Teaching and Mentoring

The Graduate Center collaborates with partners across campus to help graduate students become more effective teachers and mentors in the classroom, the laboratory, and beyond. 

Resources and Support

Get the most out of your teaching, advisng, and mentoring experiences!

Workshops and Trainings

Teaching Workshops
The Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Innovation and the Graduate Student Center co-sponsor a series of workshops for graduate students, especially TAs, who are interested in learning and improving their teaching skills. Check the CETLI calendar for upcoming workshops and opportunities. 

I CARE Training
Wellness at Penn offers I CARE, an interactive gatekeeper training for students, faculty, and staff that builds a caring community with the skills and resources to intervene with student stress, distress, and crisis. To learn more about I CARE or to request a training for your Penn group, see the Wellness at Penn website

LGBT Center Workshops
The LGBT Center is dedicated to ensuring that Penn is a welcoming place for people of all identities. This includes providing fun and interactive educational opportunities for folks to expand their knowledge and understanding of those who may identify differently than them. Programs can also be customized for your group or department needs.

Penn Violence Prevention (PVP) Workshops
PVP workshops cover a range of topics related to sexual harassment, relationship violence, and sexual misconduct. Workshops are designed to be interactive and informative and can be tailored to meet the needs of individual groups. 

RP@Penn Programs 
The Restorative Practices at Penn (RP@Penn) Program promotes restorative practices on Penn’s campus to build strong communities and address interpersonal and group conflict. RP@Penn offers Restorative Circles, Conflict Coaching, Mediation, Restorative Conferences, Workshops on Communication and Conflict Resolution skills, and Workshops on Restorative Circles. 

Penn Resources and Support

Mentoring

The Penn Mentor Meals Program encourages students and their mentors to engage in intellectual or casual conversation outside of the classroom and simultaneously provide them with the opportunity to do so free of charge over lunch or dinner. Beginning on November 1, 2022, all members of the Penn community can initiate a meal between students and mentors (i.e. current or past professors, teaching assistants, advisors, RAs, PHINS, Peer Advisors, and members of Penn’s professional staff). Program options range from 1-on-1 experiences to large meals organized for classes and groups up to 100 students.

Teaching

The Weingarten Center provides academic support services for your students, including the Tutoring Center, which offers a variety of peer tutoring services.

CETLI offers resources and workshops to help develop and improve your teaching, foster valuable conversations about teaching, and enhance the quality of teaching at Penn. CETLI also administers the Teaching Certificate which offers a structure through which you can both improve your teaching at Penn and prepare yourself to become faculty.

CWiC provides courses and workshops to help you and your students improve speaking abilities.

Student Health and Counseling: Caring for Students During Their Academic Journey
Student Health and Counseling (formerly SHS and CAPS) is the primary care and psychological care division of Wellness at Penn. Our state-of-the-art medical and counseling centers are designed to provide high-quality, compassionate care for undergraduate, graduate, and professional students during their academic journey. Student Health and Counseling is committed to providing safe, accessible, cost-effective, culturally-sensitive, and student-focused care. Our team provides care for acute and chronic health problems, preventative health services, as well as mental health and counseling, crisis management, and consultations.  

VPUL maintains a contact list for recognizing and responding to students in distress.

International Teaching Assistant Testing and Training provides resources for international graduate and professional students interested in becoming teaching assistants. It also administers the Test of Spoken English and training programs.

Penn Library offers a comprehensive list of workshops that showcase the many resources available to graduate students from the Library including workshops (WICshops) covering Blackboard and other technologies to assist in the classroom. Their Instruction & Course Support page provides a range of guides, tutorials, and support services to help with classes. The Penn Libraries software guide includes tutorials and information on virtual meeting platforms — including Adobe Connect, BlueJeans, GoToMeeting, and Zoom. The Using Electronic Resources guide provides information on accessing e-resources, optimal browser settings, as well as common connection problems and solutions.

Weingarten Center provides comprehensive, professional services and programs for your students with disabilities to ensure equal academic opportunities and participation in University-sponsored events.

Weigle Information Commons: Supports study groups and collaborative learning and offers training, equipment and support for digital media. Several support services are provided for students as they work to improve their effectiveness in writing, speaking and original inquiry. 

Awards & Opportunities

Instructional Tools and Software

Canvas provides an integrated system of tools for designing course websites, posting course materials, tracking grades, submitting assignments, accessing discussion boards and more, in order to supplement your classroom teaching experience.

Courses@Penn provides a tool for course enrollment and grading. Also provides you a means of sending "Course Problem Notices" to students should their work become unsatisfactory for any reason.

Powerpoint Tutorial

Other Software Tutorials offered through the Library

Penn Libraries offer extensive programming to assist graduate student teachers in the classroom.

CETLI suggests using the Zoom whiteboard function during synchronous, online courses.

Online Instruction & Resources

Talk about Teaching and Learning offers a monthly column about teaching written by faculty for faculty.

Penn Libraries has made a guide to accessing electronic resources at Penn, both on and off-campus. Additionally, the Library has many databases and article indexes that are available remotely. Their Instruction & Course Support page provides a range of guides, tutorials, and support services to help with virtual classes. The Penn Libraries software guide includes tutorials and information on virtual meeting platforms — including Adobe Connect, BlueJeans, GoToMeeting, and Zoom. The Using Electronic Resources guide provides information on accessing e-resources, optimal browser settings, as well as common connection problems and solutions.

Penn Career Services also offers a series of online workshops.

The Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Innovation also provides strategies and tools for teaching remotely. Check out the guide to teaching remotely.

Workshops and Trainings

Teaching Workshops
The Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Innovation and the Graduate Student Center co-sponsor a series of workshops for graduate students, especially TAs, who are interested in learning and improving their teaching skills. Check the CETLI calendar for upcoming workshops and opportunities. 

I CARE Training
Wellness at Penn offers I CARE, an interactive gatekeeper training for students, faculty, and staff that builds a caring community with the skills and resources to intervene with student stress, distress, and crisis. To learn more about I CARE or to request a training for your Penn group, see the Wellness at Penn website

LGBT Center Workshops
The LGBT Center is dedicated to ensuring that Penn is a welcoming place for people of all identities. This includes providing fun and interactive educational opportunities for folks to expand their knowledge and understanding of those who may identify differently than them. Programs can also be customized for your group or department needs.

Penn Violence Prevention (PVP) Workshops
PVP workshops cover a range of topics related to sexual harassment, relationship violence, and sexual misconduct. Workshops are designed to be interactive and informative and can be tailored to meet the needs of individual groups. 

RP@Penn Programs 
The Restorative Practices at Penn (RP@Penn) Program promotes restorative practices on Penn’s campus to build strong communities and address interpersonal and group conflict. RP@Penn offers Restorative Circles, Conflict Coaching, Mediation, Restorative Conferences, Workshops on Communication and Conflict Resolution skills, and Workshops on Restorative Circles. 

Penn Resources and Support

Mentoring

The Penn Mentor Meals Program encourages students and their mentors to engage in intellectual or casual conversation outside of the classroom and simultaneously provide them with the opportunity to do so free of charge over lunch or dinner. Beginning on November 1, 2022, all members of the Penn community can initiate a meal between students and mentors (i.e. current or past professors, teaching assistants, advisors, RAs, PHINS, Peer Advisors, and members of Penn’s professional staff). Program options range from 1-on-1 experiences to large meals organized for classes and groups up to 100 students.

Teaching

The Weingarten Center provides academic support services for your students, including the Tutoring Center, which offers a variety of peer tutoring services.

CETLI offers resources and workshops to help develop and improve your teaching, foster valuable conversations about teaching, and enhance the quality of teaching at Penn. CETLI also administers the Teaching Certificate which offers a structure through which you can both improve your teaching at Penn and prepare yourself to become faculty.

CWiC provides courses and workshops to help you and your students improve speaking abilities.

Student Health and Counseling: Caring for Students During Their Academic Journey
Student Health and Counseling (formerly SHS and CAPS) is the primary care and psychological care division of Wellness at Penn. Our state-of-the-art medical and counseling centers are designed to provide high-quality, compassionate care for undergraduate, graduate, and professional students during their academic journey. Student Health and Counseling is committed to providing safe, accessible, cost-effective, culturally-sensitive, and student-focused care. Our team provides care for acute and chronic health problems, preventative health services, as well as mental health and counseling, crisis management, and consultations.  

VPUL maintains a contact list for recognizing and responding to students in distress.

International Teaching Assistant Testing and Training provides resources for international graduate and professional students interested in becoming teaching assistants. It also administers the Test of Spoken English and training programs.

Penn Library offers a comprehensive list of workshops that showcase the many resources available to graduate students from the Library including workshops (WICshops) covering Blackboard and other technologies to assist in the classroom. Their Instruction & Course Support page provides a range of guides, tutorials, and support services to help with classes. The Penn Libraries software guide includes tutorials and information on virtual meeting platforms — including Adobe Connect, BlueJeans, GoToMeeting, and Zoom. The Using Electronic Resources guide provides information on accessing e-resources, optimal browser settings, as well as common connection problems and solutions.

Weingarten Center provides comprehensive, professional services and programs for your students with disabilities to ensure equal academic opportunities and participation in University-sponsored events.

Weigle Information Commons: Supports study groups and collaborative learning and offers training, equipment and support for digital media. Several support services are provided for students as they work to improve their effectiveness in writing, speaking and original inquiry. 

Awards & Opportunities

Instructional Tools and Software

Canvas provides an integrated system of tools for designing course websites, posting course materials, tracking grades, submitting assignments, accessing discussion boards and more, in order to supplement your classroom teaching experience.

Courses@Penn provides a tool for course enrollment and grading. Also provides you a means of sending "Course Problem Notices" to students should their work become unsatisfactory for any reason.

Powerpoint Tutorial

Other Software Tutorials offered through the Library

Penn Libraries offer extensive programming to assist graduate student teachers in the classroom.

CETLI suggests using the Zoom whiteboard function during synchronous, online courses.

Online Instruction & Resources

Talk about Teaching and Learning offers a monthly column about teaching written by faculty for faculty.

Penn Libraries has made a guide to accessing electronic resources at Penn, both on and off-campus. Additionally, the Library has many databases and article indexes that are available remotely. Their Instruction & Course Support page provides a range of guides, tutorials, and support services to help with virtual classes. The Penn Libraries software guide includes tutorials and information on virtual meeting platforms — including Adobe Connect, BlueJeans, GoToMeeting, and Zoom. The Using Electronic Resources guide provides information on accessing e-resources, optimal browser settings, as well as common connection problems and solutions.

Penn Career Services also offers a series of online workshops.

The Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Innovation also provides strategies and tools for teaching remotely. Check out the guide to teaching remotely.

Have questions or resource suggestions? Let us know!