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. We read Small Teaching by James Lang, a highly regarded guide to research-supported ideas for small, immediately impactful classroom techniques. 

The time commitment is six two-hour sessions between October and March, and a peer review process in February.

Topics Addressed Include:

• Structuring a class period
• Increasing student motivation
• Facilitating meaningful class discussions
• Designing assignments (transparency framework)
• Collecting and evaluating feedback
• Assessing teaching

...as well as your questions and concerns!

In the spring, there are repeated opportunities to give and receive feedback on your teaching. We set up a process for classroom visits by your network peers. Then, you will have the opportunity to apply what you learned and receive additional feedback. Visits will be scheduled around your availability and class schedule. We celebrate the end of the year with a graduation gathering.

Apply to join the 2025–26 Teaching Network

Apply by October 1, 2025.

Benefits

Extensive feedback from faculty indicates that most successful instructors are not born teachers. Rather, they develop confidence and ease in their teaching with coaching and feedback from a supportive network. With this in mind, the program provides: 

• Six months of support for teaching
• A community of faculty peers from across GW
• A letter of completion for tenure and promotion packets upon successful completion of all activities
• Automatic acceptance into the Course Design Institute (CDI) in May
• A copy of Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning (2016) by James M. Lang
• Great conversation and socializing

Here's what some recent past participants told us about what they got out of the program:

• “I walked away from this experience more knowledgeable, with tools, confidence in my teaching, and connected with a wonderful group of people.”
• “Being with voices from other schools was an incredible experience.”

Learning Objectives

By being part of the Teaching Network cohort, you will be able to:

• Develop engaging and well-paced class sessions
• Create assignments that are clear and motivating
• Develop active learning techniques for your course
• Give and receive feedback on classroom teaching with faculty peers
• Discuss ways to evaluate your own teaching and to interpret course evaluations

Eligibility

This program is offered free of charge to all GW faculty members who consider themselves to be early career. Since concepts in this program build on each other, it is important that everyone agrees to attend sessions consistently. When the schedule for the year is posted, if you know you will need to miss a session, please use the form to contact us to work things out. We ask for an application to learn about you and what you hope to gain from the Network.

Please keep in mind that the CTE offers additional workshops and consultations if you are unable to commit to the Network at this time.

Location, Dates, and Time

2025–2026 Schedule

The program will be virtual again this year. We will try to hold an in-person social gathering should health concerns allow it. 

Format: Six two-hour sessions, plus classroom visits held virtually from 12–2pm on these Tuesdays: 

• October 7
• October 21
• November 4
• November 18
• January 27
• February (peer review process, scheduled at everyone's convenience)
• March 3

Apply to join the 2025–26 Teaching Network

Apply by October 1, 2025.

If you have questions about the program, please email teaching@gwu.edu.

Alumni

See a list of faculty who have participated in the Teaching Network since its inception in 2017.