Teaching Conference Support
In 2019-20, support for select doctoral students who wish to attend conferences or training centered on teaching practices in higher education is being sponsored by the GSAS Office of the Dean and funded by the Office of the Provost.
Current Columbia doctoral students are invited to apply for funds to help defray travel and other expenses associated with attending a conference or training focused on teaching practices in higher education. Approved applicants will receive up to $750 for attending or $1000 for presenting at a conference or training that helps them develop as instructors or explore discipline-based educational research (DBER). This support is available for conferences attended through May 31, 2020. CTL is vetting and approving applications on a rolling basis.
How to apply
Applications will be accepted and approved by CTL on a rolling basis during the 2019-20 academic year until funding for this initiative runs out. For inquiries about this opportunity, email CTLgrads@columbia.edu.
About Teaching Conference Support
Background and goals
In 2019-20, support for select doctoral students who wish to attend conferences or training centered on teaching practices in higher education is being sponsored by the GSAS Office of the Dean and funded by the Office of the Provost. The goals of this initiative are to:
- Raise awareness of teaching development opportunities among Columbia doctoral students
- Increase professional development opportunities and engagements for graduate students
- Identify new needs and areas for CTL and other teaching development support at Columbia, in the light of engagements of Columbia graduate students with outside organizations and resources
Conditions of this award
Current Columbia University doctoral students are invited to apply for this support in order to defray expenses entailed with attending the following:
- A conference focused on pedagogy in higher education
- A conference in the applicant’s discipline that will significantly involve the applicant in presentations focused on teaching or discipline-based educational research (DBER)
- A training focused on a targeted aspect of teaching development
The conference or training must be complete by May 31, 2020.
As part of their application, applicants are asked to specify the following:
- Indication of how the conference qualifies for this support (see below)
- Indication of the applicant’s role at the conference
- Anticipated expenses that this award would be applied to in the following areas: conference registration, travel, lodging, and food.
- A copy of an invitation letter confirming participation in the conference or a relevant page from the conference program.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until funds run out, and reviewed within one week of submission. Upon approval of applications, awardees will agree to the following deliverables:
- Submitting a narrative reflection on their experience at the supported conference, extracts of which could be posted on the GSAS and CTL websites. CTL will supply a template for this 300 – 500 word reflection.
- Planning and executing a debrief with peers about insights from the conference, at a setting designated in consultation with CTL and (if appropriate) Lead Teaching Fellows in the department. Up to $100 is available for refreshments during for this debrief session, upon approval from CTL.
Qualifying conferences
- Conferences focusing on teaching practices and values in higher education. Examples of these include POD Network conferences, CIRTL conferences, AAC&U conferences, Lilly conferences, and conferences produced by teaching and learning centers at other universities.
- Discipline-specific conferences with significant focus on pedagogical practices or educational research within the discipline.
- Workshops or trainings focusing on the development of advanced pedagogical practices or approaches. Priority will be given to proposals specifying such workshops in the New York City region.
CTL will review applications to confirm whether the specified conference or training qualifies for this support. Interested graduate students are welcome to send inquiries about whether a conference qualifies before filling out an application – send questions to CTLgrads@columbia.edu.
The CTL is here for graduate students.
The Columbia Center for Teaching and Learning provides an array of support for graduate students in both their current and future teaching responsibilities.