Teaching & Mentoring

Teaching

Engage in courses, workshops or activities focused on college teaching and pedagogy

If you are interested in teaching after you finish graduate school it is advisable that you engage in a course, workshop, or activity focused on teaching and pedagogy. Explore the links in this section for opportunities to learn about teaching and pedagogy within in-person, remote, and online educational environments.

Designing College Courses (COID 511, 1cr, offered spring semesters)

Applied exploration of the process of designing a college-level course, including writing course learning outcomes, assessing student learning, designing learning activities, scaffolding student learning, and planning a class session. 

Exploration of Pedagogy (COID 516, 1cr, offered fall and spring semesters)

Provides graduate students an opportunity to learn more about pedagogy, best teaching practices, how technology is incorporated in the classroom, and other strategies for engaging and working with students with diverse backgrounds through workshops and other programs offered by the Center for Teaching and Learning.  With instructor’s approval, students may pursue other pedagogical areas of interest. May be repeated for credit.

Creating Accessible and Inclusive Online Learning (EDTECH 510, 3cr)

Explores current trends and issues with creating accessible, usable, and inclusive learning and instructional materials.

Online Teaching for Adult Learners (EDTECH 522, 3cr)

Emphasizes andragogy (adult learning theory) and best practice in online teaching, analyzing online teaching tools, planning, facilitating, and assessing collaborative and interactive e-learning experiences, and gaining practical experience teaching online.

Teaching Workshops and Instructional Learning Communities

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) sponsors workshops and instructional learning communities to provide Boise State educators with opportunities to reinforce effective teaching practices, learn from and share with colleagues, and reflect upon how to create learning environments in which all students can succeed. You can also keep an eye out for teaching-focused workshops and instructional learning communities from the Graduate Student Success Center, eCampus, and the College of Education.

Browse and Register for a CTL Workshop

College Teaching Preparation Program

The College Teaching Preparation Program is open to graduate students in all disciplines, regardless of current teaching duties. There are multiple pathways to complete the program, including through the completion of for-credit coursework, through completion of non-credit workshops, or through a combination of both. Through each pathway, students will develop skills in applying backward course design principles, implementing effective learning activities, assessing student learning, developing learning environments that support the success of all students, and reflecting on their own growth and development around teaching and learning. The program will be especially beneficial to graduate teaching assistants and those whose career plans may include teaching. The program recognizes graduate students who engage in professional development around teaching with a certificate of completion. 

College Teaching Preparation Program

Teach as a Graduate Teaching Assistant

Most departments on campus offer their graduate students the opportunity to teach as a graduate student teaching assistant. In this role, you provide support to the course instructor, which may include coordinating and teaching laboratory sections, grading, and holding office or recitation hours.

Teaching Assistant Orientation for In-Person Teaching

The Center for Teaching and Learning hosts an annual teaching assistant orientation in August. TA orientation is intended for graduate students who have any teaching responsibility (whether that’s full course responsibility, teaching a lab, hosting help sessions, or supporting the instructor). Topics include tools and tips for grading, what to do if you don’t know the material well, engaging students in active learning, facilitation and reflective listening, planning a class session around learning outcomes.

Teaching Assistant Orientation

Teaching Assistant Training Opportunities for Online Teaching

Graduate students who are teaching assistants or who have been identified to serve as a teaching assistant can take advantage of eCampus certificates and microcredentials. eCampus offers two multi-level certificate pathways focused on developing online teaching competencies: online teaching certificates and online course design certificates. Facilitated by eCampus online faculty associates and instructional designers, certificates require 30 hours of development time, including required coursework and participation in elective activities. The Basic Online Teaching Certificate is recommended for online teaching assistants. Teaching assistants also have the option to complete selected components of the Basic Online Teaching Certificate such as selected courses (Effective Online Teaching Course or Student Engagement in the Online Classroom course) or selected elective activities.

eCampus Certificates and Microcredentials

Develop a Teaching Portfolio

A teaching portfolio can be a valuable professional development experience. It can document your teaching activities and provide a way to discuss your teaching with colleagues and potential employers. A good teaching portfolio will include a balance of artifacts from you, from others, and from student learning. As you engage in teaching activities, keep records of your experiences. While employment or award opportunities requiring teaching portfolios can vary widely in their specific requests, common components include a teaching philosophy statement (see resources in the Career Development & Management competency area), documentation of your teaching, materials demonstrating student learning, documentation of teaching effectiveness, teaching-related professional development, and contributions to the teaching profession and/or your institution. The Center for Teaching at Vanderbilt University provides a valuable overview of teaching portfolios, including general guidelines, why they are valuable, and how to develop one. You can also learn more about developing a digital teaching portfolio through this Edutopia article, “Do I Need a Digital Teaching Portfolio?”.

Mentoring

Being Mentored

As a graduate student you will form a professional relationship with a mentor, who will act as a teacher, a host and a sponsor to guide you in your academic and professional pursuits. To get the most out of this relationship, it is important to learn the skill of mentoring up. This means to engage proactively with your mentor while practicing respectful fellowship. Be sure to actively seek input on your career goals, and the skills you want to develop. Effective communication is essential for a strong mentor-mentee relationship, and as such it is helpful to have weekly structured meetings with your mentor to discuss your academic progress and progress towards your career goals. It is also helpful to use an individual development plan to structure and promote these important conversations. The Graduate Student Success Center hosts regular workshops on ‘mentoring up’. You can also explore this Graduate Student Mentoring Guide from Rackham Graduate School at the University of Michigan for helpful information about mentoring relationships, developing clear expectations, and what to do if problems arise.

Mentoring

Learning how to be an effective mentor offers an opportunity to develop professional skills such as communication, collaboration, empathy and time management. All of these skills will improve your success as a graduate student and are highly sought-after by a wide variety of employers. You can practice mentorship by engaging undergraduate students in your research projects. Talk to your mentor about opportunities to work with undergraduate research assistants if you are interested in being a mentor. You can develop your mentoring skills by participating in mentoring workshops, and by communicating with your own mentor about best mentoring practices. The Graduate Student Success Center hosts regular workshops on effective and inclusive mentorship for graduate students who engage undergraduates in their research, or wish to mentor others in the future.

Explore Opportunities for Mentoring of Undergraduates

Vertically Integrated Projects, or VIP, is a program based in the Institute for Inclusive and Transformative Scholarship (IFITS) created to increase student access to hands-on learning in diverse teams. Each VIP team offers three levels of courses: 200 (entry level undergraduate), 400 (established undergraduate), and 500 (graduate). Graduate students are able to join a research team and earn 1-2 credits in a semester at the 500 level. This 500-level course provides a built-in structure for the graduate students to earn credit for and to be held accountable to learning objectives related to the goals of the project. This is distinct from the usual “research credits” for a student working in a lab or other research setting — the VIP graduate course includes outcomes related to the success of all members of the team, not just the research deliverables of the project.

Vertically Integrated Projects

Explore Opportunities to Participate in Peer Mentoring

In peer mentoring relationships, support, knowledge and skills are transferred between peers. This enables you to collaborate with others and uplift one another. The skills and knowledge you gain from a peer mentor, or from being a peer mentor will help you succeed in graduate school and beyond. Be sure to check out opportunities to be involved in a peer mentoring program, either in your department or through the Graduate Student Success Center. You can also access this brief handout outlining best practices in peer mentoring from Arizona State University’s Graduate College: The Mentoring Connection: Peer Mentoring.