IGNITE Spark Grows into a Flame with the Official Launch During the Fall 2024 Semester

Contributed by Nicole Strombom and Alex Mouw

For several years, the CTL has offered Exploring Practices in the Classroom (EPIC) a pedagogical learning community for those in their first years of graduate education. Over two semesters of monthly meetings, EPIC fosters an interdisciplinary community to set teaching goals, discuss classroom techniques, and engage in conversations about pedagogy.

Seeing a need for a post-EPIC pedagogical community, last year CTL Educational Development fellows Katherine Tilghman, Zoe Clapacs, Nicole Strombom, and Emily Thompson got together and brainstormed. The idea was to provide continued opportunities for graduate students to discuss teaching goals, engage with current developments in pedagogy, and enhance their critical thinking about everything from course evaluations to classroom management. Ultimately, Katherine, Emily, and Nicole piloted the Interdisciplinary Graduate Network for Inquiry, Teaching, and Engagement (IGNITE) during the spring semester 2024, facilitating two successful and well attended sessions.

Over the summer, Nicole and Katherine planned and conducted additional research to build a cohesive, yearlong IGNITE program. Joined by new Educational Development fellow Alex Mouw, this fall they officially launched IGNITE!

“I’ve been a participant in both EPiC and IGNITE, and I’ve found the experience of working with graduate students in different departments invaluable. I feel like I have been able to really improve my teaching by learning from people in fields completely different than mine in a way that I wouldn’t have if I only learned to teach from my own department.“
-Maggie Ramsay, Chemistry

Now a cohort of ten students, representing fields from mathematics to public health sciences, are participating in IGNITE. Together, these advanced graduate students discuss their teaching experiences, learn pedagogical best practices, and produce new content for use in their classrooms. Topics covered so far include guest lectures and course evaluations, and forthcoming sessions include politics in the classroom and staying ahead of your students. Each IGNITE session begins with a “Grad Chat,” a signature portion of the program that allows for open interdisciplinary discussion about teaching challenges and successes. The Educational Development team is excited to continue building the IGNITE program.

Spring IGNITE registration will open at the end of the semester for those who complete EPIC during this fall. Applications for next year’s cohort will open in the spring/summer of 2025.