Welcome to Graduate Student Programming at the CTL

Purpose and Scope of Graduate Student Programming

Grad Student

Graduate student programming at CTL is open to all current graduate students – whether or not you are currently a Teaching Assistant – as well as postdoctoral scholars.

As valuable members of the University teaching and learning community, graduate students inhabit complex roles that support teaching excellence at Western. Whether you are a marking TA, holding office hours, running labs or tutorials, facilitating discussions or giving lectures, or working on your pedagogical learning outside of a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) role, you hold an important and unique position as both a learner and educator. Our programs and resources are designed to empower you to practice, refine, reflect on, and develop your teaching at Western and beyond.

Looking for quick tips, strategies, and open educational resources (OERs)?

Feel free to check out our faculty and graduate student resources page for helpful teaching strategies and approaches.

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We are here to support graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in their teaching development at Western and to prepare them for roles as Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs), course instructors, and future faculty or other teaching roles in and beyond the university. The pedagogical skills gained while completing our programming during your studies benefit you now and as you pursue your future careers in higher education or teaching in non-academic fields. We offer a range of online, blended, and in-person programs that offer valuable insights into teaching practice and teaching professional development strategies. At CTL, we are committed to providing an equitable, inclusive, and accessible environment.

Our main offices are located on the second floor of Weldon Library, Room 200. Please note that most of our programming takes place during the academic year between September and April.

Overview of Graduate Student Programming

Western Certificate in University Teaching and Learning Own Your Future: Conference on Teaching Communities of Practice and Care TA Day Resource TAs

Our graduate student programming is designed to support graduate students in building effective, evidence-informed pedagogical practices. Grounded in WCT&L’s core principles, including inclusive teaching, decolonizing practices, the Students-as-Partners framework, and reflective practice, these programs help graduate educators, including Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs), develop tangible skills they can apply directly in their current and future teaching roles.

We offer a range of workshops and programs across modalities that can be taken in two flexible ways:

Individually: Graduate students can register for sessions that fit their immediate needs and schedules.

As part of the Western Certificate in University Teaching and Learning (WCUTL): Students can complete a structured series of offerings to earn this Certificate, which recognizes sustained engagement and development in teaching.

This flexible design allows graduate students to progress through the certificate at their own pace while engaging meaningfully with teaching development.

Please note that postdoctoral scholars are eligible for and welcome to attend all graduate programming at CTL, except for SGPS 9500: The Theory and Practice of University Teaching.

Program-Specific Customized Sessions

In addition to our regular programming, we are very happy to partner with departments / programs to offer orientation sessions, customized workshops, or asynchronous modules tailored to specific disciplinary contexts, TA roles, or program needs. These offerings can be adapted in format, content, and timing to best support grad students across interdisciplinary considerations and contexts. If you would like to inquire about opportunities for in-program sessions for graduate students / GTAs, please reach out to us at ctl@uwo.ca.

Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Graduate Student Programs

The TA Team at CTL recognizes that engaging in equity-oriented, responsive, and accessible approaches to teaching and learning are essential in supporting deep learning, building relationships, and facilitating the outcomes of the microteaching programs. We welcome a wide range of lived experiences, language backgrounds, identities, cultural backgrounds, genders, races, sexualities, disabilities, and other complex intersectional identities – not least because this diversity enriches and enhances learning communities. In our work, we approach teaching and learning through collaborative discussions and activities, a commitment to constructive and actionable feedback, and by modelling an ethics of care through intentional community and relationship building. We are committed to embodying and modelling this approach through careful facilitation, the welcoming of differences, and an intercultural and culturally relevant approach to teaching.

TATP Instructors 2026 – 2027

TATP Instructors are graduate students from across Western University who have significant experience as Graduate Teaching Assistants or course instructors. They support participants in CTL programming by leading workshops in the TA Training Program, facilitating microteaching sessions, and sharing information about graduate programming at outreach fairs and events. This year’s instructors are: Shahnaz Shahid Ali (Nursing), Lucas Riboli Besen (Health Information Science), Anastazia Csegeny (Media Studies), Sari Heru (Hispanic Studies), Arameh Khadjevand (Hispanic Studies), Gabriela Martinez Loyola (Hispanic Studies), Richard Martinez Loyola (Education), Alexandra Lukawski (English and Writing Studies), Luis Brito Patricio (Geography and Environment), Ashley Rodrigues (Psychology), KJ Uyeno (Kinesiology), Kristen Zinger (Education).