Dear Graduate Teaching Community,
We hope your spring term is going smoothly.
Celebrate with us: We invite you to the Graduate Teaching Initiative End-of-Year Celebration. If you are completing your GTI Certificate or are interested in learning more about the GTI, please register and join us—and bring a friend! The celebration is scheduled for May 27. Come anytime between 11:30-1 p.m. in the Knight Library Room 122. We'll have snacks and coffee. Register on MyTrack.
In this issue of the GE Teaching News, you'll find a graduate teacher spotlight, key resources, a list of events and workshops, and this issue's TEP Tips.
Wishing you and your students success this term,
The TEP Team
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| Graduate Teacher Spotlight
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Cristina Manning
What are you studying? I am in my third year of the Ph.D. program in Romance Languages. My research examines cycles of migration between Italy and Latin America and the literary narratives that emerge from these migratory experiences, including autobiographies, autofiction, historical fiction, and memoirs.
What is one thing that helps you teach effectively? The flipped classroom model is central to my approach to teaching Italian. I introduce new material before class, so students can devote class time to active practice, including writing, conversation, and reading and listening comprehension activities. I also encourage students to limit the use of phones and laptops during class. Because course materials are contained in the workbook, technology is rarely necessary, and minimizing screens helps maintain engagement and create a focused, relaxed learning environment.
What kinds of support have you received around teaching? I have received invaluable support from my mentor, Professor Lauretta de Renzo-Huter, who has developed engaging course materials and modeled a classroom environment that is both relaxed and productive. My supervisor, Paula Ellister, has also guided me since my first year teaching Spanish, offering thoughtful guidance and empowering graduate instructors in their teaching.
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Artificial Intelligence Resource Guide
The widespread use of GenAI tools raises important considerations for higher ed. This guide offers policy FAQs, a course self-screening tool, teaching ideas, and more.
Writing Teaching Philosophy Statements: Self-Paced Module
A teaching philosophy statement (TPS) is a common component of faculty job applications. At UO, GEs might also write a TPS as part of award applications or courses on teaching. This self-paced module will discuss what a TPS is and what goes into one; we’ll also look at research on what makes a good TPS. The module includes prompts to reflect on your teaching values, practices, and background to infuse these key components into your statement.
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Accessibility Ally Training
Wednesday, May 6, from 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on Zoom
Join the Accessible Education Center for the spring term accessibility ally training. Topics will include conceptualizations of disability; disability identities, history, and representation; ableist language and microaggressions; and universal design. The training is hybrid, though in-person registration has reached capacity. Register on MyTrack and submit the accompanying registration form.
Educational Research in Action: Practical Strategies for Literature Reviews and Citation Searching
Friday, May 8, from 10-11 a.m. on Zoom
Building a literature review is one of the core skills in educational research and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning—and it starts with knowing how to search well. This interactive Zoom session, co-led with UO Libraries’ Abby Johnson, covers practical strategies for database searching, citation chasing, and discovering relevant studies—and we'll explore where AI tools like Elicit and Web of Science can fit into that process. You'll practice in real time, so bring a topic, a broad research question, or just a few keywords from something you're curious about.
Developing Your Online Course, Spring 2026 (UO Online)
Thursday, May 14, from 2-3 p.m. in Peterson Hall Room 102
Join us to explore the University of Oregon’s five Canvas Course Site Essentials for Online Classes: student orientation, structure and content, engagement, transparent assessment, and resources. In this workshop, you will learn why each component is essential to the success of an online course, see examples from your colleagues at UO, and brainstorm ideas for your course.
Ten Minutes to Transparent Assignments
Friday, May 15, from 10-10:10 a.m. on Zoom
Looking for ways to make your assignments clear to students? This quick primer on Transparent Assignment Design (TILT) adds a focus on generative AI. Together we’ll explore how to make your assignments clearer and more equitable by explicitly stating the purpose, task, and criteria for success. We’ll also consider how generative AI may intersect with these elements, whether you choose to encourage its use, set boundaries, or simply reflect on its potential impact on student learning with colleagues.
