Teaching and Mentoring
Basic Page Sidebar Menu Penn GSC
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 Teaching and Learning 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 CTL calendar for upcoming workshops and opportunities.
I CARE Training
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) 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 CAPS 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.
Policies and Guidelines
Policy on Consensual Sexual Relations Between Faculty/TAs and Students
Penn has an Academic Code of Integrity which covers cheating, plagarism, misrepresentation, fabrication, etc.
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
Office of Access and Achievement Programs provides support services for your students, including the Tutoring Center, which offers a variety of peer tutoring services.
CTL offers resources and workshops to help develop and improve your teaching, foster valuable conversations about teaching, and enhance the quality of teaching at Penn. CTL 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.
The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and Online Learning Initiative (OLI) have partnered to provide a guide to strategies and tools for teaching remotely. Check out the guide to teaching remotely at www.ctl.upenn.edu/resources-and-strategies-teaching-remotely. CTL is also offering a series of online workshops related to teaching remotely. More details at www.ctl.upenn.edu/events.
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 Virtual 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.
Office of Student Disability Services 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
Penn Prize for Excellence in Teaching by Grad Students
The Writing Center's CWID Fellowships fund graduate students to support faculty of writing-intensive courses in the discipline.
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 in Touch 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.
Other Tutorials offered through the Library
Penn Libraries offer extensive programming to assist graduate student teachers in the classroom.
CTL has some low- & medium-tech solutions you can use to simulate a whiteboard in live and recorded sessions! Many also recommend low-cost tablets for simulating whiteboards.
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 Virtual 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.
Grad students who are completing their program partially or fully online should check out the Penn Online Learning Initiative, which works to connect learners with engaging opportunities.
Penn Career Services also offers a series of online workshops.
The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and Online Learning Initiative (OLI) have partnered to provide a guide to strategies and tools for teaching remotely. Check out the guide to teaching remotely at www.ctl.upenn.edu/resources-and-strategies-teaching-remotely. CTL is also offering a series of online workshops related to teaching remotely. More details at www.ctl.upenn.edu/events. They also list some low- & medium-tech solutions you can use to simulate a whiteboard in live and recorded sessions! Many also recommend low-cost tablets for simulating whiteboards.
Workshops and Trainings
Teaching Workshops
The Center for Teaching and Learning 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 CTL calendar for upcoming workshops and opportunities.
I CARE Training
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) 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 CAPS 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.
Policies and Guidelines
Policy on Consensual Sexual Relations Between Faculty/TAs and Students
Penn has an Academic Code of Integrity which covers cheating, plagarism, misrepresentation, fabrication, etc.
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
Office of Access and Achievement Programs provides support services for your students, including the Tutoring Center, which offers a variety of peer tutoring services.
CTL offers resources and workshops to help develop and improve your teaching, foster valuable conversations about teaching, and enhance the quality of teaching at Penn. CTL 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.
The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and Online Learning Initiative (OLI) have partnered to provide a guide to strategies and tools for teaching remotely. Check out the guide to teaching remotely at www.ctl.upenn.edu/resources-and-strategies-teaching-remotely. CTL is also offering a series of online workshops related to teaching remotely. More details at www.ctl.upenn.edu/events.
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 Virtual 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.
Office of Student Disability Services 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
Penn Prize for Excellence in Teaching by Grad Students
The Writing Center's CWID Fellowships fund graduate students to support faculty of writing-intensive courses in the discipline.
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 in Touch 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.
Other Tutorials offered through the Library
Penn Libraries offer extensive programming to assist graduate student teachers in the classroom.
CTL has some low- & medium-tech solutions you can use to simulate a whiteboard in live and recorded sessions! Many also recommend low-cost tablets for simulating whiteboards.
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 Virtual 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.
Grad students who are completing their program partially or fully online should check out the Penn Online Learning Initiative, which works to connect learners with engaging opportunities.
Penn Career Services also offers a series of online workshops.
The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and Online Learning Initiative (OLI) have partnered to provide a guide to strategies and tools for teaching remotely. Check out the guide to teaching remotely at www.ctl.upenn.edu/resources-and-strategies-teaching-remotely. CTL is also offering a series of online workshops related to teaching remotely. More details at www.ctl.upenn.edu/events. They also list some low- & medium-tech solutions you can use to simulate a whiteboard in live and recorded sessions! Many also recommend low-cost tablets for simulating whiteboards.
