Participate in Seminars and Workshops
Every semester, Eberly Center offers a series of seminars covering various teaching topics. Each seminar is highly interactive, presents relevant research, and gives participants the opportunity to apply the topic to their own teaching context. You do not have to be actively teaching to attend our seminars!
Seminars are designed specifically for PhD, Master, and Postdoc audiences, but are also open to staff and undergraduate TAs. If you are faculty, please register for programs here.
Programs Open for Registration: Synchronous
Teaching Demos Workshops (Spring 2026)
Friday, March 13, 2026 1:00pm – Friday, March 27, 2026 3:30pm
Teaching Demos Workshop are open to graduate students and postdocs, and count as one observation for the Teaching Feedback Consultation requirement for the Future Faculty Program. Because there are multiple workshops, please sign up for a Teaching Demos Workshop here.
Upcoming workshop dates:
- Friday, March 13, 1:00-3:30 pm ET, in person
- Friday, March 27, 12:00-2:30 pm ET, remote
Do you want to improve and receive feedback on your teaching but do not have an active teaching appointment? In this interactive workshop, you will deliver a prepared 20-25 minute synchronous lesson and receive feedback on your teaching from the other participants and the workshop leaders. You will also observe and provide feedback on other participants’ lessons. All participants receive a written observation memo after the workshop documenting their teaching strengths and strategies.
Please note: Participants are required to sign up for a brief (15-30 min) consultation with the workshop facilitator prior to the workshop. Once your registration is confirmed, the facilitator will reach out to schedule this meeting. If workshops are full, you can still sign up to observe the workshop (this is optional) and be notified of future workshop dates.
Tags: s26
Sign in to RegisterCourse and Syllabus Design
Wednesday, March 18, 2026 12:00pm – 1:30pm
REMOTE: Zoom link will be included in confirmation email
Many decisions affecting the success of a course take place before the first day of class. In this seminar we will identify the principles of effective course design and consider ways to use the syllabus to guide student learning. You will have the opportunity to generate learning objectives and discuss the different components of a course syllabus. We will explore how syllabus design can influence students' perception of the course and the instructor, as well as recognize the benefits and challenges associated with course policies (like mobile devices and participation/attendance).
Tags: s26
Sign in to RegisterTeaching Inclusively: Facilitating Difficult Dialogues
Tuesday, March 31, 2026 2:00pm – 3:30pm
Tepper Quad 1308
Race, politics, religion, gender equity, and many other controversial topics are all sources of tension in American culture, and these issues can arise in class conversations—even if the course is not explicitly focused on these topics. When students engage in passionate disagreement or even resort to personal attacks, it is our responsibility as instructors to proactively address this conflict, both in the moment and afterwards. In this seminar, we will consider ways to make these “difficult dialogues” productive for both students and instructors. Participants will consider the pedagogical rationale for creating an inclusive environment in the classroom, discuss the reasons students may or may not participate in difficult dialogues, and generate strategies for managing “hot moments” in the classroom. These dialogues can have a considerable impact on individual student learning and, consequently, have a positive impact on classroom and campus climate.
Tags: s26, dei
Sign in to RegisterPrograms Open for Registration: Asynchronous
GUSIO: Grading and Delivering Feedback on Quantitative Assignments (Code, Problem sets, etc.) (Async Seminar)
Available until Monday, August 31, 2026 11:59
This seminar is asynchronous. You will receive instructions for enrolling in the GUSIO Canvas in the confirmation email.
This session will focus on evidence-based strategies for grading and providing feedback on quantitative work, such as problem sets and code. You will consider the relationship between grading and feedback, the characteristics of effective feedback, and research on the impacts of different types of feedback on student learning. Through hands-on exercises, you will also practice grading and providing feedback using rubrics, as well as analyzing examples of feedback on student work.
Please note: This seminar is the SAME as "Grading and Delivering Feedback on Writing Assignments," but the examples and practice differs. Please only complete one of the two seminars, based on your disciplinary background or TA appointment. If you complete both, it will only count as ONE FFP seminar.
Tags: gusio, core
Sign in to RegisterGUSIO: Grading and Delivering Feedback on Writing Assignments (Papers, Lab Reports, etc.) (Async Seminar)
Available until Monday, August 31, 2026 11:59
This seminar is asynchronous. You will receive instructions for enrolling in the GUSIO Canvas in the confirmation email.
This session will focus on evidence-based strategies for grading and providing feedback on QUALITATIVE work, such as writing assignments or short-answer exam questions. You will consider the relationship between grading and feedback, the characteristics of effective feedback, and research on the impacts of different types of feedback on student learning. Through hands-on exercises, you will also practice grading and providing feedback using rubrics, as well as analyzing examples of feedback on student work.
Please note: This seminar is the SAME as "Grading and Delivering Feedback on Quantitative Assignments," but the examples and practice differs. Please only complete ONE of the two seminars, based on your disciplinary background or TA appointment. If you complete both, it will only count as ONE FFP seminar
Tags: gusio, core
Sign in to RegisterGUSIO: Working Well One on One with Students (Async Seminar)
Available until Monday, August 31, 2026 11:59
This seminar is asynchronous. You will receive instructions for enrolling in the GUSIO Canvas in the confirmation email.
This session will focus on strategies for working effectively with students one-on-one in a variety of teaching contexts. What strategies can you employ to best support and advance student learning when interacting with students individually during studio, lab, recitation, and/or office hours sessions? How can you handle the difficult interactions that may arise during office hours or other one-on-one interactions? You will consider and practice using effective approaches and campus resources to support you and your students.
Tags: gusio, core
Sign in to RegisterGUSIO: Creating a Welcoming and Supportive Climate from Day One (Async Seminar)
Available until Monday, August 31, 2026 11:59
This seminar is asynchronous. You will receive instructions for enrolling in the GUSIO Canvas in the confirmation email.
Whether you have taught before or this is your first time teaching, this session will help you create an inclusive classroom climate from the start of your course. You will explore strategies for: (1) getting to know your students; (2) calibrating your instruction to CMU students; (3) creating a classroom climate that welcomes and supports learning for all students; (4) setting appropriate expectations; and (5) motivating and engaging students with course content from day one.
Tags: gusio, core, dei
Sign in to RegisterGUSIO: Conducting Productive and Engaging Discussions (Async Seminar)
Available until Monday, August 31, 2026 11:59
This seminar is asynchronous. You will receive instructions for enrolling in the GUSIO Canvas in the confirmation email.
How can you design effective discussion activities for your students? What facilitation strategies maximize student participation, engagement, and learning outcomes? You will learn about the factors that influence student learning and engagement during discussions and acquire a toolkit of active learning methods for structuring productive discussions. Through hands-on activities, you will practice strategies for both designing and facilitating effective discussion activities, such as designing discussion questions, selecting discussion activities aligned with learning objectives, and identifying facilitation strategies to address common concerns about student participation and teaching inclusively.
Tags: gusio, core
Sign in to RegisterGUSIO: Teaching Problem Solving in Recitation (Async Seminar)
Available until Monday, August 31, 2026 11:59
This seminar is asynchronous. You will receive instructions for enrolling in the GUSIO Canvas in the confirmation email.
Leading a recitation section can be very different than teaching a large course or lecture. Recitations provide students the opportunity to practice solving problems and discuss questions about course material outside of lecture, often in a smaller group setting. This provides both benefits and challenges to TAs or instructors leading recitations. In this session, we will discuss learning goals for recitations and how to design sessions that help students achieve those goals, explore strategies for promoting student engagement and activity during problem-based recitation sessions, and look at research on how to best coach students through example problems.