Table of Contents
2. Assembling Your Teaching Portfolio
5. Effective Discussions and Lectures
6. Georgetown Specific Resources
7. Graduate Student and Teaching Blogs
8. How to Write Letters of Recommendation
11. Pursuing Excellence in Teaching
14. Writing a Teaching Philosophy Statement
1. Academic Job Search
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Academic Job Search Interview Questions: Examples and Resources
A list of examples and resources from a presentation at Yale University. It offers a good starting place to start formulating responses to commonly asked questions. Find it Here.
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Carleton Interview Questions
Ignore the fact that this page states "Preparing for an Academic Career in the Geosciences." The questions they list are broadly applicable, and include a long list of questions that you can ask deans, faculty, search committees, etc. Find it Here.
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"Academic Job Searching for Dummies"
An article in the Chronicle of Higher Education which gives good common-sense advice about the job search. There are some basic things you can do to increase your chances to make a good impression during the job search! Find it Here.
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"The Community College Job Search"
Dana M. Zimbleman has written an entire series of articles for The Chronicle of Higher Education about pursuing a career teaching at Community Colleges. We link to one of the articles here, but if you search her name on the Chronicle's site, all the articles will pop up. Check it out! Find it Here.
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Teaching At Community College
A two part article in the "Chronicle of Higher Education," in which author Rob Jenkins answers common questions about the two year college job market.
What Graduate Students Want to Know About Community Colleges, Part 1.
What Graduate Students Want to Know About Community Colleges, Part 2.
2. Assembling Your Teaching Portfolio
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Exploring E-Portfolios
Kathleen Black Yancey is one of the leading thinkers on teaching portfolios. As more schools adopt teaching portfolios for assessment and reflection, it never hurts to think about how you might create your own teaching portfolio, or use them in your classroom. In her article "Postmodernism, Palimpsest, and Portfolios: Theoretical Issues in the Representation of Student Work," Yancey explores the issues of e-portfolios and student work. Find it Here.
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Ohio State on Teaching Portfolios
A quick overview that answers basic questions about teaching portfolios. This might be a good place to begin if you aren't quite sure what a teaching portfolio looks like. Find it Here.
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Vanderbilt Teaching Portfolio
Divided into brief sections such as "What Role Do Teaching Portfolios Play on the Job Market?" and "Electronic Teaching Portfolio," this resource briefly addresses a few less commonly discussed aspects of teaching portfolios. This site also has a list of links, not just hardcopy references(!), about teaching portfolios. Find it Here.
3. Assessment and Grading
Evaluations
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Forms for Mid-Semester Evaluation
Want to know how your class is going? Wondering if your students find your classroom activities effective? Using mid-semester evaluations can confirm your suspicions of how your students perceive your class. This link from Princeton University provides a form for evaluations, and a list of questions you can use to create the kind of evaluation you feel will be most effective for your class. Evaluation fun! Find it Here.
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Cornell Peer Review of Teaching
While it's great to know how your class is going over with your students, it can be helpful to have peer feedback as well. Use this checklist as a reference when you have someone observe you. Find it Here.
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Cornell Test Construction Manual
Includes guidelines for constructing multiple choice questions and others. This manual also has a section about analyzing the difficulty of your test! Find it Here.
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Instructional Assessment Resources
This thoughtfully put together resource includes sections on assessing students, teaching, technology, evaluating programs and conducting research. Each section guides you through the assessment process by providing planning steps, and worksheets you can use to create better assessments. Find it Here.
Plagiarism
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Understanding Plagiarism
The author of this site emphasizes changing the classroom culture from one of "surveillance" to creating opportunities to help students internalize why plagiarism is wrong. There are several other links included that offer different strategies to help eliminate plagiarism in your classroom. Find it Here.
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"Student Plagiarism: Are Teachers Part of the Solution or Part of the Problem?"
In this brief essay from the Professional & Organizational Development Network in Higher Education, author Chris M. Anson argues that teachers can help prevent plagiarism by designing more thoughtful assignments. Find it Here.
Rubrics
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Introduction to Rubrics
So...you know you want to use a rubric... but you just spent an hour fiddling with the table formatting. If so, this is the site for you. They have a few simple blank rubrics that you can download as word documents. Huzzah! Now you can focus on the grading criteria which will fill in the blanks. Find it Here.
