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Graduate Student Instructor Teaching Academy

Graduate Student Instructor Teaching Academy

The Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) Teaching Academy supports teaching excellence at Ohio University by providing GSIs with extended professional development opportunities that deepen their understanding of evidence-based approaches to instruction and strengthen their implementation of these strategies in their classrooms. Over a full academic year, participants engage in professional development workshops, receive peer and faculty mentoring, complete peer teaching observation training and receive support developing a teaching portfolio. Those admitted to the GSI Teaching Academy must register for GRAD 6000 (1 credit, fall semester) and GRAD 6001 (1 credit, spring semester). 

  • GSI Academy Application Process

    Ohio University graduate students serving as instructors of record or teaching assistants are eligible and encouraged to apply for the academy. New academy cohorts are selected each fall semester. The application requests contact and teaching information, asks applicants to briefly reflect on their motivation for joining the academy and for the contact information of their teaching supervisor. The application can be completed in less than 30 minutes.

    The application deadline for the 2026-27 cohort is Friday, Aug. 28, 2025. Applicants will be notified of application status by Tuesday, Sept. 1. 

    Apply to the Academy

GSI Academy Specifics

Academy Goals and Outcomes

The GSI Teaching Academy prepares instructors for teaching, especially introductory undergraduate courses; equips them with a set of instructional practices that are learner-centered and evidence-based; and promotes methods for refining teaching effectiveness. Participants completing the GSI Academy will be able to:

  • Explain, plan, and implement evidence-based, learner-centered instructional strategies.
  • Design assignments with clear goals and criteria for successful completion.
  • Assess their own and others' teaching.
  • Explain strategies for facilitating discussion and plan classroom discussions that address their students' thinking.
  • Describe principles of effective teaching and assessment.
  • Describe strategies for promoting student engagement.
  • Plan and implement changes to their teaching based on their own and peers' feedback.
  • Describe multiple strategies for planning a course.
  • Describe and enact strategies for collecting feedback from those enrolled in their courses and using it to refine their teaching.
  • Create a teaching portfolio and other documents needed for an academic job search.

Completion Requirements

GSIs admitted to the academy who fulfill the requirements to pass GRAD 6000 and GRAD 6001 will earn a certificate of completion from Graduate College and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment.

Academy Components

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS

The GSI Academy offers the following workshop modules:

  • Creating Classroom Community
  • Effective Teaching Practices
  • Assessing Student Learning
  • Continuous Teaching Improvement
  • Course Design Basics
  • Documenting Teaching Excellence

PEER MENTORING

Academy participants will join peer mentoring groups that provide further support throughout the program. Mentoring groups will meet several times each semester to extend the learning of the workshops and to support one another’s teaching efforts. 

TEACHING OBSERVATIONS

Academy participants will be trained to conduct teaching observations focused on effective teaching practice and will provide feedback on one another’s teaching. Each observation will include a short meeting prior to the observation and a post-observation debrief meeting to share feedback and discuss next steps. 

TEACHING PORTFOLIO

Academy participants will receive guidance on constructing a teaching portfolio, including crafting an effective statement of teaching philosophy and documenting their teaching effectiveness, which can be used when applying for faculty positions. 

Contact Information

For more information about the GSI Academy, contact:

  • Jeremy Henkel (jhenkel@ohio.edu), CTLA Associate Director for Faculty Programming
  • Allyson Hallman-Thrasher (hallman@ohio.edu), Graduate College Associate Dean for Student Success
  • Nathan Blackburn (blackburnn@ohio.edu), Graduate College Director of Communications and Professional Development