Graduate students are able to enroll in the courses below with instructor permission. Postdoctoral associates with regular Cornell employee status are eligible to register for part-time study through the School of Continuing Education as one of their employee benefits, with instructor permission.
Note: Postdoctoral fellows (a smaller category of appointees funded from grants) incur tuition when registering through the part-time study program.
Recommended Courses
This seven-week course uses theater techniques to help graduate students enhance their classroom teaching and public speaking in both formal and informal environments. Using the storytelling and character-development techniques of theatrical improvisation, participants will build decision-making skills and their ability to think creatively under pressure through engaging exercises. The goals for this course are to enhance teaching presence in the classroom, form a learning community, and build the confidence necessary to connect with a variety of audiences in a range of educational settings. Participants will design and present a short talk as a final presentation. Contact Dr. Colleen McLinn (cmm252) at Future Faculty and Academic Careers for more information and a permission number. Normally offered in fall, not scheduled for Fall 2024.
For the foreseeable future, higher education faces grand challenges that will call upon those in faculty positions to demonstrate a commitment to innovation, diversity, evidence-based teaching, assessment of student learning, and educational technology. This course addresses selected aspects of these challenges to better prepare current and future instructors (i.e., graduate students, teaching assistants, and post-doctoral fellows) in higher education. Course activities and assignments will allow for the exploration of learning theory, as well as the practical application of instructional design, technology, and assessment frameworks. Contact the Center for Teaching Innovation for more information. Offered in Spring 2024 (first seven weeks).
The assessment of student learning is a critical skill set for faculty at U.S. colleges and universities. Too often, faculty members have little to no exposure to this important topic until they begin their academic teaching careers. This course–a complement to ALS 6015: The Practice of Teaching in Higher Education–addresses topics including: principles and frameworks of assessment, course-based assessment methods and technologies, curricular integration of assessment, and social and political issues in assessment. Prerequisite: ALS 6015. Contact the Center for Teaching Innovation for more information. Last offered in Spring 2023 (second seven weeks).
This is a 3-credit course intended for graduate students who are interested in teaching engineering or related fields as part of their future careers. It includes discussion and practice of effective teaching techniques, assessments, and technologies, an overview of current engineering education research, equity and inclusion in the undergraduate engineering classroom, and action research methods using qualitative/quantitative/mixed methodologies to develop teacher scholars. Contact Dr. Allison Godwin (afg64) for more information. Offered for the first time in Spring 2024.
This course is designed to assist multilingual domestic and international graduate students as they prepare to apply for academic positions. Students will learn strategies for planning an academic job search, developing application materials (i.e. CVs, application letters, statements on teaching, research and diversity), and preparing for first- and second-stage interviews. This course would be useful to students who are just starting to become acquainted with the academic job search process as well as those preparing to apply for positions the following fall. Contact Michelle Crow, English Language Support Office. Offered in Spring (second seven weeks).
Practical tips to focus a job search, develop strategies to identify a meaningful career and empower you to make an impact. Through discussions, immersive activities and professional networking, participants will hone communication of their strengths and fit to employers’ needs to set themselves apart as top candidates. Enrollment preference given to: second- and third-year doctoral students. Contact: Susi Varvayanis, Careers Beyond Academia. Offered in Fall, Spring (first seven weeks).
A non-credit online course from Cornell University’s Center for Teaching Innovation offered as a self-paced on demand EdX MOOC and annually in late spring for Cornell instructors through Canvas, including opportunities for graduate student/postdoc learning communities on inclusive teaching. Offered in June annually or on-demand as a self-paced MOOC.
Additional Cornell Courses
Courses for Learning and Teaching the English Language
The Center for Teaching Innovation offers this course designed for international teaching assistants, focusing on oral communication, cross-cultural classroom dynamics, and teaching techniques. Through small group seminars, conferences with instructors, audio journals, and a teaching practicum, students work to expand their communication and pedagogical skills.
English Language Support Office courses offered through the Knight Institute for Writing in the Disciplines are designed to help multilingual students put their English language knowledge to work for the purposes of graduate school and professional life. These courses provide space for international multilingual graduate students to learn a range of strategies, practice writing and speaking skills in a low-stakes setting, and form community with peers from across fields and professions in a supportive atmosphere.
In concert with the Community Learning and Service Partnership, students can apply their study of adult learning in the course while mentoring a Cornell employee as a Learning Partner. This course is open to both graduate students and undergraduate students of every class year. Offered in Spring 2022. Contact Dr. Sasha Endo (ske5) for more details.
