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Graduate and Undergraduate Student Instructor Orientation (GUSIO)

Do you have a teaching appointment this coming semester as a grader, teaching assistant, or an instructor of record? Are you interested in learning some evidence-based strategies that will help you to effectively and efficiently fulfill that role? If so, attend our Graduate and Undergraduate Student Instructor Orientation (GUSIO) training. 

Register for GUSIO!

The AY 2024-2025 GUSIO Canvas Course is now available.

This course features the same five, online, asynchronous seminars as in past years (see list below) and will remain open throughaugust 2025. These seminars focus on different aspects of teaching and learning, and you and/or your department can select which ones you complete. Each seminar is comprised of 1-3 OLI modules and a Canvas Quiz, and should take approximately 90-120 minutes to complete. New and returning TAs are encouraged to attend, and all five seminars count towards the seminar requirement in the Eberly Center’s Future Faculty Program.

See descriptions of the sessions offered

  1. Creating a Welcoming and Supportive Climate from Day One
  2. Teaching Problem Solving in Recitations
  3. Conducting Productive and Engaging Discussions
  4. Working Well One-on-One with Students (e.g., in Office Hours)
  5. Grading and Providing Feedback… (choose one based on the expected type of homework assignment)
    1. …on Quantitative Assignments (Code, Problem Sets, Etc.)
    2. …on Writing Assignments (Papers, Lab Reports, etc.)

REGISTER HERE for all seminars. Once your registration has been processed (note: this may take up to 48 hours), you will be emailed instructions for self-enrolling in the GUSIO Canvas course. This course contains access to all seminar materials as well as links to the online modules. Once you are enrolled in the GUSIO Canvas course, you may complete the seminars at any time.

Please note: Eberly staff will record seminar completion in Grad App on a weekly basis, typically Fridays. If your department requires seminar attendance, you can show them your Eberly Record (a PDF transcript). You can download your transcript by logging in with your Andrew ID to seminars.eberly.cmu.edu and clicking My Eberly Activities. 

New! GUSIO Resource

New! GUSIO Discussion Guide (for TA coordinators)

Download here!

This resource is designed for Instructors and TA coordinators to use with their TAs, after the TAs have completed the online GUSIO seminars that are relevant for their TA appointments. Our goal is for you and your TAs to apply these evidence-based principles to your own teaching context, while simultaneously allowing the instructional team as a whole an opportunity to collaboratively brainstorm teaching techniques. 

Each seminar has its own set of suggested discussion questions that you can use or adapt. Feel free to add, delete, or modify questions to suit your context. These discussions will typically take 30-60 minutes.