Apply to Become a 2025-2026 Graduate Teaching Fellow
The Graduate Teaching Fellows program is a year-long paid opportunity that allows participants to develop their teaching skills in a cross-disciplinary learning community led by Center for Teaching staff. In collaboration with the Graduate College, the Center for Teaching is delighted to offer six fellowship positions for the 2025-26 academic year.
With support from peers and Center for Teaching staff, each fellow will create a set of goals and an action plan for future employment based on their interests. Fellows will deepen their knowledge of the scholarship of teaching and learning, using what they learn to create a campus-wide interactive workshop or other pedagogical project on a topic of their choice. Twice-monthly meetings provide opportunities for fellows to reflect on their professional development and teaching practice. Each fellow will also develop a teaching portfolio designed to meet their own needs. Fellows receive $750 for each semester they successfully complete, earning up to $1,500 total to recognize their contributions to the university’s strategic plan priority of excellence in teaching and learning.
Eligible fellows will also have the opportunity to develop and teach their own First-Year Seminar in the semester following the fellowship (Fall 2026), which would satisfy the Scholar level certification of the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) program.
Applications for the 2025-2026 cohort are due by Monday, April 21, 2025.
NTAO Graduate Student Facilitators
Too busy for the fellows program? Become a NTAO Graduate Student Facilitator!
The Center for Teaching is hiring graduate students with at least two semesters of UI teaching experience to facilitate workshop sessions at New TA Orientation (NTAO) on Aug. 21, 2025. Applications are due Monday, May 12.
What Former Graduate Teaching Fellows Have to Say
How did the program contribute to your career readiness?
“Cornell College is a teaching intensive institution, and the fellowship provided me a natural transition to teaching here. I was able to jump immediately into discussing and reflecting on my teaching with new peers in a new environment. In addition, I design my own curriculum, so the practical skills and tools learned in the fellowship, such as designing syllabi and discussing course design, have directly influenced my current position.”
“We spoke frequently about developing creative options to assess students’ progress, using different teaching practices, and designing activities around your course’s learning goals. Those conversations stuck with me, and I refer to them as I’m designing courses or making adjustments throughout the semester.”
What was most enjoyable about the program?
“Beyond the nuts and bolts of pedagogy and how to bring together theory with practice, I think the Grad Teaching Fellows program is one of the most special spaces on campus. You will build deep relationships and learn more about yourself as a human, not just an educator, in the process. The more human we are the better we are at teaching.”
“The space the program created meant a lot to me because I felt supported in my teaching pursuits. We had opportunities to brainstorm with each other, talk about teaching, and sharpen each other’s skills in a kind environment. The fellowship was the first time I had emerged from my math-centric lens to participate in intentional, organic conversations about teaching from an interdisciplinary perspective.”
What advice would you give to students considering applying?
"My best piece of advice is to articulate who you are as an educator, not a version of yourself that you think fits well within the program. What are you already doing in the classroom that demonstrates your skills and capacity? What stories from your classroom can you share that reveal the innovative and creative ways you cultivate student learning? More importantly, where do you want to improve? What practices and frameworks do you want to learn more about? How can the Grad Teaching Fellows program help you achieve those goals?"
“If you want to connect with people, from across the spectrum of teaching, who are passionate about what they do, then the fellowship is for you. If you’re considering applying, think of this opportunity as an investment in your teaching. If it is important to you, take time to invest in it. The fellowship will be a rewarding experience that pays more dividends than you realize.”