The McGraw Center offers extensive programs and services for graduate students and postdoctoral associates related to their development as scholars and teachers. Our programs are based on current research on effective teaching and student learning and are led by our trained graduate student fellows or by our professional staff.
Programs and services currently offered for graduate students and postdocs include:
- Pedagogy & Professional Development Workshops. Our workshops invite brainstorming, discussion, and problem-solving around all aspects of teaching, learning, and academic career planning. The slate changes every semester; topics range from grading, leading discussions, and inclusive teaching, to teaching critical thinking in disciplinary courses and writing statements of teaching philosophy.
- Our Teaching Seminar, now officially listed with the Registrar as CTL 501, offers graduate students a transcripted seminar in which to design courses informed by current scholarship and cutting-edge research while reflecting on and developing their work as teachers.
- Instructional Consultations & Class Visits. These one-on-one meetings with our staff can take many forms. We are happy to offer guidance about developing course syllabi and teaching statements as part of academic job searches. We also advise on the challenges of balancing teaching and scholarship. AIs interested in trying new teaching modes or tools can come to us, and we are also happy to go to you: we frequently visit classes to provide feedback and help graduate students to develop as teachers.
- The Teaching Transcript Program provides a credential that reflects one's commitment to teaching for the academic job market. The flexible curriculum includes pedagogy workshops, a class visit, and culminates in writing a syllabus and a statement of teaching philosophy.
- AI Orientation. For new AIs, we run the University-wide orientation to teaching at Princeton. The day and a half of workshops are led by graduate fellows who provide tips and organize discussions on issues such as the first day of class, leading precepts and problem sets, and grading student work.
- The Big Class Project brings together a collection of resources for novice teachers of large classes to help with class organization, lecture design, and the use of technology to enhance student interaction with their peers and instructors.