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RubiStar: Free Rubric Creation Tool
While this site allows you to create free rubrics, which is cool, be warned that you may need to come up with more advanced guidelines for projects (we doubt your students are designing book covers!). But it's another quick way to start creating a great rubric. Find it Here.
Student Feedback
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Giving Students Feedback
While it's nice to finally get your midterm grade back in November, at that point in the semester it is often difficult for students to make adjustments if they have received a bad grade. To avoid this situation, this page from the University of Texas at Austin advocates giving students informal and formal feedback early and often. Find it Here.
4. Course and Syllabus Design
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Verbs for Designing Course Objectives
Having trouble thinking of the right word to describe what you want your students to do? Use this handy list of verbs from Howard University. Find it Here.
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Writing A Syllabus
Great resource! Includes questions and thoughts for what you might include in each section of your syllabus, as well as a long list of additional readings and templates. Find it Here.
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Goals for the First Day of Class
How important is the first day? Very important! It's your chance to really set the tone for the semester. Follow this link to watch experienced instructors talk about the goals that they have for a successful first day of class. Find it Here.
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The First Day of Class
A helpful list of things to consider before you enter the classroom the first day, as well as during your first session. From the University of California at Berkeley. Find it Here.
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Actions Words for Different Levels of Bloom's Taxonomy
Bloom's taxonomy describes different levels of student engagement with material. These words can give you insight into what level of participation you are asking students to engage with. Find it Here.
5. Effective Discussions and Lectures
Creating an Interesting Lecture
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Lecturing for Engagement
How can you change your lectures from simple "information transmission" to engaged student learning? Here is some advice from the University of Texas at Austin. Find it Here.
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Changing Up Lectures
Most classes are 50-75 minutes long. A student's attention span is typically 15-20 minutes. See the problem? In their article "The Change-Up In Lectures," authors Joan Mittendorf and Alan Kalish suggest different strategies for maintaining attention during lectures. (As a bonus, author Stephen Brookfield shares his thoughts on critical thinking in the second half of the pdf). Find it Here.
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"Powerpoint: Possibilities and Problems"
Powerpoint presentations may be a great way to disseminate information, but they also have many pitfalls. In this short article, authors Eugene V. Gallagher and Michael Reder discuss why we should be wary of PowerPoint, and how we might use it effectively in the classroom. Find it Here.
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Notes on Lectures
While aimed at guest lecturers or those who are only lecturing for a few sessions (the way the British University System runs), this site has many helpful lecture suggestions that you can adapt to your particular situation. Find it Here.
Leading Productive Discussions
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Classroom Structures Which Encourage Student Participation
Are you in a rut? Need some activities to shake up your classroom discussions? Check out this useful sheet of classroom activities from Cornell. Find it Here.
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Conducting Effective Classroom Discussions
Article from the Journal of Reading by James Barton which suggests specific techniques for becoming "effective discussion facilitators." Find it Here.
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Just in Time Teaching
Just in Time Teaching (or JiTT) includes method you can use in the classroom to shake up your routine and encourage discussion in the classroom by increasing student participation and preparation. Find it Here.
Leading Difficult Discussions
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Controlled Fission:Teaching Supercharged Subjects
Using examples from his own teaching experiences, author David Pace offers 10 strategies for teachers to maximize productive discussion of controversial topics in their classrooms. Find it Here.
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Discussion Guidelines for Hot Button Topics
Although this page purportedly deals with discussions of cyberbullying and anti-gray sentiment, the information is pertinent to any "hot button" topic. This site focuses on laying the groundwork for potentially contentious topics, and gives concrete steps instructors may take to maximize the productivity of difficult discussions. Find it Here.
6. Georgetown Specific Resources
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Georgetown University Teaching Commons and Teaching Handbook
An incredible resource! Use the Commons to create a class blog, build an e-portfolio, find tips for integrating technology into the classroom, and read stories of successful classroom practices. Find it Here.
Here, you can also find a teaching handbook that focuses on how student centered learning influences course design and classroom management. It includes a list of on-campus resources, and additional resources focused on pedagogical best practices.
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Teaching While Learning: A Resource for Teaching Assistants
Written specifically for graduate students, this is CNDLS own version of a teaching handbook for graduate students. Includes plenty of handy teaching tips and useful principles for becoming a top-notch student teacher. Find it Here.
7. Graduate Student and Teaching Blogs
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Grad Hacker
Diving into academia can be overwhelming at times. This blog offers practical advice, news, and tips from fellow graduate students on everything from grading and applying for grants, to advice on procrastination. Check it out! Find it Here.
