Undergraduate Student Conversations While not all undergraduate students of today will become the faculty of tomorrow, many of the attributes and skills of a good teacher (such as communication skills, understanding of different perspectives, familiarity of a topic, etc.) are also valuable for non-teachers. By engaging them in discussions about teaching and learning, you not only help them understand the teaching/learning process better, but you also gain insight into the experience of your students which can influence your approach to teaching. Creating opportunities for undergraduate students to engage in conversations about teaching and learning can not only be a valuable method to improve teaching, but can also be an important component in the process of establishing a safe, collegial, and nurturing learning environment. Ask students how they’re learning to THINK like professionals in the discipline...conversations about how that happens or doesn’t happen for them. Opportunities for you to participate, or to encourage others to are listed below. You may choose to refer someone to an existing program, become a part of existing program yourself, or create new opportunities for discussions to take place in your department or college. You may wish to use one, or a combination of the following structures to create a space for discussions about teaching and learning: Pedagogical Course (credit course/colloquium/seminar designed to engage graduate students in pedagogical discussions) Engineering course ILSE School of Ed Graduate Student Training Workshops (discipline specific, and cross-disciplinary pedagogical training workshops) TAA COE TIP/TAO EDRC workshops (mandated for TA’s and PA’s) Humanities Business School Biology (ILSE) Student Organizations COE Teaching Fellows ASEE (American Society of Engineering Educators) ILSE TAA