Boston College’s English Department Ph.D. Pedagogy Seminar Goes Hybrid
Noël Ingram & Kelly Gray revamped the structure of the candidate-run Ph.D. Pedagogy Seminar to make it more responsive to new teachers’ needs.
By Noël Ingram & Kelly Gray
When Noël Ingram and Kelly Gray took over the directorship of the candidate-run Ph.D. Pedagogy Seminar for the 2023-2024 academic year they decided to entirely revamp the structure to make it more responsive to new teachers’ needs.
Hybrid Learning: A Holistic Approach
The 2023-2024 Pedagogy Seminar introduced a flexible learning model that combines self-paced micro-courses on Canvas with monthly, in-person discussions. This approach allows for a diverse participation responsive to participants’ needs. The seminar's content was designed jointly by Noël Ingram and Kelly Gray. The revised seminar combines Kelly’s critical insights into the needs of new instructors and successful year of teaching both First Year Writing and Literature Core at Boston College with Noël’s formal educational training and decade’s experience as a classroom educator. Together, their complementary approaches make for seminar offerings that target the most crucial areas of need for new instructors that are grounded in educational theory and best practices.
The seminar is also structured around an understanding of education as a collaborative act, both inside and outside of the classroom. For this reason, new instructors workshop their course materials for teaching First Year Writing, Literature Core, or various electives together in seminar meetings. The seminar is designed in this way so that participants can leave feeling prepared and confident in their ability to create syllabi, assignment sequences, and daily lesson plans that meet student needs.
Exploring Key Dimensions of Pedagogical Mastery
Structured around six distinct dimensions, the seminar’s newly designed curricula aim to equip new instructors with the tools they need to enter the classroom with confidence:
Engaging with and Teaching GenAI
Instructional Design
Classroom Management
Facilitation & Engagement
Caring & Inclusiveness
Digital Pedagogies
Digital Badges: Showcasing Pedagogical Best Practices
Each pedagogical dimension is aligned with a digital badge, which participants can earn as tangible proof of their commitment to and mastery of various pedagogical practices as they progress through micro-courses and contribute to live discussions.
A screenshot showing the digital badges that participants are eligible to earn on Canvas Credential’s public issuer page. Noël designed each of the badges following the Open Badges framework. You can learn more about each badge by visiting the public issuer page here.
Capstone Recognition for Professional Development
At the end of the academic year, participants can earn a certificate signifying successful completion of the entire Pedagogy Seminar. This recognition acknowledges their dedication to continuous professional development and proficiency in navigating both asynchronous and synchronous learning components.
Responsive Teaching Practices
Noël and Kelly have also partnered with Boston College’s Center for Student Wellness to offer QPR Suicide Prevention Gatekeeping training for graduate student instructors. This new addition to the pedagogy seminar gives participants access to evidence-based suicide prevention training so they can learn how to respond to students in crisis and connect them to resources on campus.
How to Get Involved
Participation is required for second and third-year Ph.D. graduate students but is open to all interested. For more information, reach out to Noël Ingram and Kelly Gray.