Teaching

The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) supports graduate student teaching through a series of collaborative efforts across campus.

LSA works with the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT), the Rackham Graduate School (Rackham), and English Language Institute (ELI) to support and promote seminars, trainings, and workshops to prepare graduate students for their role in the classroom at UM and as future faculty.

Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) English Language Preparation & Testing Policy

LSA requires any graduate student who does not have a 4-year undergraduate degree from an exclusively English-medium university to attend the English Language Institute's English preparation course (ELI 994) and pass the Oral English Test (OET) administered by the Michigan Language Assessment (MLA) before they may begin instructional appointments in LSA, e.g. GSI positions.

Successful completion of ELI 994 and the OET is a condition of employment as a GSI and must be completed before any GSI appointment can begin.

Graduate students can be waived from ELI 994 and/or the OET in some cases, based on their undergraduate institution, initial evaluation conducted by ELI, and overall success in ELI 994.

Please contact your graduate program for more details on the language evaluation and preparation course (ELI 994).

What is ELI 994?

ELI 994: College Teaching in the U.S.: Pedagogy, Culture, and Language is a GSI preparation courses for graduate students who are expected to be appointed as GSIs in LSA.

ELI 994 is run by the English Language Institute (ELI), a program within LSA, that serves members of the University of Michigan community by providing English for Academic Purposes courses and resources, GSI preparation, and TESOL courses that prepare students to teach English as a second or foreign language.

More information about the course can be found on the ELI 994 page, as well as the International GSI Program page.

ELI offers ELI 994 in the Summer and Winter semesters.

Summer ELI 994

The Summer ELI 994 course is for students who will be a GSI in their first semester/year at U-M.
This course is a 3-week intensive course held from mid-July to mid-August each year.
For students who are required to attend the Summer ELI 994 course, the University provides a living allowance of $45 per day. The University also provides housing in a designated University facility; students who choose not to live in this facility are not eligible for a housing alternative or housing payment.

Winter ELI 994

The Winter ELI 994 course is for students who will be a GSI after their first year at U-M. (These two courses are not interchangeable).
This course is a 10-week course for currently-enrolled students.

These two courses are not interchangeable.

Who is Required to Complete ELI 994 and the OET?

Students should contact their department's graduate office for more details on the language evaluation, ELI 994, and the OET.

Any LSA graduate student who does not have a 4-year undergraduate degree from an exclusively English-medium university is required to complete ELI 994 and the OET.

Departments work closely with the English Language Institute (ELI) and nominate students who must complete this requirement.

Department staff identify whether or not the student's four-year undergraduate institution was taught exclusively in English by consulting the World Higher Education Database. If the institution did not teach exclusively in English, the department staff will work with ELI and nominate the student to participate in ELI 994.

Graduate students can be waived from ELI 994 and/or the OET based on their undergraduate institute, initial evaluation conducted by ELI, and overall success in ELI 994.

The ELI GSI Advisor may grant a waiver of ELI 994 and the OET after the student has been nominated for the course. Waiver recommendations are given on a case-by-case basis. This is based on review of the student's previous experience with English in the U.S. and may include:

Successful classroom teaching experience with undergraduates at an English-medium university, substantiated by documentation such as student evaluations and/or a supervising professor’s evaluation memo.
Educational experience at the undergraduate level, e.g., exchange programs at U.S. colleges or universities.
Educational experience with U.S. high school students, e.g., high school/secondary school exchange programs.
Other educational experience at English-medium schools, for example, education at U.S. or international schools.
Work experience with U.S. undergraduate students, for example, college residential advisor.

Please note:

Even if a student receives a waiver for ELI 994 and/or the OET, the department may determine that the student is still required to complete ELI 994 and/or the OET.

What Happens After Students Take ELI 994?

There are several possible outcomes for students who take ELI 994.

After successful completion of ELI 994, ELI staff may recommend that a prospective GSI be waived from taking the OET.
A prospective GSI will move forward to take the OET.
If a prospective GSI does not successfully complete ELI 994, ELI will work with the student to

Any new GSI who has successfully completed ELI 994 has completed the equivalent of the CRLT GSI Teaching Orientation (CRLT GSITO) and should not be required to complete the CRLT GSITO. LSA units may require new GSIs to complete other departmental GSI training requirements.

LSA Technology Services - Resources

General:

The instructional support available to LSA faculty is also available to all GSIs with appointments to teach LSA courses.

LTC:

The LSA Learning and Teaching Consultants advise all LSA instructors, including GSIs, on how to create or adapt course activities, and how to take best advantage of LSA teaching spaces and technology. LTC is always available to assist GSIs with teaching concerns, whether that involves their own course or a section of a larger one. Request an appointment at any time!

Instructional Video:

The LSA Instructional Video team is available to design and create video and multimedia course materials for any LSA course or section. They have studio space available with a glassboard, and can also record on-site for demonstrations and walk-throughs. Request an appointment to start the planning process.

Course Accessibility:

Recent updates to ADA mean that fresh attention is being paid to the accessibility of all teaching materials, which includes what GSIs create. If any GSI would like assistance or advice on the accessibility of their materials and activities, LSA's Course Accessibility consultants are available to advise and tutor. Request an appointment to speak with someone one-on-one.

BlueCorps:

The BlueCorps student-to-student technology tutors offer in-class workshops and one-on-one tutoring for LSA students who need to use technology for class work, from Canvas to Adobe Premiere. If any instructor wants to try something new, and is not yet familiar with the tools it would take, BlueCorps can also bridge that gap and help teach students how to use the ed-tech and multimedia tools and equipment available to them. Request an appointment to plan and schedule support for your class.

Room Orientations:

Teaching always goes more smoothly in familiar spaces. LSA Technology Services staff is happy to give any GSI a one-on-one orientation to the classroom they will be teaching in, and walk through the installed computer and projection equipment available. Reach out and schedule your room orientation at any time, even after the term has already started!

Graduate Student Teaching as Instructor on Record

LSA accepts applications to allow graduate students to teach as instructors of record in established courses, or courses of their own design, at the 300/400 level across the College.

Please contact your graduate program for more information and to determine if the course will fulfill a curricular need.

For more information, please review the Graduate Students Teaching as Instructor of Record guidelines.

HELPFUL LINKS

Graduate Employee Organization (GEO)

Formed in 1974, GEO is a union representing graduate student instructors (GSIs) and graduate student staff assistants (GSSAs) at the University of Michigan.

Center for Academic Innovation: Online Teaching (CAI)

Whether you are just exploring the idea of teaching online or you are preparing to develop and teach an online or hybrid course, Online Teaching at U-M can help.

Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT)

The mission of the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT) is to promote excellence and innovation in teaching in all 19 schools and colleges at the University of Michigan.

Community Engaged Course Design Workshop (Ginsberg & Rackham)

The Community Engaged Course Design Workshop (previously named the Engaged Pedagogy Initiative) is an intensive, semester-long professional development workshop for graduate students in any field interested in teaching a community engaged learning course. During the program, students explore the theoretical foundations, ethical implications, and practice of community engaged teaching in order to design a syllabus for a community engaged course rooted in their field of study. The program counts towards LSA’s training requirements for graduate students serving as instructors of record.

English Language Institute (ELI)

ELI provides language, academic, and intercultural instruction for international students and scholars and others who speak English as a second language; language and pedagogy courses for international Graduate Student Instructors; and ESL/EFL teacher preparation courses for undergraduates.

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