GSI Guidebook

The GSI Guidebook is available to Departments, faculty, and GSIs free of charge. Please call 764-0505 or email crlt@umich.edu for copies.

Table of Contents:

Preface

• Letter from the President (pdf)
• The Vital Role of Graduate Student Instructors
• Introduction to the GSI Guidebook

Part One: Getting Started

• University of Michigan Student Profiles (pdf)
• U of M Undergraduates, Responses to Diversity Issues & General Student Experiences
• U of M Speak: A Glossary of Terms
• Questions Frequently Asked by U-M GSIs
• Directory of Resources
• Suggestions for New Graduate Student Instructors Who Have Been Educated Abroad
• Teaching Effectively with GSI-Faculty Teams
• Legal Issues for Classroom Teaching

Part Two: Preparing to Teach

• Creating Your Syllabus
• Sample Section Syllabi (pdf)
• Sample Course Syllabus (pdf)
• Sample Lab Syllabus (pdf)
• Strategies for Effective Lesson Planning
• Sample Lesson Plans

Part Three: Diversity in the U-M Classroom

• Diversity and Inclusion in the Classroom (available only in print form)
• Teaching for Retention in Science, Engineering, and Mathematics: A Guide for Graduate Student Instructors
• Diversity Issues for the Instructor

Part Four: Getting Students Involved in Learning

• Guidelines for Class Participation
• Guidelines for Using Groups Effectively
• Constructing and Maintaining Authority in Inclusive Classrooms
• Dealing with Troublesome Behaviors in the Classroom (available only in print form)
• Practical Guidelines for Using Technology Tools in Classroom Teaching
• How Does Your “Online Identity” Impact Classroom Climate?: Strategies for Managing E-mail Communications and Social Networking Sites
• Guidelines for the Use of Social Media
• Strategies to Extend Student Thinking
• Using Writing to Teach Something Else (available only in print form)
• Learning and Teaching During Office Hours
• Seven Principles for Good Practice: Enhancing Student Learning
• Research-based Principles of Learning & Teaching Strategies
• Selected Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) for Getting Feedback on Student Learning

Part Five: Leading Discussions

• The Dreaded Discussion: Ten Ways to Start
• Effective Questioning (available only in print form)
• A Typology of Questions (available only in print form)
• Managing Hot Moments in the Classroom

Part Six: Leading Laboratory Sections

• Getting Started with a Laboratory Class
• Things to do Before Classes Begin: Checklist
• Laboratory course Contacts List
• Preparing to Run a Laboratory Class
• The First Day of Class
• Strategies for Effective Teaching in the Laboratory Class
• Laboratory Safety
• Strategies for Managing Discussions with Groups in the Laboratory Class
• Strategies for Developing Students' Group Work Skills in the Laboratory Class
• Best Practices for Grading Laboratory Reports
• Sample Laboratory Report Rubrics

Part Seven: Giving Lectures and Explanations

• How to Make Lectures More Effective (available only in print form)

Part Eight: Testing and Grading

• Best Practices for Designing and Grading Exams
• Responding to Student Writing – Principles and Practices
• Responding to Student Writing - A Sample Commenting Protocol
• Heuristic for the Writer of Writing Assignment
• Grades at U-M
• Academic Integrity in the Classroom
• Integrity: Academic and Political: A Letter to My Students (available only in print form)

Part Nine: Improving Your Teaching

• Improving Your Teaching: Obtaining Feedback
• Early Feedback Form (pdf)
• Teaching Strategies
• Disciplinary Resources

Part Ten: Policies Related to Teaching

• Obtaining Information on Academic Policies
• Gender and Respect in the University Community
• U-M Policy on Instructor-Student Relationships (pdf)
• Information for Students Regarding Religious-Academic Conflicts

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