Self-Paced Teaching & Learning Courses (2025-2026 Academic Year)
2025-08-01 - 2026-08-01
Develop your teaching & learning knowledge and skills in one of CIRTL’s 9 self-paced, asynchronous courses designed for graduate students and postdocs. These courses will launch and open for registration in the fall 2025 term. You can read detailed descriptions of this programming below. At the bottom of this page you can view a matrix showing how each self-paced course 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

Questions? Contact CIRTL’s help desk at registration@cirtl.net.

Self-paced full courses open for registration
An Introduction to Evidence-Based Undergraduate STEM Teaching
Get an overview of effective college teaching strategies and the research that supports them in this 8-part self-paced online course designed for graduate students and postdocs in STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and math).

CIRTL learning goals: 1, 2
Learning level: introductory
No registration restrictions
Read more and register now

Advancing Learning Through Evidence-Based STEM Teaching
Learn effective college-level teaching strategies that engage learners through active learning, as well as the research that supports them, in this 8-part self-paced online course designed for future faculty in STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and math). This course builds on “An Introduction to Evidence-Based Undergraduate STEM Teaching”; the intro course is recommended, but not required, as a prerequisite for participating in this course.

CIRTL learning goals: 1, 2, 3
Learning level: intermediate
No registration restrictions
Read more and register now

Self-paced short courses open for registration
Creating a Transgender Inclusive STEM Environment: A Course for Educators
Understand the climate for trans students in STEM disciplines, and learn specific ways to make your class environment more trans inclusive in this 4-part, self-paced online short course. Participants will begin with a snapshot of the cultural context for trans students and colleagues in STEM disciplines, get an introduction to a framework for trans inclusivity, and explore specific ways to apply that framework to your own practice.

CIRTL learning goals: 1, 3
Learning level: introductory
Registration restrictions: participants from member institutions and alumni only
Read more and register now

Effective Teaching and Learning: Promoting Student Engagement and Motivation Through Reflective and Metacognitive Strategies
Post-graduate STEM education presents unique opportunities and challenges in shaping professionals who can address complex scientific, technological, and societal issues. This 4-part, self-paced online short course is designed to equip educators with innovative teaching strategies and pedagogies that inspire transformative learning, deepen engagement, and foster meaningful connections between theoretical knowledge and professional practice.

CIRTL learning goals: 1, 3
Learning level: introductory
Registration restrictions: participants from member institutions and alumni only
Read more and register now

Incorporating Active Learning
Active learning is a commonly-used phrase that many have different conceptions of or attribute different characteristics to. In this 4-part, self-paced online short course, learn the basic components along with the benefits and limitations of active learning. Participants will use this knowledge to determine when active learning would be a benefit to the learning process and how they can apply new active learning strategies in the classroom.

CIRTL learning goals: 1, 2
Learning level: introductory
Registration restrictions: participants from member institutions and alumni only
Read more and register now

Making Large Classes Feel Smaller
Reflect on the challenges of teaching in large classes and your own pedagogical values as an instructor in order to find creative ways to support student learning and engagement. This 4-part, self-paced online short course explores common logistical challenges in large classes, considers how to apply evidence-based teaching practices in these environments, and invites participants to develop their own ideas for improved student engagement and participation.

CIRTL learning goals: 1, 3
Learning level: introductory
Registration restrictions: participants from member institutions and alumni only
Read more and register now

Research as a High Impact Practice in STEM Education
To broaden participation in research and make STEM disciplines more inclusive, instructors can demystify research early and often. One promising way to do this is to bring research practices into the classroom. This 4-part, self-paced online short course introduces strategies that instructors can use to connect students with meaningful, research-aligned learning experiences, no matter their starting point.

CIRTL learning goals: 1, 2
Learning level: introductory
Registration restrictions: participants from member institutions and alumni only
Read more and register now

When a Student Falls Behind
Given the rapid pace and large volume of technical content in STEM courses, instructors often see students fall behind the cadence of content in the course for a variety of reasons in a variety of ways. Once a student falls behind, this can impede learning significantly. This 5-part, self-paced online short course introduces how can instructors create policies and support for students that are not on the “same timeline” of learning as the intended pace of the course.

CIRTL learning goals: 1
Learning level: introductory
Registration restrictions: participants from member institutions and alumni only
Read more and register now

TA Principles and Strategies

Participants will gain a deeper understanding of their responsibilities as TAs and are empowered to contribute meaningfully to student success and the overall academic environment. This 7-part, self-paced online short course designed to support teaching assistants in developing essential skills across key areas of teaching and learning covers pedagogical principles, course design, effective teaching practices, assessment and feedback strategies, classroom management, time management, and professional communication.

CIRTL learning goals: 1, 2, 3
Learning level: introductory
Registration restrictions: participants from member institutions and alumni only
Read more and register now

Teaching Transferable Skills and Work-Integrated Learning in the College Classroom

Learn techniques for teaching transferable skills and work-integrated learning through re-imagining the nature of human competency, how people best learn complex skills, and how to re-design teaching activities accordingly. This 4-part, self-paced online short course will help learners practice how to articulate and then teach key skills relevant to your courses that are embedded in disciplinary content and cultural contexts.

CIRTL learning goals: 1, 2, 3, 4
Learning level: intermediate
Registration restrictions: participants from member institutions and alumni only
Read more and register now

Self-paced courses coming soon
Going Public: Strategies for Disseminating Your TAR Project

This course is focused on sharing the findings from your teaching-as-research (TAR) project with a broader audience in the form of published scholarship. This 5-part, self-paced online short course guides participants through pitching your work, finding academic journals and other outlets to publish in, knowing your audience, and how publication can support your academic career goals.

CIRTL learning goals: 3, 4
Learning level: advanced
Registration restrictions: participants from member institutions and alumni only
Registration opening Fall 2025

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

Course
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

When a Student Falls Behind
Introductory

An Introduction to Evidence-Based Undergraduate STEM Teaching
Introductory
Introductory

Research as a High Impact Practice in STEM Education
Introductory
Introductory

Incorporating Active Learning
Introductory
Introductory

Creating a Transgender Inclusive STEM Environment: A Course for Educators
Introductory

Introductory

Making Large Classes Feel Smaller
Introductory

Introductory

Effective Teaching and Learning: Promoting Student Engagement and Motivation Through Reflective and Metacognitive Strategies
Introductory

Introductory

Advancing Learning Through Evidence-Based STEM Teaching
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate

Going Public: Strategies for Disseminating Your TAR Project

Advanced
Advanced

TA Principles and Strategies
Introductory
Introductory
Introductory

Teaching Transferable Skills and Work-Integrated Learning in the College Classroom
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
