter program for graduate students and postdocs in STEM and Social Sciences to develop equity-centered mentoring skills. Involves five bi-weekly Zoom sessions, assignments, and creating a mentoring philosophy statement, with emphasis on fostering mentees’ belonging and professional development.
Teaching Statements & Portfolios
Self-paced Canvas mini-course for graduate students and postdocs to develop teaching statements and portfolios. Guides reflection on teaching values, alignment with equity practices, and effective presentation of evidence of teaching impact for academic job applications.
Open to All Educators
Ungrading Learning Community
Open to all UCSC educators, this community explores equitable, student-centered approaches to assessment. Participants discuss readings, share strategies, and workshop grading plans to reduce stress, focus on learning, and reflect on the role of grades.