Pedagogical Resources
Graduate Student Pedagogy Certification
This is an online ten-week graduate student professional development training course that prepares Teaching Assistants, Graduate Assistants, and PhD Candidates for teaching at TCU and beyond. In this course, we’ll examine and create student learning outcomes, create course and teaching portfolio materials for future use, and examine teaching as a reflective practice for research and publication in your academic field. Additionally, we’ll discuss the challenge of work/life balance while in graduate school and building successful relationships with graduate mentors. The course curriculum is designed for educators from a range of experience levels (from brand new to “seasoned”) and takes an interdisciplinary approach to successful, engaged teaching at TCU.
Koehler Center Classroom Observation
A classroom observation conducted by the Koehler Center can help you see your class from a new perspective and give you ideas about how to enhance learning for your students. A Koehler Center classroom observation focuses specifically on pedagogical practices in terms of their impact on learning, and seeks to find evidence of a wide variety of best-practices.
Mid-Semester Analysis Poll (MAP)
Just as a geographical map provides guidance and direction to help you orient yourself in space and make informed navigational decisions, a pedagogical MAP provides formative feedback and data to help you gauge your students’ learning and make informed instructional decisions.
A MAP consists of five parts: 1) Instructor pre-meeting, 2) In-class polling session 3) Instructor post-meeting, 5) Instructor-class debrief, and 5) Instructor self-reflection and (optional) course survey.
Center for Writing
The staff in the TCU Center for Writing accepts appointments for one-on-one writing tutorials and Online Writing Lab tutorials for students, enhancing student writing across all disciplines and colleges at TCU. In addition, the Center for Writing helps students apply discipline-specific documentation styles to their research papers. They can help your students identify any patterns of grammatical or punctuation errors and help them correct those patterns. The Center for Writing addresses any specific concerns if students have them, and they can usually offer helpful advice on organization, style, and clarity.
Library Instruction for your Students
Librarians provide in-depth research training specifically related to your course topic to your students.
Center for Digital Expression
Staff members in TCU’s Center for Digital Expression (CDEX) can help Graduate Instructors develop and refine a multimodal assignment and/or syllabus for their students. Staff members also host open hours in the CDEX lab for students that want assistance completing a multimodal assignment. In addition, Graduate Instructors who need access to a computer classroom to facilitate hands-on work with computers may reserve the Center for Digital Expression for up to four weeks of class sessions a semester, with the exception of the last two weeks of the semester when demand for open lab time is heaviest.
Don’t Cancel that Class
Called away on business? Attending a conference? Family obligations? There’s no need to cancel your class! Whether you will be away for the day or want a complimentary presentation for your course curriculum, the Don’t Cancel That Class program can help. Provided by the Division of Student Affairs, these hour-long presentations cover a variety of topics and are designed to increase students’ developmental knowledge and skills.
Title IX Resources
Texas Christian University (TCU) is committed to providing a positive learning, living and working environment free from discrimination and harassment. In support of this commitment, TCU prohibits a range of behaviors, including unlawful discrimination and harassment based on age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ethnic origin, disability, predisposing genetic information, covered veteran status, and any other basis protected by law, except as permitted by law. TCU also prohibits unlawful sexual and gender-based harassment and violence, sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and stalking.
Koehler Center Library
The Koehler Center Library houses a collection of current books and journals on subjects such as active learning, online learning, course development, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. Materials may be checked out by TCU faculty and students between 8:00 am-5:00 pm, Monday–Friday.
Click here to view a schedule of pedagogical workshops and events hosted by the Koehler Center for Instruction, Innovation, and Engagement.