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The Scholar as Teacher: Graduate Student Blog
This is an enjoyable and insightful blog from a Graduate Student Instructor at Princeton. As Roblin Meeks writes a series of posts about her experience teaching a class, she offers a lot of good advice and suggests thought provoking questions. It's nice to know that you are not alone! Find it Here.
8. How to Write Letters of Recommendation
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Berkeley: Teaching Guide for Graduate Student Instructors
This resource offers suggestions, do's and don'ts, as well as a sample letter and links to other resources. Find it Here.
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"Three Resources for Writing Letters of Recommendation"
Includes three helpful links, including tips on how to set limits for students during the recommendation process, an article from "The Chronicle of Higher Education", and a list of helpful vocabulary to use in letters. Find it Here.
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Berkeley Career Center
Offers guidelines for writing letters for Academic Graduate Schools, Business Schools, Law Schools, Health Profession Schools, and Medical Schools. Not specific to graduate students. Find it Here.
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Nate Kreuter: "Writing Badass Letters of Recommendation"
In this amusing and insightful blog post, Nate Kreuter explores the rhetoric of letters of recommendation, with a note about writing letters as a graduate student. Find it Here.
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CTIE: Tips on Writing Letters of Recommendation
A review of letter writing basics for the audio-visual among us. Find it Here.
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Michael Ernst: Writing a Letter of Recommendation
Includes an example of a "bad" letter of recommendation. Find it Here.
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Shriram Krishnamurthi: Writing Letters for Academic Graduate Programs
Although Krishnamurthi's post is dedicated to writing letters of recommendation for computer science programs, he has a lot of advice that works for any academic graduate program. His advice goes beyond the basics into some of the trickier aspects of letter writing. Find it Here.
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Guide for Teaching Fellows on Writing Letters of Recommendation
While many of the suggestions offered in this resource are fairly standard, they do include several examples of letters of recommendation which you might find helpful if you are struggling with appropriate phrasing for your letter. Find it Here.
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Examples of FERPA wording for Letters of Recommendation
If you plan on using specific references to the student's academic record, it is required that the student sign a release form. Additionally, many schools consider it best practice for students to sign a release stating that they have no claim to see their letters of recommendation. Below are two examples of wording that students might use in these situations:
9. Large Classroom Dynamics
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Encouraging Civil Behavior in Large Classes
A large class can be a disorienting, alienating experience. This, in turn, may lead students to act out, or take the class casually. In this short essay, author Mary Deane Sorcinelli reviews strategies which can encourage civil and polite behavior in large classes, and discusses dealing with students arriving late/leaving early, decreasing anonymity, and talking during the lecture. Find it Here.
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"Teaching Large:" Resources, tips, and activities for large college classes
A series of helpful, engaging videos from the University of Texas at Austin. Teachers of large classes share their strategies in making lectures a more active learning experience. This well designed site includes videos and pdfs of activities. It also includes an interesting model for group work. Find it Here.
10. Learning Styles
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Teaching Critical Thinking
This slick site is divided into four broad sections: "Developing a Critical Thinking Attitude," "Critical Thinking Skills Training," "Critical Thinking in New Contexts," and "Metacognition." Each section delves deeply into a variety of different modules about critical thinking, including "Analysis," "Feedback," "Reflection," "Ethics," etc. In turn, each module includes resources, videos, activities, and teaching tips. A fantastic primer on critical thinking in the classroom from the University of Texas at Austin. Find it Here.
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Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire
Discovering what kind of learning style works best for you can be a helpful component of your course design. Specifically, while you may prefer one style of learning, in the classroom you should reach out to students who learn in a variety of ways. Knowing what works for you allows you to examine the, perhaps, unconscious bias in your course design, and allow you to create a more inclusive classroom. Find it Here.
11. Pursuing Excellence in Teaching
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Helping Students Prepare for Class
If they're not prepared, how can they discuss? This page has 6 strategies from GWU to help students come to class ready to go. Find it Here.
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Yale Graduate Teaching Center: Teaching Modules
A series of modules covering topics such as diversity, teaching journal articles, and helping students write better papers. While these modules tend to be fairly brief (and some are mostly Yale-specific), they are worth glancing through for some helpful tips, links, and worksheets. Find it Here.
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Stanford Teaching Tips
A series of helpful handouts from Stanford on topics such as "Asking Effective Questions," "How to Get Students Talking in Class," and "Designing Problem Sets." Concise and useful! Find it Here.
