The Center for Teaching and Learning offers a selection of courses to support graduate students’ work in the classroom and along their career path, including courses in pedagogy for teaching assistants and future faculty and communication courses for international students. Although the courses are open to students from any discipline, most CETL courses use permits to ensure the course is an appropriate fit for the graduate student prior to registration.
To see current course schedules, visit Georgia Tech's schedule of classes. Also, read about CTL course policies and permit requests.
CTL partners with interested schools to offer courses to support the development of teaching assistants. These courses are jointly designed by the schools and CTL and are taught by faculty or advanced graduate students in the academic unit.
CETL 8000 Graduate Teaching Assistant Preparation Sections: AP, BIO, CHM, EAS, ECE, MAT, COC, and PHYS This course is an introduction to the procedural information and practical skills needed to be an effective graduate teaching assistant. Offered fall and spring as needed by departments. This course is restricted to graduate TAs hired by the department offering the course. A corresponding course (CETL 2000) is offered for undergraduate TAs.
CETL 8801/8802 Communication Skills for International Teaching Assistants This course helps international students who will be TAs develop the skills and strategies to carry out teaching responsibilities for their departments and communicate more effectively with undergraduate students in their classes. The course focuses on language use for instructional purposes and provides an orientation to American classroom culture and basic pedagogy. Language goals for the participants include clearer pronunciation, appropriateness in presentation of information, interaction and rapport with students, and improved listening comprehension. See the Sample syllabus.
The Tech to Teaching certificate prepares graduate students and postdocs to teach in higher education. These courses are one way participants can satisfy the program’s learning outcomes.
Preference for these courses is given to members of Tech to Teaching. Additional students may enroll as space is available. Participants interested in joining Tech to Teaching should begin by completing the interest form.
CETL 8713 Fundamentals of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education In this highly interactive and practical course, graduate students explore and apply principles of learner-centered teaching that are based on the research about how people learn. Through readings, lectures, activities, practice, and peer review, students will explore the principles of good teaching. This is usually the first course in the Tech to Teaching foundations level and can be taken for a letter grade or pass/fail. Registration requires a permit request. See the sample syllabus.
CETL 8717 Course Design for Higher Education In a well-designed course, instructors start with the end in mind as they make decisions about what and how to teach to support student learning. In this course, students learn the skills of backward design as they build their own course. Students’ portfolios will include a syllabus, assessment plan, sample lessons and assignments, and additional exposure to learner-centered teaching techniques that demonstrate their ability to design future curriculum. This is usually the second course in the Tech to Teaching foundations level and can be taken for a letter grade or pass/fail. Registration requires a permit request. See the sample syllabus.
Fundamentals in Teaching and Learning for Postdocs Each spring the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) offers two six-week series exclusively for Georgia Tech postdoctoral scholars, focused on preparing you to teach in higher education. These non-credit courses give you the opportunity to discuss and explore principles of effective teaching that are grounded in research about how people learn and who our students are. You will have the opportunity to explore how learning works, develop course materials in line with principles of good teaching practices, and engage with research on teaching and learning in a way that will inform your future work as an educator. By the end of the series you should be able to synthesize your experiences and views into a statement of teaching philosophy, that can be used for future professional activities (e.g., on the academic job market), and engage in teaching from an informed and educated perspective.The series is not for credit and open to postdoctoral scholars only. Completing both series and submitting the associated learning outcome assignments will satisfy all 10 of the foundation level learning outcomes in Tech to Teaching. Offered in spring semester only, register for this course through the CTL website.
The Tech to Teaching Capstone is a mentored teaching experience for participants who have completed the foundation level learning outcomes. Working with a faculty mentor, participants will gain insight into the realities of teaching a college course by serving as a co-instructor or instructor-of-record. In addition to teaching, participants will engage with peers in a weekly seminar to gather feedback, reflect on their teaching, learn about academic life at different types of institutions, and finalize their teaching philosophy statement.
The capstone is open only to Tech to Teaching members who have completed the foundation level learning outcomes. Participants should make arrangements with their school to teach or co-teach a course and then complete the Tech to Teaching capstone application form. Students may elect to take the capstone seminar for credit or not-for-credit.
CETL 8719 Teaching Immersion in Higher Education Participants should register for CETL 8719 if they will serve as a co-instructor or an instructor-of-record. Prerequisite: completion of the foundation level of Teach to Teaching or approval by the Center for Teaching and Learning. Registration requires the capstone application. See the sample syllabus.
CETL 8802 Special Topics: Teaching-as-Research at Georgia Tech (TARGT) TAR is "the deliberate, systematic, and reflective use of research methods by instructors to develop and implement teaching practices that advance the learning experiences and outcomes of both students and teachers." TAR projects encourage educators to identify opportunities to improve teaching and learning through intentional problem identification, intervention, and assessment. In this course, graduate students and postdoctoral scholars get a manageable introduction to education research and design their own investigation into student learning for a class they are teaching or planning to teach. Registration requires the TAR application. Participants can earn academic credit by completing a permit request, or participants may enroll not-for-credit. See the sample syllabus.
In partnership with the Language Institute, these CETL courses are available to international graduate students seeking support for oral and written communication in English. No permits are required to register for these courses.
CETL 8723 Academic Writing for International Graduate Students This course helps international graduate students enhance their academic writing skills in English through analysis and production of academic writing samples.
CETL 8797 Oral Communication for International Graduate Students In this class, students will work on fluency, accuracy, and appropriateness in spoken communication to prepare them to participate more effectively and confidently in their academic communities.
CETL 8796 Presentation Skills for International Graduate Students This is an advanced oral skills class designed to help graduate students improve their verbal ability in English for effective communication in academic/professional situations.
For additional language and culture resources, see the Language Institute.