Courses Offered by the Graduate School

Toward the goal of transforming graduate education at Virginia Tech, the Graduate School has created a series of graduate courses and experiences designed to better prepare and equip our graduate students with knowledge and skills for meaningful and relevant contributions as citizens in the 21st century. The courses include the following:

GTA Training Workshop - GRAD 5004
Instructor: Dr. Anne McNabb
1 Hour/1 Credit

A three-day orientation to the role of a GTA at Virginia Tech and review by experienced faculty and GTAs of essential guidelines for effective classroom and laboratory communication and management. Microteaching component completes the program. Pass/Fail only.

GTA Training Workshop details

Offered in the Fall

Preparing the Future Professoriate - GRAD 5104
Instructor: Dr. Karen P. DePauw
3 Hours/3 Credits

The purpose of the course is to provide doctoral students with an understanding and contextual knowledge of the professoriate and issues facing higher education. These topics include the changing nature of faculty roles and expectations, changing nature of the students/learners, increasing role of technology and distance education in higher education, paradigm shifts in the academe, ethical issues, and external forces influencing the college/university.
Graduate standing is required.

Offered Spring 2008:
M 6:00pm-9:00pm, Graduate Life Center, Room B; CRN#13242

Contemporary Pedagogy - GRAD 5114
Instructor: Dr. Shelli Fowler
3 Hours/3 Credits

This seminar will engage participants in an interdisciplinary exploration of pedagogical practices for different courses taught in different contexts. This course will examine teaching to diverse groups with inclusive pedagogy, integrating global contexts with innovative e-learning components, and using problem-based learning across the disciplines. Participants will discover ways to negotiate the changing demographics of contemporary teaching sites, and undertake an overview of the uses and benefits of electronic portfolios both as a teaching tool and as a professional development tool. Graduate standing is required.

Offered Spring 2008:
M 6:00pm-8:50pm, 1020 Torgersen; CRN#13243

Library Research Skills Graduate Study - GRAD 5124
Instructor: Vicki Kok
3 Hours/3 Credits

Understand the print and electronic library general and subject-specific information resources and enhance the student's knowledge of information retrieval and management skills through database management and searching technique. Create personal databases using commercial database management programs. Demonstrate and evaluate websites and demonstrate an understanding of electronic thesis and dissertations.

Offered Spring 2008:
Th 4:00pm-5:00pm, Randolph 206A; CRN#13244

Citizen Scholar Seminar - GRAD 5204
Instructor: Dr. Karen P. DePauw
3 Hours/3 Credits

This course is focused on understanding the value of being a citizen-scholar, elucidating the connection between scholarship & citizenship in contemporary global society and encouraging engagement in "public scholarship" – scholarship in service to the community, the state, the nation and the world.

Offered Spring 2008:
W 10:00am-12:00pm, Graduate Life Center, Room B, CRN#13245

Workshop in Computational Science - GRAD 5964
Instructors: Dr. James Turner, Dr. Nicholas Polys, Dr. Cal Ribbens
3 Hours Weekly/2 Credits

The primary goal of the GEDI course/workshop is to introduce students to the computational tools and required skills needed for developing simulation programs for a wide range of real-world applications, using a common set of generic algorithms and software tools. No previous knowledge of numerical methods or programming languages will be assumed. Please join your colleagues from a variety of disciplines in an exploration of innovative technologies for 21st-century graduate students.

Offered Spring 2007:
T 6:00pm-9:00pm, Torgerson 3080 (February 20-April 10), CRN# 13173

Preparing the Future Career Professional - GRAD 5984
Instructor: Dr. Karen P. DePauw
3 Hours/3 Credits

Career Development-Future Professional - GRAD 5304
Instructor: Dr. Brian Mihalik
3 Hours/3Credits

Offered Spring 2008:
W 1:00pm-3:30pm, Graduate Life Center, Room B, CRN#16329

Oral Communication for International Graduate Teaching Assistants (ESL II) - English 0014
Instructor: Dr. Donald McKeon
3 hours weekly/1 credit

As a training course for international teaching assistants, Oral Communication for international GTAs consists of two main parts: (1) guidelines for teaching at the undergraduate level in this country, including (a) an orientation to U.S. classroom patterns and expectations and (b) an introduction to effective communication techniques in the class and laboratory; and (2) practice in presenting classroom material at the appropriate undergraduate level. In addition to giving short first-day segments of a course he/she will eventually teach, each student gives six 10-20 minute talks on material within the syllabus. Individual consultations with the instructor, including videotape playback, follow each presentation.