The TA Project offers several interdisciplinary courses on teaching which focus on pedagogical methods as well as contemporary issues for faculty in colleges and universities. These courses expand students' skill sets on issues related to college teaching and provide a strong message to potential employers that the student cares about teaching. Any student who is interested in becoming a faculty member should strongly consider these courses.
These courses are:
- Open to doctoral students
- Free to full-time students
- 0-credits
- On your transcript
- Graded satisfactory/unsatisfactory
Introduction to College Teaching
Introduction to College Teaching (16:186:855) will explore a wide range of issues pertaining to higher education and college teaching. This intensive experience will enhance your employment marketability and strengthen your pedagogical skills as well as your knowledge of higher education.
Weekly topics include:
- Testing & grading
- Assessment & outcomes
- Teaching large classes
- Motivating students
- Developing a teaching philosophy
- Multiple roles of faculty
- Civic education
- Overview of U.S. higher education
The seminar will appear on your transcript, but will not incur additional fees and will be graded satisfactory/unsatisfactory.
Open to doctoral students.
Offered every spring, the class meets for twelve weeks of the semester on Wednesdays, 4:30 – 6:15 p.m.
Special permission numbers become available in November. Email the TA Project to request one.
View the 2023 syllabus
Designing Your Own Course
Designing Your Own Course (16:186:856) leads students through the process of designing a course which they might someday teach as well as developing materials for it, including a syllabus, assignments, and lesson plans.
Topics to be covered include:
- Establishing learning goals
- Content delivery
- Assignment design
- Setting course policies
Open to doctoral students with at least two semesters of college teaching experience or who have taken Introduction to College Teaching.
The seminar will appear on your transcript, but will not incur additional fees and will be graded satisfactory/unsatisfactory. Offered every fall, the class meets for twelve weeks of the semester on Wednesdays, 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Special permission numbers become available in April. Email the TA Project to request one.
View the 2022 syllabus
Introduction to Online & Hybrid Teaching
Introduction to Online and Hybrid Teaching (16:186:857) will examine, and prepare doctoral students to teach online and hybrid courses. Students will have the opportunity to learn the theoretical, pedagogical, and practical issues involved. The various technological options available will be discussed. Throughout the course students will have the opportunity to design a new online or hybrid course or redesign an existing course using the principles and techniques we study.
At the end of the course, students will have a class that they will be able to offer at other institutions or, should the opportunity arise, they may be able to offer the course through their own departments or the Rutgers Division of Continuing Studies.
Open to doctoral students with at least two semesters of college teaching experience or who have taken Introduction to College Teaching or Designing Your Own Course.
The seminar will appear on your transcript, but will not incur additional fees and will be graded satisfactory/unsatisfactory.
Offered every spring, the class meets for twelve weeks of the semester. The majority of classes will be conducted asynchronous, online. However, the class will have five synchronous sessions throughout the semester.
Special permission numbers become available in November. Email the TA Project to request one.
View the 2023 syllabus
