Spring 2026 CIRTL Network Programming

This spring CIRTL is offering 5 workshops, one short course, and two events for graduate students and postdocs pursuing teaching careers in higher education, in addition to our year-round self-paced courses. You can read detailed descriptions of this programming below, and at the bottom of this page you can find a matrix showing how each offering addresses CIRTL’s learning goals:

• Goal 1: Develop evidence-based teaching knowledge
• Goal 2: Connect with community to enhance teaching
• Goal 3: Cultivate teaching skills through reflective improvement
• Goal 4: Prepare for an impactful career

We will announce programming schedules and registration dates by late November/early December. Anyone can register to attend programming, but participants from CIRTL member institutions and alumni will receive priority when registering for programming with limited seats; capped programming typically reaches capacity within a week of registration opening.

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive programming updates. Questions? Contact CIRTL’s help desk at registration@cirtl.net.

Workshops

Preparing Your Teaching Demo for a Job Interview

As part of the interview process for a faculty position in the U.S., you may be asked to lead a teaching demonstration. In this one-part workshop, we’ll discuss ways to go into your teaching demo with preparedness, confidence, and adaptability. This workshop meets online in Zoom on Thursday, January 15th at 10-11:30pm Gulf / 1-2:30pm Eastern / 12-1:30pm Central / 11am-12:30pm Arizona / 10-11:30am Pacific.

• CIRTL learning goals: 2, 4
• Learning level: introductory
• Cap: 50; registration opens on Monday, December 29th at 10am CT

Pedagogies of Care: Accessible Teaching, Systemic Barriers, & Care in Your Discipline

How can educators sustain care for themselves and their students amid growing institutional pressures, shifting technologies, and increasing demands on their time and attention? In this one-part workshop for educators with some teaching experience, participants will reflect on what care looks like in their classrooms, what gets in the way of practicing it, and how their disciplines shape (or neglect) its meaning. This workshop meets online in Zoom on Wednesday, January 21st at 8-10pm Gulf / 11am-1pm Eastern / 10am-12pm Central / 9-11am Arizona / 8-10am Pacific.

• CIRTL learning goals: 1, 2, 3, 4
• Learning level: intermediate
• Cap: 25; registration opens Monday, January 5th at 10am CT

Maximizing Learning Outcomes from Instructional Demonstration: Balancing Instructor- and Student-Led Experiential Learning

Are you looking to enhance your teaching methods and boost student engagement in your classroom? Join us for this one-part workshop designed for educators who use demonstrations to reinforce learning objectives. This workshop meets online in Zoom on Tuesday, February 17th at 9-11pm Gulf / 12-2pm Eastern / 11am-1pm Central / 10am-12pm Arizona / 9-11am Pacific.

• CIRTL learning goals: 1, 2, 3, 4
• Learning level: introductory/intermediate
• Cap: 50; registration opens on Monday, February 2nd at 10am CT

Quick Tips for Teaching

Teaching can seem like a mysterious juggling act, especially when we first enter the field. In this interactive one-part workshop, participants will explore practical tips from the research literature, their own teaching experience, and other instructors. This workshop meets online in Zoom on Monday, February 23rd at 10-11:30pm Gulf / 1-2:30pm Eastern / 12-1:30pm Central / 11am-12:30pm Arizona / 10-11:30am Pacific.

• CIRTL learning goals: 1, 2, 4
• Learning level: introductory
• Cap: 50; registration opens on Monday, February 9th at 10am CT

Decentering Grades: Getting Started with Ungrading for Future Faculty 

Have you or your students been frustrated by grading structures in class or felt that education has become too much about grading and ranking? This one-part workshop introduces a few common “ungrading” practices and explores how they can be adapted for use for graduate instructors and TAs. Designed for future faculty, this offering aims to engage participants to consider the principles and practices of ungrading, even if they do not currently have the authority to fully reform grading practices at their institutions. This workshop meets online in Zoom on Monday, March 2nd at 8-10pm Gulf / 11am-1pm Eastern / 10am-12pm Central / 9-11am Arizona / 8-10am Pacific.

• CIRTL learning goals: 1, 2, 3
• Learning level: intermediate
• Cap: 30; registration opens on Monday, February 16th at 10am CT

Courses

Research Mentor Training

Work with a community of peers to develop and improve your research mentoring skills in this 6-week seminar-style short course. Students will develop their personal mentoring philosophy, learn how to articulate that philosophy across a variety of disciplines, and refine strategies for dealing with mentoring challenges. Schedule TBD.

• CIRTL learning goals: 1, 2
• Learning level: intermediate
• Cap: 25; registration TBD

Events

CIRTL Network Teaching-as-Research Presentations

Hear graduate students and postdocs from across the CIRTL Network share the results of their Teaching-as-Research (TAR) projects in this online event. In TAR projects, future faculty explore a specific question about teaching and learning, design and implement some sort of classroom-based intervention to test that question, and consider how they might adjust their teaching practices based on what the results show. TAR is a cornerstone of CIRTL’s work in developing reflective practitioners that support learning for all. This event takes place in Zoom on Wednesday, April 8th at 8-9:30pm Gulf / 12-1:30pm Eastern / 11am-12:30pm Central / 9-10:30am Pacific/Arizona.

• CIRTL learning goals: 3
• Learning level: introductory
• No cap; registration TBD

The Joyful Journey: Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Scholar Professional Development Series

Get a sampler of academic professional development in this 8-part event series covering everything from the academic hiring process, to defining your teaching philosophy, to careers outside academia. Events in this series take place on Thursdays, starting January 22nd and ending March 12 at 4-5pm Eastern / 3-4pm Central / 1-2pm Pacific.

• CIRTL learning goals: 4
• Learning level: introductory
• No cap; registration TBD

Spring Programming & CIRTL Learning Goals

All programming aligns with CIRTL’s 4 learning goals at introductory, intermediate, or advanced levels. Here, you can see how our fall programming provides different learning experiences for each learning goal.