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Teaching Goals Inventory
What goals do you have in the classroom? What skills do you consider most important for you students to learn? This short survey lists 53 common classroom goals; after filling out the survey, the site generates a short report on what skills you consider most important for your students to learn, allowing you to better design overall course goals. Find it Here.
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A Berkeley Compendium of Suggestions for Teaching With Excellence
This site is divided into twenty-five sections. Each section contains several short tips on teaching best practices, including how to relate to students and being an available teacher. Find it Here.
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The Scholar as Teacher: A Tip-Sheet Series from Princeton
Pretty incredible resource. Check it out! Tip-Sheets divided into four overarching categories: Teaching Lectures and Discussions, Grading Students and Course Assessment, Understanding Student Learning, and Advising and Mentoring Students. You can subscribe to the tip sheets via email if you wish, or simply check out what they have posted. Find it Here.
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A Brief Summary of Best Practices in College Teaching
While "brief" may not be accurate, Tom Drummond's compilation is useful. It is divided into twelve sections, including: "Lecture Practices," "Group Discussion Triggers," "Thoughtful Questions," "Reflective Responses to Learner Contributions," "Rewarding Learner Participation," "Active Learning Strategies," "Cooperative Group Assignments," "Goals to Grade Connections," "Modeling," "Double Loop Feedback," "Climate Setting," and "Fostering Learner Self-Responsibility." Some similar tips, some new ones. Find it Here.
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Students with Disabilities
This insightful essay by Crisca Bierwert identifies two prevalant issues that hinder communication between professors and students with disabilities: "1) instructors' lack of knowledge about disabilities and accomodations, and 2) instructors' difficulty in talking with students about these issues." Check out the article to see what Bierwert suggests to ameliorate the situation. Find it Here.
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ERIC: Education Resources Information Center
Find links to journal articles, books, and other education related materials. Full-text pdfs included for some resources. Find it Here.
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Foreign Language Teaching Methods
From the University of Texas at Austin, this site offers "professional development modules for foreign language instruction at the high school and college levels" (we couldn't say it any better than that!). Modules include teaching grammar, vocabulary, and using technology in the classroom. Find it Here.
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Science Teaching Reconsidered: A Handbook
This handbook from the Committee on Undergraduate Science Education is presented here in e-book format. It covers general principles and questions that science teachers may have as they enter the classroom. Find it Here.
12. Teaching Handbooks
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Brown University Handbooks
Brown offers handbooks on a variety of topics including: Constructing a Syllabus and The Teaching Portfolio.
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Columbia Teaching Handbook
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Harvard Teaching Handbook
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Johns Hopkins Teaching Handbook
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University of Pennsylvania Handbook
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Stanford Teaching Handbook
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University of Virginia Teaching Handbook
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Yale Teaching Handbook
13. Technology and Teaching
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The Teaching, Learning, and Technology (TLT) Group
Although some of these suggestions are a little bit dated (for example, they are really, really, excited about email) this site offers some quick suggestions for incorporating technology in the classroom. The page is arranged according to the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. Find it Here.
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Bloom's Revised Taxonomy
Bloom's Taxonomy is over 60 years old, and in recognition of today's changing educational environment, has been updated to include technology. What might your educational objectives look like using this new, action-oriented taxonomy? Find it Here.
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"Wired Campus" Blog
Stay up-to-date with the latest on education and technology in this blog from the Chronicle of Higher Education. Find it Here.
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Kairos
Interested in the relationship between writing and technology? Kairos is an online journal with dozens of articles about writing, rhetoric, and technology. Find it Here.
14. Writing a Teaching Philosophy Statement
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Sample Teaching Philosophy Statements
Struggling to write a teaching philosophy because you're not sure what one looks like? This compilation of several sample statements from the McDougal Graduate Teaching Center at Yale gives you a good feel for the standard elements of a statement. Find it Here.
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Writing a Teaching Philosophy for the Academic Job Search
This helpful article lays out step by step how to write a teaching philosophy statement, answers some frequently asked questions, and includes a rubric for statements. Find it Here.
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Four Steps to a Memorable Teaching Philosophy
Thoughts from a tenured professor who has served on multiple search committees as to what makes a good teaching philosophy statement. Find it Here.
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Iowa State University Teaching Philosophy Statement
This site cuts to the chase, offering in four short sections the raison d'etre for your teaching philosophy statement. Find it Here.