Featured Image: Each year, CTI graduate teaching fellows connect and build community with fellow teaching graduate students and postdocs.
At some point in their academic journey, every graduate student asks themselves “what’s next?” For those students pursuing academic careers after graduation, the possibilities may be daunting and overwhelming. In recent years, competition for postdoctoral scholar and faculty positions has intensified, making an already challenging application process even more difficult and isolating.
Recognizing graduate students’ concerns about preparing for the academic job market, the Center for Teaching Innovation tailored their annual University-Wide Teaching Conference, also known as “U-Wide,” to help graduate students prepare for academic job applications – and build a sense of community in the process.
Held on April 20, 2024, the conference focused on guiding participants in building a document that is increasingly in-demand in faculty applications: the teaching portfolio.
With that in mind, the first charge of the U-Wide was to familiarize participants with the components of a teaching portfolio, including commonly requested documents like the teaching philosophy and statement of commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. A team of 16 graduate students in the CTI’s Graduate Teaching Fellowship program, led by Dr. Derina Samuel, associate director of graduate student development, organized concurrent workshops on developing and refining participants’ teaching philosophies and statements of contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Then, participants used what they learned in these workshops to begin planning their individual portfolios in the cornerstone “Developing Your Teaching Portfolio” workshop.
“At the conference, we promoted reflections about the attendants’ past experiences, including how to translate them into statements and organize the entire collection of materials into a teaching portfolio. I feel we set them up for success in their academic endeavors,” said Augusto Santos Rampasso, one of the lead conference organizers.
Rampasso, a Ph.D. candidate in entomology, remarked that the U-Wide helped participants channel their experiences and values as educators into job market materials.
“I feel we set them up for success in their academic endeavors.”
Augusto Santos Rampasso
In addition to equipping graduate students and postdocs with the knowledge and confidence to build a teaching portfolio, the U-Wide also helped connect participants with a supportive community from across Cornell’s campus.
Creating an inclusive community was infused into every aspect of the U-Wide. Interactive workshops were offered for participants at different points along their academic journey, so that those who had already drafted their teaching portfolio could receive feedback from peers, while those just starting on their documents could work together to brainstorm ideas.
CTI Senior Lead Teaching Fellow Kim Webb, who graduated in spring 2024 with her Ph.D. in statistics, highlighted the multiple workshop offerings as a key to the success of the conference.
“By designing workshops for people beginning their portfolios and for those who already had drafts, we provided everyone with an opportunity to connect with fellow attendees through either peer review or brainstorming sessions. The buzz in the room during our workshops suggested that everyone was collaborating, and receiving and providing helpful feedback to one another,” Webb said.
Participants also formed connections at the conference through personal opportunities for conversation. The conference featured a networking lunch, where attendees were joined by 13 faculty members from across campus. Faculty shared their wisdom, ideas, and advice on teaching and careers in academia in small discussion groups.
The day ended with a panel discussion, led by CTI Graduate Teaching Lead Fellows who were on the academic job market during the 2023-2024 academic year.
After a day of forming bonds and networks at the conference, the panel became an opportunity for participants to ask vulnerable questions, and for panelists to share their experiences openly and honestly. During the panel, the Fellows shared the ups and downs of their job search, the motivation that kept them going, and the surprises they found along the way.
“I could see that as the sessions were happening throughout the day, everyone was becoming more eager to connect, exchange ideas, and continue the discussions beyond the formal sessions.”
Amalia Beary
“I could see that as the sessions were happening throughout the day, everyone was becoming more eager to connect, exchange ideas, and continue the discussions beyond the formal sessions,” said Amalia Beary, Ph.D. candidate in food science.“I believe collaborative learning and networking among peers were certainly two positive outcomes of our 2024 U-Wide Conference.”
In a post-conference survey, participants expressed newfound confidence as they prepared a teaching portfolio. Attendees stated that the U-Wide workshops helped them “feel so much more confident in how to approach that document” and “feel prepared for what is to come with my own applications.”
Between now and Spring 2025, the CTI and the Graduate Teaching Fellows will be hosting more workshops on a variety of topics in teaching and higher education. Check out the CTI’s website to participate and get involved!
Kimberly Webb is an incoming Assistant Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. She earned her Ph.D. in Statistics from Cornell University in 2024 under the mentorship of Dr. Martin Wells. Kim’s current research involves developing statistical methods for misclassified outcome and mediator variables in observational studies. She is interested in applications in healthcare, psychology, and criminal justice.
Maria Amalia Beary (she/her) is a PhD candidate in the Department of Food Science, specializing in food microbiology, agriculture economics, and food technology. She loves teaching the future generations, and had the honor to be selected as the Outstanding Teaching Assistant of the year for her CALS department. She greatly enjoyed her time as a CTI Graduate Fellow.