Embarking on your journey as a graduate student is both an exciting and challenging experience. Our goal is to support you in your teaching and writing by providing a wealth of resources and services designed to help you succeed. Let us help you achieve your highest potential!
McDougal Graduate Teaching Fellows
The McDougal Graduate Teaching Fellows at the Poorvu Center lead programs on effective and innovative teaching, develop teaching resources, and provide individual observations for graduate student and postdoctoral instructors at Yale. As a fellow, you will grow and deepen your expertise, while you reflect on and refine your approach to teaching through sustained engagement with interdisciplinary pedagogical scholarship. To be eligible, applicants must be registered graduate students in good academic standing with at least one semester of Yale teaching experience.
Certificate of College Teaching Preparation
The Certificate of College Teaching Preparation (CCTP) is an opportunity for Yale Graduate Students, Professional Students, and Postdoctoral Scholars to complete a comprehensive training program in effective college teaching. The goal of this certificate program is to equip Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows with transferable skills that are valuable both on the academic job market and in a wide range of careers involving teaching and mentoring. The experience culminates in the production of a portfolio showcasing their teaching development.
Associates in Teaching
Offered in collaboration between the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) and the Poorvu Center, the competitive Associates in Teaching Program allows Ph.D. students the opportunity to expand their range of teaching experiences and responsibilities while receiving mentorship from a faculty co-teacher. Through the Associates in Teaching program, doctoral students collaborate with a faculty member to conceptualize or redesign, plan, and deliver an undergraduate course.
Graduate Writing Lab
The Graduate Writing Lab supports Yale graduate students with all aspects of written, oral, and visual communication. Our team helps graduate students communicate the significance of their research to a wide range of audiences. In addition to helping grad students join the academic conversation and navigate the writing conventions in their field, the Graduate Writing Lab strives to build community and promote a supportive writing culture in which every Yale graduate student can thrive.
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Teaching at Yale Day
This event introduces graduate and professional school students who are new to teaching at Yale to resources and best practices for engaging with faculty and students.
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Fundamentals of Teaching
This four-part series for graduate and professional students introduces the theory and practice of teaching while promoting deep, discipline-specific conversations.
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Teaching Courses and Seminars
Open to graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, these offerings are a foundational introduction to teaching in preparation for future teaching careers.
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Graduate & Postdoctoral Scholars Learning Communities
Structured space to share experiences, reflect on teaching practices, and refine ideas with peers and colleagues.
Graduate Resources
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A Guiding Framework for Teaching
The framework highlights the teaching philosophy and concepts that shape our educational development programming
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A Guiding Framework for Teaching: Resource Page
Instructors can use the framework to guide their teaching choices about assignments, assessments, and classroom facilitation.
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Active Learning
Active learning is instruction that creates opportunities for students to actively participate in the knowledge-making process.
Learning Resource Library
A collection of articles to support your journey as a student at Yale.
“My time at the Center for Teaching and Learning has made me think about always having current and future teaching goals for myself, be they trying out a new form of writing assignment or bringing social media into the curriculum. I hope that by articulating these goals to myself and to my colleagues, I will continue to develop as a teacher and discover a community of like-minded educators in the process.”
Annie Berke, Ph.D. (Film and Media Studies, American Studies)
Upcoming Events
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Honing Your Academic Writing Skills: Divinity School Series
Is one of your goals this year to improve your academic writing? Are you returning to academia after a break? If so, we invite you start the semester strong by attending the GWL’s four-part series on Honing Your Academic Writing Skills. The series will feature sessions on the following key skillsets: Part 1: Critically reading scholarly works and effectively taking notes (Sept. 23) Part 2: …
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Crafting Effective Research and Personal Statements for Humanities & Social Science Fellowships
Applying for a fellowship in the humanities or social sciences? This two-part series will give you the tools to present yourself as a compelling scholar doing impactful research. You’ll develop strategies for writing about yourself and for presenting your project to a non-specialist audience. Join us to build your skills in these critical genres and get one step closer to securing funds to supp…
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Crafting Effective Personal and Research Statements for STEM Fellowships
Are you planning to apply for a fellowship or grant in the sciences? In this short series, you will learn key guidelines and strategies to help you start or improve your application! The writing techniques we will discuss apply to a wide range of fellowships, including federal and private opportunities. 1. Personal Statements (9/30): We will discuss how to best narrate your experiences to s…
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Autumn All Writes: September Edition
Get ahead on your fall writing projects at our first All Writes of the new academic year. Join your fellow graduate students to set goals, eliminate distractions, and get some focused writing done. We will provide opportunities for connection, a quiet writing space, and sustenance (beverages, snacks, and dinner). You will help us create community, accountability, and support as we build our wr…
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Writing a Research Paper from A to Z in the Humanities and Social Sciences Series
This 5-Part Series will walk you through drafting, refining, and submitting your Fall 2026 research papers in the humanities or qualitative social science. Throughout, you will develop your confidence as a research writer, work on developing a flexible and reflective writing process, and experiment with different ways to contribute to an academic conversation while retaining your voice. The 5-s…
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Fall Weekend Writing Retreat: Saturday, 10/10
Join your fellow graduate students to set goals, eliminate distractions, and get some focused writing done. We will provide quiet writing space and sustenance (breakfast, lunch, and plenty of snacks). You will help us create community, accountability, and support as we build our writing momentum together. Please note: We will be checking registered participants in, so make sure that you have…
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Fall Weekend Writing Retreat: Sunday, 10/11
Join your fellow graduate students to set goals, eliminate distractions, and get some focused writing done. We will provide quiet writing space and sustenance (breakfast, lunch, and plenty of snacks). You will help us create community, accountability, and support as we build our writing momentum together. Please note: We will be checking registered participants in, so make sure that you have…
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Foundational Writing Skills in STEM Series
Ready to develop critical writing skills that will carry you through all your graduate research projects? Join us to explore and build on the cornerstones of effective scientific writing: Part 1: Write For Your Audience: Introduction to Scientific Writing Genres (10/12) Part 2: Keep up with the Literature: Reading, Evaluating, and Synthesizing Papers (10/19) Part 3: Conquer the Blank Page: …
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ITW: AI in the Classroom
Generative AI has arrived in our classrooms, but what’s next? How do we have transparent conversations with our students about what these tools are and how or when to use them (or not use them)? In this workshop, we’ll discuss AI policy statements, Yale’s own AI tools and platforms, and how to center equity and accessibility in our conversations about AI for learning. Finally, participants …
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Course Design (2 Parts, Nov 12 & 19)
Designing your own course but don’t know where to start? Whether it’s your first time leading your own course or you’re just interested in improving your teaching, this two-part Advanced Teaching Workshop will walk you through where to start, what to focus on, and how to build an equitable and engaging curriculum. In this workshop, we will write learning objectives, design assessments, and buil…
We’re here to help!
Reach out to the Poorvu Center team if you have any questions or to learn more about our programs.