The McGraw Center offers extensive programs and services for graduate students and post-doctoral associates related to their development as professional scholars and teachers. All of our programs are based in current research and discussions on effective teaching and student learning and are led by either our trained and experienced graduate student fellows or by our professional staff.

For new AIs, we run the University-wide AI Orientation to teaching at Princeton. The day and a half of workshops are led by our trained and experienced graduate fellows who provide tips and organize discussions on issues beginning with the first day of class, to leading precepts and problem sets, to grading student work.

For all graduate students pursuing an academic career as faculty, our Teaching Transcript is a program that enhances their preparation for teaching and provides a credential that reflects their commitment to teaching for the academic job market. The program consists of a flexible curriculum of pedagogy workshops, a class visit with feedback from a member of the McGraw staff, and culminates with a written statement of teaching philosophy and an original syllabus. Graduate students typically finish the Transcript in one to two years. A number of post-doctoral researchers also undertake the Teaching Transcript program every year.

Our workshops are Princeton's center of activities, discussions, brainstorming and problem solving all focused on aspects of teaching, learning and academic careers. They are open to graduate students as well as post-doctoral researchers and change every semester. In our workshops we explore topics from grading, leading discussions, teaching with film and lecturing, to teaching critical thinking in disciplinary courses, and writing a teaching statement. We hold several "Scholar As Teacher" lunch discussions with Princeton professors who are recognized for their outstanding teaching. Finally, we provide professional development workshops to help prepare graduate students for their academic careers such as the Master Class on Lecturing, which includes Princeton faculty, and "Prof 101," a seminar for those starting academic positions in the following year.

We also offer Instructional Consultations, which are one-on-one meetings with our professional staff to discuss specific challenges or new techniques AIs would like to try while they are teaching. These consultations may include visits to class to provide feedback and help solve pedagogical issues. We are happy to talk about developing course syllabi and teaching statements as part of academic job searches. We also provide academic support for graduate students in the form of workshops and individual meetings to discuss balancing teaching and scholarship.

The Virtual Library for Graduate Students part of our website offers numerous resources and tip-sheets relevant for teaching and academic careers. Our blog, The Scholar as Teacher, also includes ongoing entries with tips, references and discussions about teaching and academic work.

The Scholar as Teacher