GSTEP: Graduate Student Teaching Excellence Program

Graduate student teachers have a significant impact on undergraduate education yet often receive little to no teacher training. This isn’t just a problem for undergraduate students, but also for the graduate students teaching them; many of whom feel unprepared and question their place in front of the classroom.

Graduate student instructors often teach the most vulnerable undergraduate student populations: students who are brand new to college and may lack the independent study and learning skills that a college education demands. Thus, graduate student teachers often carry the responsibility of not just teaching course content, but also supporting undergraduates through a brand new learning and social experience. Even for students coming from college-educated families, the demands of college are daunting.

Despite this, higher education often perpetuates the myth that we know how to teach because we have been taught. This myth that good teaching is inherent is problematic not only for being wrong, but also for not preparing graduate students for the changing higher education landscape. The increasing demand for accountability in higher education means graduate student instructors need to use effective teaching strategies to facilitate student learning in the classes they teach. They also need the experience of designing courses that can demonstrate student learning to departments, administrators, and other higher education stakeholders. Further, teaching skills translate across a variety of settings, including the non-profit sector and industry. This is the need that GSTEP serves and the commitment that GSTEP students make.

This course is delivered entirely online and requires reading content and completing assignments in Canvas. Students can expect to complete the course requirements in approximately 35 hours over one semester.

During GSTEP, you will:

• Complete 8 online modules in Canvas. (All required materials are included in Canvas. There is no required textbook or materials to purchase.)
• Conduct a student teaching practicum (includes an observation, teaching plan development and implementation, and evaluation) in a higher education setting whether face-to-face, online, hybrid, or remote.
• Write a critical reflection & teaching philosophy essay.

Each of the above components are required to pass the course.

Online modules include content, readings, assignments, assignment instructions, and supplemental resources. The student teaching practicum includes observations of an experienced teacher, lesson plan development and implementation in a higher education setting, and an evaluation of teaching effectiveness.

Through these components of the course, students will develop and refine their teaching skills and improve their understanding of how students learn.

GSTEP is offered every Fall 16-week term, Spring 16-week term, and Summer 10-week term.

Please take the Fall 2024 GSTEP Enrollment Survey in order to enroll in GSTEP for the fall 2024 semester.

NOTE: Completing this survey will enroll you in the FALL 2024 GSTEP course.

The student teaching practicum requires GSTEP students to teach in a higher education course (ideally an undergraduate course) whether face-to-face, online, hybrid, or remote. Students will select and observe a course, design a lesson plan, implement their lesson plan, and evaluate and critically reflect on their teaching experience.

In order to complete this required component, GSTEP students will need to be a graduate student instructor (such as a TA or TF) or adjunct instructor for a higher education institution during the term, OR, collaborate with an instructor-of-record to conduct their student teaching practicum in a higher education course whether face-to-face, online, hybrid, or remote. To learn more about the recommended process, please see the GSTEP PDF – GSTEP FAQ: How do I find a course for the practicum? 

Note that it is the responsibility of the GSTEP student to find a course for the student teaching practicum.

According to the UNT Fact Book, UNT employs 344 Teaching Fellows and 832 Teaching Assistants. This means graduate student teachers account for 42% of those with teaching responsibilities at the university. Further, when we factor in that graduate student instructors often teach introductory courses with larger enrollments and include many students across disciplines, we can see that graduate student teachers greatly impact undergraduate education. Yet, most graduate students receive little to no teacher training. GSTEP aims to provide the support needed for the teaching development of graduate student instructors and support the university mission of “empowering students to thrive in a rapidly changing world.”

Several departments on campus work with GSTEP to provide teacher development to their graduate student instructors. In some cases, departments require all graduate student instructors to take GSTEP as a zero-credit course upon hiring. Other departments and/or colleges require graduate students to take GSTEP as a 3-hour credit offering. If your department is interested in any of these offerings, please email gstep@unt.edu.

For many students, GSTEP is a transformative experience that profoundly changes who they are as educators. GSTEP’s aim is to develop students’ teaching competency. We do this by challenging students’ assumptions about teaching and learning and asking them to critically reflect on their teaching beliefs, values, and experiences.

 

Some notable quotes from GSTEP alumni:

"My assumptions changed in many ways since completing GSTEP. One major change was related to my fear of nervousness. I always assumed I looked very nervous and sounded like I was not knowledgeable because of my visible nervousness. After seeing myself on video, I realized my teaching was not nearly as bad or obvious how nervous I was to others when teaching. This alone made a huge difference in my teaching, it allowed me to focus less on me and more on delivering effective teaching strategies and gave me confidence."

"In this sense, my philosophy of learning was changed. Learning is not a process of memorizing an existing body of knowledge, but a process of learning how to think creatively."

"I had some preconceptions about teaching based on my entire experience as a student. I found that not all of these assumptions could be reasonable when I am going to be teaching in a class in the future. For instance, before GSTEP I believed that the ability to teach is somehow inherent, and good teachers always have a gift. During this course I understood that everyone who is interested in teaching can learn the techniques and strategies. Implementing these strategies accompanied by enthusiasm towards teaching can help everyone become a great teacher. On the other hand, there is not a single way to follow for being a good teacher."

"I realized there was a certain sense of arrogance on my part, in that if I was teaching it, they should be learning it. Never really taking into account how they would approach me if they were having difficulty or if they did not understand it. I realized I very well could be the obstacle I was trying to prevent. I do not ever want to be that teacher. And quite honestly, thanks to you, I will not be."