Other Courses on Teaching and Communication
This course is designed for the graduate student instructors who are interested in teaching in the biological sciences. This course provides transferable pedagogical skills, focusing on discipline-based education research, active learning, undergraduate TA mentoring, metacognition and best teaching practices in biology courses. The course is taught by the Investigative Biology Teaching Laboratories director Dr. Mark Sarvary (mas245) and educational postdoctoral fellows. Offered in Fall.
This weekend workshop trains researchers in the sciences (including natural sciences, engineering, experimental social sciences, etc.) to communicate effectively with nonscientists such as policy makers, political stakeholders, the media, and the general public. Training activities may include role-play, reading/discussion, writing press releases and other outreach materials, and discussion with invited speakers. Contact Dr. Bruce Lewenstein (bvl1) or the Careers Beyond Academia office for more information. Offered in Fall and Spring.
Please see the Education Program website for the latest list of graduate courses that may be taken toward a minor in education or for professional development in specific teaching methods.
Independent study promoting reflection on teaching styles and experiences for graduate student teaching assistants in the College of Engineering. Participants may be concurrently fulfilling a TA assignment or must have done so in the past. Requirements include participation and completion of the College of Engineering’s TA Development Program. This course is designed to provide Cornell Engineering TAs with the opportunity to process their understanding of teaching and learning through the formulation of questions, concepts, and theories related to their experiences. Contact Dr. Celia Evans (cae223) for more information. 1 credit, S/U. Offered in Fall and Spring.
As a companion to the Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UTA) program, the physics department requires this course for all new UTAs, but is also open to any graduate student with an interest in learning more about the practices of teaching physics. Offered in Fall and Spring.
The Knight Institute for Writing in the Disciplines offers this seven-week course for new instructors of Cornell First-Year Writing Seminars. Seminar discussions and readings provide an overview of the teaching of writing within a disciplinary context. Participants develop written assignments designed to be used in their own First-Year Writing Seminars. Offered in Summer and Fall.
Inactive and Special Topics Courses
This course investigates literature on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) and facilitates engagement in teaching as a process of systematic research and iteration within one’s own disciplines. Within this academic conversation about the scholarship of teaching and learning and teaching as research, students design and complete their own original research project to inform teaching in their discipline. Pre-requisite: ALS 6015: The Practice of Teaching in Higher Education or equivalent prior coursework with instructor permission. Last offered in Spring 2018.
Are you a graduate student who may teach your own undergraduate science course one day? In BioEE7600-106 you will explore pedagogy and your personal teaching philosophy/style such that you are better prepared to teach and advance your academic career moving forward. Two credits, S/U grading. Contact Dr. Justin St. Juliana (jrs626) for more information. Offered in Spring 2023.
Participants in this course will learn about planning a lesson, writing learning goals and assessments, promoting an inclusive classroom climate, and using active learning instructional techniques. Participants will also do teaching demonstrations and collaborate on design of an activity for a Cornell course. Contact Dr. Michelle Smith (mks274) for more information.
This course is an in-person, doctoral level workshop on teaching and learning. In this course, students will engage with a wide-ranging learning and teaching theories and methods. Moving beyond traditional, lecture-style teaching methods, students will experiment with state-of-the-art pedagogical approaches and learn to teach their own areas of research and topics in IS. Topics include: Pros and cons of selected instructional methods; Designing and facilitating participation-based class in large STEM classes; Setting up highly engaging activities in class, using active learning theory and practice; Class assessment and evaluation; Online and hybrid methods and the use of digital tools; Lesson planning, learning objectives, and syllabus design; Equity and inclusion in the classroom; Writing a teaching statement. This course will particularly be beneficial for those who would like to gain teaching experience and repertoire in higher education, as well as those who want to learn how to effectively communicate and persuade their own research to others. Students will have opportunities to practice their teaching skills and engage in self and peer review processes. Instructed by Dr. SeoYoon Sung (ss3245) and Dr. Lilach Alon (la367). Offered in Spring 2022.
Communicate your research more clearly to scientific audiences and improve your research presentation skills, in this course for graduate students and postdocs. Contact Dr. Itai Cohen (ic64) or the Careers Beyond Academia office for more information. Most recently being offered as a non-credit two-day workshop.
The aim of this course is to introduce students to the topics, literature, and methods of discipline-based education research (DBER). This new course was offered for the first time in Fall 2017, and is expected to be offered periodically going forward. Contact Dr. Natasha Holmes (ngh35) for more information.
