CAT is pleased to provide workshops, reading groups, and other programming and services designed to support graduate students in their teaching. Whether you are an experienced teaching assistant looking for additional professional development opportunities or completely new to teaching, we have a variety of events to connect you with inspiring colleagues and develop your pedagogical skill set.
Required TA Training
If you are looking for the Essential Policies & Practices for TAs, a fully online training required for Categories 1–5 TAs who need to get certified to teach, please see our webpage for upcoming training offerings and more information.
Workshops
CAT teaching workshops are interactive sessions (typically 1.5 to 2 hours) led by a CAT facilitator or other subject matter expert. In addition to providing opportunities to learn about effective approaches to teaching, they are also opportunities to discuss ideas with other graduate students across disciplines. The following are our current workshop offerings:
Exam Design
In this 90 minute workshop, we share exam design resources and guide you through a process of designing exams that measure student learning more accurately. We also introduce how to write or improve exam items, as well as how to check the quality of the exam. Time will be set aside for Q&A towards the end of the workshop.
Facilitators: Darcey Liang, & Zach Lloyd, CAT Teaching Consultants
- Email: teaching-assistants@fsu.edu & dliang@fsu.edu
Date/Time: Friday, September 20, 1:00pm-2:30pm
Location: Strozier Library Bradley Reading Room
Register Here: https://forms.office.com/r/LzLqsnzDaP
Gathering & Responding to Student Feedback
Note – Rescheduled for Hurricane Helene
What do you do with the information students provide in their course evaluations at the end of every semester? How do you sort through their comments to put together an actionable plan to make meaningful changes to your next course? What if you also asked for feedback before the end of the course? In this workshop, we will discuss ways to gather more feedback from your students before the end-of-course evaluations and explore ways to enact positive change in your courses based on the feedback you gather!
Facilitators: Zach Lloyd, Teaching Consultant & Caity Bente, Program Manager: TA Training & Professional Development
- Email: teaching-assistants@fsu.edu & zlloyd@fsu.edu
Date/Time: Thursday, October 10th, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
Location: Dirac Conference Room (216)
Register Here: https://forms.office.com/r/Geq5cpMaFS
Learning Design
This interactive workshop will help participants design effective learning experiences of any length, from courses to modules to class sessions. First, we’ll discuss adopting a learning-centered approach to teaching, in which instructors shift their focus from covering content to facilitating learning. Then, we’ll practice using a backward design process to set learning goals for students, design and align assessments, and make good use of class time by providing students with opportunities for practice and feedback. We hope you can join us for this fundamental workshop that helps lay the foundation for the rest of the TDP. We look forward to working with you!
Facilitators: Jen Bartman, CAT Senior Associate Director & Leslie Richardson, CAT Director
Email: jbartman@fsu.edu & larichardson@fsu.edu
Date/Time (two options):
- Thursday, October 3rd, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. or
- Friday, October 4th, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: TBA
Register Here: https://forms.office.com/r/FbeLdQ2Bt4
Facilitating Discussions
In this interactive workshop, we will consider how to design effective classroom discussions in an in-person and online setting. What are common barriers to effective discussions? What strategies can we use to create a discussion activity that welcomes student participation and aligns with our learning goals? How does the in-person discussion space differ from online asynchronous discussions? We look forward to exploring these and other discussion topics with you!
Facilitators: Hannah Hiester, Teaching Consultant & Caity Bente, Program Manager: TA Training & Professional Development
- Email: teaching-assistants@fsu.edu & hhiester@fsu.edu
Date/Time: Tuesday, November 5th, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Location: Dirac Conference Room (216)
Register Here: https://forms.office.com/r/3xfEf3NKdr
More Fall Workshops on Learning Design and other crucial teaching topics coming soon — bookmark this webpage and check back regularly for updates!
Reading Groups
Reading groups are a great opportunity to connect with colleagues across disciplines and discuss great books about teaching and learning. Groups typically meet three times (approximately 1.5 hours each session) across three consecutive weeks and are led by a facilitator from CAT. Reading groups are a relaxed, discussion-focused environment that encourages participants to share their experiences and questions on the book topics.
See below for upcoming reading group offerings:
How Learning Works: 8 Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching Dates: Thursdays – 9/10, 9/17, 9/24
Time/Location: 12:00 – 1:30 p.m., Strozier Library Bradley Reading Room
Facilitator: Caity Bente, CAT Program Manager: TA Training & Professional Development
- Contact: teaching-assistants@fsu.edu
Book Availability: E-book, available for free through FSU’s librariesDescription: The newly updated edition of this important book translates decades of scientific literature into practical advice, introducing eight general principles of how people learn. The authors draw on cognitive, developmental, and social psychology, as well as educational research, anthropology, etc. The discussion spans issues from memory to motivation, integrating theory with real classroom examples. Participants will develop strategies for strengthening their own teaching through the application of these principles of cognitive psychology.
Small TeachingDates: Wednesdays – 9/18, 9/25, 10/02
Time/Location: 2:00 – 3:30 p.m., Strozier Library Bradley Reading Room
Facilitator: Zach Lloyd, CAT Teaching Consultant
- Contact: teaching-assistants@fsu.edu
Book Availability: Ebook available for free through FSU’s libraries
Description: How do I get my students’ attention? How do I help them to go deeper, to make connections, and to feel empowered by their own learning? James Lang’s book, now in its second edition, explores the science of learning and shares with us small changes we can make that will have a powerful influence on our students’ learning. Join us as we discuss a variety of practical tools and techniques that can help us answer these and other teaching questions.
The Missing Course
Dates: Fridays – 10/02, 10/09, 10/16
Time/Location: 11:00–12:30 p.m. via Zoom
Facilitator: Tolu Jegede, CAT Graduate Assistant
- Contact: tjegede@fsu.edu
Book Availability: E-book, available for free through FSU’s librariesDescription: There has been a revolution in teaching and learning over the past generation, and we now have a whole new understanding of how the brain works and how students learn. In The Missing Course, David Gooblar offers a practical guide to teaching and learning packed with research-based insights to help students learn in any discipline. From active-learning strategies to course design to getting students talking, in this group, participants will find ideas and tips they can use in their classrooms right away.
Register for one or more of these reading groups here.
Please Note — These reading groups are for graduate students only. If you have questions about a particular reading group, please email the facilitator listed for that reading group.