Dear graduate employees,
The Graduate Employee Success newsletter brings you updates on teaching-related services, resources, and upcoming events to support your success in the classroom.
Sincerely,
The Teaching Engagement Program and UO Online
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Cultivating Community
This issue, we congratulate Sara Cotton, a GE in the Department of Anthropology, who won our $10 coffee card drawing for contributing a community building tip. Her idea: have students play a themed board game aligned with course curriculum.
Students were “talking to each other and laughing...and the discussion that followed was so much better because they now had this bonding experience with some of their fellow classmates,” Sara writes.
What strategies have you used or heard about to cultivate community in class? Send your ideas to tep@uoregon.edu from your UO email address with the subject line “Community.” Submissions received by April 30, 2025, will be entered into the coffee card prize drawing.
For more ideas, see TEP’s Building Community resource, which includes tips on how to develop interpersonal connections among students and with the instructor. It features brief how-tos on getting to know your students, developing a Canvas welcome module, and leading effective classroom discussions.
Got a tip to share? Email tep@uoregon.edu with your questions or suggested topics.
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Graduate Employee Teaching Support
GEs are essential to UO’s teaching culture. Find workshops, teaching development programs, tailored support, and awards all in one place on TEP’s GE Teaching Support page.
Student Engagement Techniques
Check out our new page with a range of activities to boost student engagement, provide feedback, and prepare for assessments—with ideas for both in-person and online courses.
Spring 2025 Course Resources
Find tools to update your syllabus, prep your Canvas site, check new policies, and keep abreast of key spring term dates.
Student-Facing UO Policies Webpage
UO instructional policies are now featured on a student-facing webpage, linked from every Canvas course. Instructors can point students to this page instead of copying policies into their syllabi. We encourage graduate instructors to show the page to their students at the beginning of each course and highlight key policies and resources.
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Grading 601 - Tips for Grading Efficiently
Wednesday, April 16, 10-11 a.m. on Zoom
In this workshop you will examine methods to efficiently grade student assignments, while remaining fair, accurate, and helpful. Open to GEs, faculty, staff, and others.
Accessibility Ally Training
Friday, May 2, 9-11 a.m. (virtual)
Wednesday, May 7, 9 a.m.-noon in EMU Crater Lake Rooms 145-146
AEC’s two-session training topics include conceptualizations of disability, disability identities, disability history, disability representation, ableist language, microaggressions against people with disabilities, and universal design. Find out more and register for the Ally training on MyTrack.
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The Graduate Teaching Excellence Award submission deadline is April 11. This award recognizes outstanding teaching by experienced graduate employees (GEs) who have demonstrated a commitment to developing their instructional skills. Applicants must be nominated by their home department, which may have earlier internal pre-application deadlines. Check with your department about their process for approving a nominee.
Encourage your students to apply for the Libraries’ $2,000 Award for Undergraduate Research Excellence by June 15, which recognizes students who demonstrated excellent library research skills and high-quality academic work. Past award winners have shared that faculty encouragement impacted their decision to apply!
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| Teaching & Learning Communities
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Science Teaching Journal Club
Thursdays from 9-10 a.m. in LISB 217 or on Zoom
Join the journal club this spring as we focus on two topics. First: AI. How do people use AI now and how might it be changing the way we think? And how can AI make STEM teaching and learning more effective? Second: Exams. How can you analyze results to see if your exam accurately measured what you intended? And how do exam retake policies affect students?
Neurodivergent Instructors and Staff Affinity Group
First Monday of the month from 10-11 a.m. on Zoom
This recurring group discussion is a space for neurodivergent instructors and staff (and those who hold identities within the umbrella of neurodivergence, like autism, ADHD, dyslexia, bipolar, etc.) to connect in ways that feel positive, and to share community, resources, strategies, questions, and scholarship around both neurodivergence and other things that matter to you.
Educational Research in Action: Best Practices in Designing Surveys
Friday, April 18, 10-11:30 a.m. in EMU Cedar Room 231
The Educational Research in Action Group is a monthly gathering of educators and scholars committed to exploring and conducting educational research. Our goal is to enhance research skills, build a supportive community, and collaborate on projects that support the UO community. Join us to strengthen your research skills and be part of a growing community dedicated to improving teaching and learning through research!
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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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