The Teaching Network for Early Career Faculty is a cohort-based, collegial program for faculty who consider themselves new, or relatively new, to teaching at GW.

Benefits

Participating in the Teaching Network gives you:

• Ongoing, practical support for teaching around topics of common interest
• A community of faculty peers from across GW
• Feedback on your teaching from the Faculty Development team and your peers
• Automatic acceptance into the Course Design Institute (CDI), either our Semester or May version
• A letter of completion for tenure and promotion packets upon successful completion of core activities
• A copy of Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning, by James M. Lang, to keep
• Great conversation and socializing

The Network is completely free of charge to GW faculty.

Apply now!

Applications for the ‘26–’27 Teaching Network cohort close Monday, September 28, at 5:00 p.m.

Structure & Eligibility

• Who’s it for? All GW faculty from any school, track, or appointment type (including adjunct/part-time) who are new or relatively new to teaching at GW and want to discuss teaching in a collegial environment. Prior participants have had teaching experience ranging from 0 to 10+ years.
• What’s the time commitment? Six, two-hour virtual meetings (four in Fall, two in Spring), plus peer classroom observations scheduled at your convenience in February. If you need to miss one session, that’s no problem; just let us know.
• What is the core expectation? A commitment to consistent attendance to build a trusted, confidential community.
• What topics are addressed? In addition to discussing topics of interest to participants, we examine active learning and discussion techniques, how to create clear and motivating assignments, and structuring engaging and well-paced class sessions.
• What feedback will I receive? The program includes an opportunity in late October to get Midsemester Student Feedback, collected by a member of the Faculty Development team at the end of a class session, peer feedback on an assignment description, and the peer classroom observations in February. During those observations, you will welcome two fellow participants to one of your classes and visit two others’ classrooms.

If you have questions about the structure of the program or whether it is right for you, please reach out to us at teaching@gwu.edu.

2026–27 Schedule & Application

The Network will meet on Zoom from 1:00–3:00 p.m. on the following Tuesdays:

• October 6
• October 20
• November 3
• November 17
• January 26, 2027
• March 2, 2027

The Teaching Network application is available as a Google form. The questions are designed to help us build a diverse, well-rounded cohort and to allow you to share why you are interested in participating.

Testimonials from Faculty Alumni

For a full list of Teaching Network alumni since the program’s inception, see Teaching Network alumni.

• “I walked away from this experience more knowledgeable, with tools, confidence in my teaching, and connected with a wonderful group of people. This was special.”
• “I had a great experience with the Teaching Network. It helped to build my community at GW and helped me feel less alone. It also helped me realize that many of the things I struggle with, others did as well.”
• “My biggest takeaway was the knowledge, expertise, and passion from a multidisciplinary group of professors who want to become change agents and transform students' learning experiences.”