In partnership with CELT and Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation, the Office of Graduate Student Professional Enhancement (GSPE) offers the professional development courses linked below for spring 2026. Courses may be taken as individually or as a set leading to a Graduate Certificate in College Teaching and Learning (GCCTL). Graduate students may register for these courses as they do their degree courses. Click here for a full list of courses.
The following courses may be taken as stand-alone courses or as a selected set leading to a Graduate Certificate in College Teaching and Learning. Information about the certificate can be found here.
GS 600: Special Topics: Preparing Future Professionals (2 credit hours)
- Instructor: TBD
Mondays, 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m., Location TBD
Preparing Future Professionals is designed to introduce graduate students and postdoctoral scholars and fellows to various career paths. Students explore career paths, develop an understanding of what is needed to transition into selected careers, identify resources that can aid in obtaining a job within a chosen career path, and develop action plans that will prepare them to transition into a career path of interest. Students have the opportunity to interact with a number of guest speakers from a variety of different career paths or who are career development experts. Prerequisite: Graduate student standing
GS 610: Seminar in College Teaching (1 credit hour)
- Instructor: Dr. Ashley Sorrell
Wednesdays, 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., McVey Hall room 107
Addresses a wide range of teaching and learning issues in the college classroom. Intended for graduate students who want to prepare for future academic careers and enhance current teaching activities, this seminar will focus on making teaching and learning more effective, efficient, and creative. Developing effective teaching strategies early in one's career can reduce the time and stress associated with teaching, free up time for other scholarly work and collegial interactions, produce positive student evaluations, and, most importantly, enhance student learning. Prerequisite: Graduate student standing.
GS 630: Teaching with Technology (1 credit hour)
- Instructor: Dr. Mike Wallace
Tuesdays, 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., Location TBD
This seminar addresses pedagogically sound and effective applications of instructional technologies (IT) in college teaching. Course goals include examining the impact of IT on learning outcomes, teaching strategies, and instructional assessments; developing proficiency in creating PowerPoint presentations, designing and managing instructional Web sites, facilitating Internet dialogue, and conducting distance learning courses; and considering how IT affects faculty roles and responsibilities, the nature of the college classroom, and the future of higher education.
GS 650: Preparing Future Faculty (2 credit hours)
- Instructor: Dr. Shawna Felkins
Thursday, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., Location TBD
Preparing Future Faculty is designed to introduce graduate students to the roles and responsibilities of the college teacher and to assist them in understanding the variety of institutions in which effective teaching takes place. Students will focus on the academic expectations, institutional identities, and particular policies and procedures which characterize different types of institutions of higher learning. Skills to help students apply for positions and achieve success in their appointments will also be addressed. Lecture, two hours per week.
EPE 672: College Teaching and Learning (3 credit hours)
- Instructor: Dr. Meghan Pifer
Mondays, 1:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., Location TBD
A study of all phases of instruction at the college level. The course will include methods and principles of teaching, utilization of materials in teaching, a consideration of the teaching-learning process as it relates to the individual student, and the evaluation of student progress. A comprehensive course for prospective college teachers.
GS 695: Special Problems in College Teaching and Learning (1-3 credit hours)
- Facilitating Instructor: Dr. Meghan Pifer
An independent study course designed to provide opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars pursuing a Certificate in College Teaching and Learning to explore special problems related to college teaching that bridge or fall outside the domain of departmental efforts; graduate students exploring faculty development as a career option; and students who currently hold full-time teaching positions in colleges or universities and who are interested in professional development or credentialing in College Teaching and Learning. Prior approval from the Certificate Director prior to registration for this course is required. May be repeated to a maximum of six credits. Prerequisite: Graduate student standing and submission of the GS 695 proposal form one semester in advance.
GS 699: Practicum in College Teaching (3 credits)
- Facilitating Instructor: Dr. Meghan Pifer
The Teaching Practicum is a mentored teaching experience that not only immerses the graduate student in teaching but also fosters reflection on the experience, provides structured feedback and plans for improvement, and guides students in developing a teaching portfolio. The practicum may require that the graduate student assume full responsibility for a course, under the guidance of a mentor teacher. Supervision for the practicum experience is a joint responsibility of the Certificate director/faculty and the student’s mentor. Credit will not be assigned until the graduate student has submitted a course teaching portfolio that focuses on the practicum experience. Prereq: EPE 672; GS 610 (or equivalent) and enrollment in the Graduate Certificate in College Teaching and Learning; consent of Certificate director required.