Yale’s postdoctoral community is a critical partner in the university’s research efforts. The Poorvu Center offers tailored resources and consultations to support your professional growth and development as an instructor. We look forward to working with you to prepare for a career in teaching.
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.
Intermediate and Advanced Teaching Workshops
Programs to help postdoctoral and teaching fellows gain critical skills to transition into a faculty position.
If you are teaching regularly as an instructor-of-record, you may also find our faculty events series to be relevant and supportive of your teaching here at Yale.
Postdoctoral Scholars Teaching Communities
Structured space to share experiences, reflect on teaching practices, and refine ideas with peers and colleagues.
If you are teaching regularly as an instructor-of-record, you may also find our faculty teaching communities to be relevant and supportive of your teaching here at Yale.
Teaching Consultations and Observations
Confidential, individual consultations for you and a member of the Poorvu Center team to discuss course goals, semester plans, teaching practices, and course issues or concerns.
Teaching Programs
Specialized programs to support your teaching development with a focus on community-building and reflection.
Programs for You
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Writing Workshops and Panels
Workshops, information sessions, and panel events to help you grow your writing practice and expand your writing and presentation skills.
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Writing Resources for Graduate Students
A range of online writing resources, handouts, model texts, and writing exercises to help you grow as a writer.
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Academic Job Search Workshops
Explore essential strategies for navigating the academic job market, from showcasing your teaching experience in an application to preparing for interviews with confidence.
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Spring Teaching Forum
Designed to encourage interdisciplinary conversation and community, these events address timely topics about teaching at Yale, ranging from AI to grading.
Resources for Postdoctoral Scholars
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- Teaching
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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- Teaching
Active Learning
Active learning is instruction that creates opportunities for students to actively participate in the knowledge-making process.
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- AI
- Teaching
AI Guidance for Teachers
A guide and list of Yale-related AI resources for faculty instructors interested in using or discussing AI in the classroom.
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Upcoming Events
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Open Educational Resources Showcase
For the past three years, language faculty members have been creating Open Educational Resources (OERs) through a pilot of Pressbooks, an online publishing platform, supported by Yale Library, the Poorvu Center, and the Center for Language Study. Professors have leveraged the affordances of Pressbooks and OER concepts - interactivity, multimedia, affordability, accessibility, customizability - …
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Rosenkranz Award for Pedagogical Advancement Showcase
Join us for the 2026 Rosenkranz Award for Pedagogical Advancement Showcase. In this showcase you will see innovative teaching projects developed by Yale instructors who received Rosenkranz funding to advance student learning. Awardees used their grants to design and implement meaningful pedagogical interventions, from new course structures and digital tools to experiential learning opportunitie…
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Spring Teaching Forum: Reclaiming and Sustaining Joy in the Classroom
How do we sustain our joy in teaching? Alternatively, how might the joy we reclaim in the classroom sustain us outside of it? We first explored this topic in a 2009 Spring Teaching Forum. 17 years later, against the backdrop of an increasingly fraught national and international landscape, can we imagine our classrooms as places of refuge and hope? This event will explore how teaching might help… -
CCTP Orientation and Learning Community Meetup (Virtual) (4/27)
Look ahead to the summer with the CCTP community! The first half hour will introduce the Certificate of College Teaching Preparation (CCTP)—what it is and how to get involved. Afterward, stick around to find a learning community or socialize! Whether you’re brand new, curious about the CCTP, or already working on your certificate, this is your chance to meet others pursuing the CCTP and find… -
ATW: Preparing the Teaching Statement (Online - 4/17)
How can your teaching statement offer a clear and compelling description of you as an instructor to future employers? This hands-on workshop offers strategies and suggestions on how to present your teaching principles and practices on the academic job market. We will review examples of successful teaching statements, explore the expectations of the genre, and discuss how to make the most of thi… -
Linked ITW-to-ATW: Care and Repair in the Classroom (4/8, 4/15)
As educators, we have an immense responsibility to cultivate student’s intellectual development, yet our position also offers a profound opportunity to foster care and connectedness. Opening learning spaces to authenticity and vulnerability can enrich the classroom community and establish a lasting practice of care in students and educators. This practice of care in turn promotes resiliency, be…
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ATW: Equitable Assessments and Grading Systems
Why do we grade the way we do? What do the grades we give communicate to our students, and how can we untangle grading from assessment? In this workshop, we will explore contemporary debates about (and alternatives to) traditional grading, discuss the power and limitations of instructors within academic institutions, and learn about different approaches to assessment. Participants will practice…
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Linked ITW-to-ATW: Care and Repair in the Classroom (4/8, 4/15)
As educators, we have an immense responsibility to cultivate student’s intellectual development, yet our position also offers a profound opportunity to foster care and connectedness. Opening learning spaces to authenticity and vulnerability can enrich the classroom community and establish a lasting practice of care in students and educators. This practice of care in turn promotes resiliency, be…
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Faculty Bulldog Days Lunch Reception
Join colleagues from across Yale for a Faculty Bulldog Days Lunch Reception celebrating our shared commitment to teaching and learning. This gathering offers a chance to connect with fellow instructors, reflect on classroom visits from the week, and continue conversations sparked by observing one another’s teaching. Enjoy good food, lively discussion, and the opportunity to strengthen our commu…
We’re here to help!
Reach out to the Poorvu Center team if you have any questions or to learn more about our programs.