Pause & Connect: Coffee Hour for International GEs
Monday, May 18, from 10-11:30 a.m. in EMU Mills International Center
Mid-spring is a good time to pause, connect, and share how teaching is going. Join us for an informal coffee hour for international GEs, with a light prompt to get conversation started: what's working in your classroom right now, and what are you still figuring out? Come for the coffee, stay for the community.
Preparing to Teach Online, Spring 2026 (UO Online)
Thursday, May 21, from 2-3 p.m. in EMU Lease Crutcher Lewis Room 023
This session is intended for faculty and staff teaching their first online class. Graduate Students Welcome! Join us to explore what it means to teach an online course at the University of Oregon. Students in online classes flourish when instructors engage with them in regular and meaningful ways and encourage a robust peer learning community. Building learning relationships in online and hybrid classes can be challenging, but meaningful interactions help students become critical thinkers in our classes and beyond.
Graduate Teaching Initiative (GTI) End-of-Year Celebration
Wednesday, May 27, from 11:30-1 p.m. in Knight Library Dream Lab Room 122
For Graduate students: You are invited to join the Teaching Engagement Program’s Graduate Teaching Initiative (GTI) end-of-year event for the 2025-2026 academic year. We will celebrate graduate students who have completed their GTI certificates. The GTI is a certificate program designed to support graduate students in developing a practice of teaching excellence. We welcome all UO graduate students with interest, including those who are working on or who have completed their certificates. Join us for snacks and community with graduate students across campus!
Teaching Your First Course as the Instructor of Record
Wednesday, May 27, from 2-4 p.m. in TEP Conference Room, Straub Hall Room 401
This session is for graduate students who will be teaching or co-teaching their first course as instructor of record. Join us to learn to design lessons, assignments, and assessments that align with your course learning objectives, and add to your toolkits of strategies for building class community and facilitating interactive class sessions. We will also discuss syllabus design and the policies you’ll need to develop and follow in your course.
Ten Minutes Designing & Revising Multiple-Choice Assessments
Friday, May 29, from 10-10:10 a.m. on Zoom
If you are developing or revising multiple choice assessments, this ten-minute session is for you. We will revisit best practices in multiple choice design and discuss ways to get more mileage out of your multiple-choice assessments.
GenAI: What Students Are Experiencing
Friday, June 5, from 10 a.m.-noon
This will be a two-hour session bringing together student voices and research to help educators better understand how UO students encounter GenAI and what this means for course and assignment design.
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Science Teaching Journal Club
Thursdays, from 9-9:50 a.m., Weeks 1-10 in LISB 217 and on Zoom
Join the journal club as we read, discuss, and consider how to implement ideas from articles that explore issues relevant to teaching and learning in college science classrooms. We invite participants from all ranks and disciplines to join us for these sessions, which we use to model evidence-based teaching practices. This term we’ll read articles about a variety of STEM teaching topics and welcome Prof. John Halliwill for a Teaching Showcase about his Mission to Mars course.
Neurodivergent Instructor and Staff Affinity Group
Graduate students are welcome! These recurring affinity-group meetings are a space for neurodivergent instructors and staff (and those who hold identities within the umbrella of neurodivergence) to connect in ways that feel positive, and to share community and information around aspects of neurodivergence and other things that matter to you. Find out more about the group and how to join on our webpage or email Laurel Bastian for the Zoom link.
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Making Your Assignments Transparent
Did you know that answers to three simple questions can lead to more understanding, better outcomes, and less time spent answering questions from confused students? These questions help you define the purpose, task, and criteria for success on any assignment.
- Purpose: Why are students learning specific material, and how does it connect to course objectives, future coursework, and career readiness?
- Task: What are students expected to complete, and what is the step-by-step process for doing so?
- Criteria: What criteria will be used to evaluate their work?
If you are interested in learning more about Transparent Assignment Design, including piloting an updated version of our Transparent Assignment Design Template that includes considerations for AI, please register for TEP’s Ten Minutes to Transparent Assignments on May 15 at 10 a.m. on Zoom. See you there!
Got a tip to share? Email tep@uoregon.edu with your questions or suggested topics.
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We welcome your input to keep this newsletter informative and meaningful, so please send your ideas, resources, and suggestions our way. You can reach us at tep@uoregon.edu.
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