Opportunity Knocks
Professional colloquium for graduate students showcases best teaching practices while modeling professional development skills.
The sixth annual Graduate Student Colloquium (GSC) will convene September 12 to showcase best practices and research in teaching. Designed for and presented by graduate students, the day-long event will feature a panel, poster sessions, and workshops.
The event will kick off DIIA’s 2009-2010 Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) Program, an initiative of the Office of the Provost, the Graduate School, and DIIA to enhance GSIs’ experience by providing opportunities for pedagogical, professional, and personal development. UT Austin’s GSI Program is one of the first in the nation to offer a graduate student colloquium based on competitive selection from formal proposals, mirroring professional colloquia.
With the theme Creating Learning Opportunities, the program will focus on teaching strategies to support meaningful learning opportunities for UT Austin’s diverse undergraduate student population. Panel members will share their experiences in meeting teaching challenges across disciplines. Poster sessions will feature presenters’ original research on making instruction accessible to students with varied educational experiences.
Workshops will offer hands-on experiences with three cutting-edge pedagogies. Mind mapping helps students organize information by accessing the non-linear ways in which we all think and learn. Kinesthetic activities help students engage additional learning senses and aptitudes by incorporating a tactile dimension in class work. And clicker technology helps students participate in their learning, even in large lecture sections, by empowering them to contribute and respond during class.
Colloquium presenters receive extensive professional support from DIIA’s GSI instructional development specialists, including formative feedback on proposals, supervised dry runs, and peer-driven question-and-answer sessions. Graduate students can expect that the colloquium will help them build their instructional skills and establish expectations for teaching at the university, while also providing them elective credit toward an ASPECTS certificate.
The primary audience includes graduate students who are anticipating future faculty roles as well as teaching assistants and assistant instructors. The goal of the colloquium is to spark new ideas and critical conversations concerning pedagogy in all academic disciplines, addressing four general topics:
- meaningful learning through discussion
- meaningful learning through writing
- meaningful learning through technology
- meaningful learning through assessment
Consider adding your voice to the conversation about best practices and innovations in teaching to support 21st century learners. Register now for the colloquium and take advantage of an important opportunity to advance your pedagogical, professional, and personal development.