Graduate Institute For Teaching (GIFT)

History Launched in May 2007 Open to Tufts Arts, Sciences, and Engineering doctoral students, as well as post-doctoral students from five other Tufts schools. Includes summer workshops on teaching pedagogy and classroom teaching opportunities during the fall semester. Participating students (i.e., Teaching Fellows) receive $2,000 stipend and a transcript notation. Web url is

Phase I: Summer Workshops

Summer Workshops Teaching Fellows (TFs) receive training in teaching pedagogy, focusing on areas such as syllabus and course design, lesson planning, leading group discussions, and teacher-student relationships. Workshops are led by Tufts faculty, administrators, and staff. Fellows present a sample lesson and receive feedback from their peers during the summer workshops. The workshops provide participants with opportunities to work with and learn from doctoral students from different disciplines and schools. Woven into the workshop period are a series of social events, in which fellows can ask Tufts faculty typically “unasked questions” around issues such as tenure, balancing research and teaching, and finding the right college/university match.

Workshop Schedule WEEK ONEWEEK THREE Inaugural breakfastStudent–Teacher relationship Triggers and hooks to engage Teaching in the lab set Course design and planningLeading Discussions Diverse Defining Learning OutcomesPresentation of post docs Writing a syllabus Presentation docs Cognitive aspects of learning Inspirational Speaker Lunch Public SpeakingWEEK FOUR Effective lecturing in large classes Presentation of students Inspirational Speaker LunchPresentation of students 13 WEEK TWOPresentation of students Designing writing assignments, gradingClosing Dinner of Phase 1 Teaching research-based writing Different types of assessmentOrientation Luncheon for Mentors Assignments, supervising outside the class Technology Resources for Teaching Panel of Excellence Lunch

Phase II: Classroom Experience

Classroom Experience Teaching Fellows co-teach a Tufts course with a faculty mentor, putting what they learned during the workshops to use. Fellows help their mentors prepare course syllabus, exam or essay questions, and lead at least two classroom sessions during the fall semester. Fellows receive feedback from their mentors and a final written assessment of their performance as fellows is sent to the director of the program.