Graduate Teaching Resources
Teaching guides and other advice compiled with graduate students in mind
Extra support for graduate teachers
Below, we've collected range of external teaching resources specifically to support graduate TAs and instructors. Whether you're looking for general advice, suggested language for a syllabus, information on inclusive teaching, grading help, or job market prep, you'll find what you need below.
If you'd like to talk more about your teaching or any of these resources, you can set up a consultation with us at any time.
General Resources
- Teaching Matters: A Guide for Graduate Students, by Aeron Haynie and Stephanie Spong
- Exploring How We Teach: Lived Experiences, Lessons, and Research About Graduate Instructors by Graduate Instructors, ed. Sam Clem
- Teaching What You Don’t Know, by Therese Huston
- The Missing Course: Everything They Never Taught You about College Teaching, by David Gooblar
- Tea for Teaching, with John Kane and Rebecca Mushtare
- Teaching in Higher Ed, with Bonni Stachowiak
Course Design and Classroom Teaching
- CETL Syllabus Template
- How to Create a Syllabus, by Kevin Gannon
- Accessible Syllabus
- How to Make Your Teaching More Inclusive, by Viji Sathy and Kelly A. Hogan
- The Norton Guide to Equity-Minded Teaching, by Isis Artze-Vega, Flower Darby, Bryan Dewsbury, and Mays Imad
- Inclusive Teaching: Strategies for Promoting Equity in the College Classroom, by Viji Sathy and Kelly A. Hogan
- What Inclusive Instructors Do: Principles and Practices for Excellence in College Teaching, by Tracie Addy et al.
- How to Teach a Good First Day of Class, by James M. Lang
- How to Make Your Teaching More Engaging, by Sarah Rose Cavanagh
- Motivating Students, Vanderbilt Center for Teaching
- How to Prepare for Class without Overpreparing, by James M. Lang
- How to Hold a Better Class Discussion, by Jay Howard
- Discussion as a Way of Teaching: Tools and Techniques for Democratic Classrooms, by Stephen Brookfield and Stephen Preskill
- How to Be a Better Online Teacher, by Flower Darby
- Small Teaching Online, by Flower Darby
- Blended and Online Learning, Vanderbilt Center for Teaching
Need help with a syllabus?
The CETL Syllabus Template includes suggested language for a range of course policies as well as information on relevant university requirements.
Grading & Assessment
- Assessing Student Learning, Vanderbilt Center for Teaching
- Grading Student Work, Vanderbilt Center for Teaching
- Grading for Equity, by Joel Feldman
- Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (And What to Do Instead), ed. Susan Blum
- Ungrading Light: 4 Simple Ways to Ease the Spotlight Off Points, by Michelle D. Miller
- Grading for Growth blog and book, by Robert Talbert and David Clark
- Alternative Strategies for Assessment and Grading, Duke University Learning Innovation
Academic Careers
- How to Get an Academic Job, by Jennifer S. Furlong and Stacy M. Hartman
- How to Prepare for a Teaching Career, by James M. Lang
- The Professor Is In, by Karen Kelsky
- The Job Search: CVs, Cover Letters, and Other Application Documents, by Jennifer S. Furlong and Stacy M. Hartman
- How to Write a Persuasive Cover Letter, by Jennifer S. Furlong and Stacy M. Hartman
- Guide to Teaching Statements, Vanderbilt Center for Teaching
- Developing and Writing a Diversity Statement, Vanderbilt Center for Teaching
- The Job Search: The Interview Stage, by Jennifer S. Furlong and Stacy M. Hartman
- How to Succeed at a Teaching Demo, by Kevin Gannon
Graduate Student Teaching Support
If you'd like additional support for your teaching as a graduate student, reach out to Emily at any time.
Emily Donahoe
Associate Director of Instructional Support in the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and Lecturer of Writing and Rhetoric