Graduate Teaching Consultant Program
Learning Outcomes – Instructional Practice
The Graduate Teaching Consultant Program supports the professional development in teaching of graduate students, and includes opportunities that support enhanced teaching experiences, as outlined in the Model of Graduate Student Professional Development in Teaching. GTCs are graduate students exhibiting pedagogical skills and knowledge within their disciplines. GTCs, under the supervision of the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE), serve as instructional coaches and peer mentors to TAs across campus. GTCs are available to conduct classroom observations upon request.- Demonstrate a variety of evidence-based teaching strategies.
- Recognize the influence of situational factors (e.g., specific course context; learner and instructor characteristics) on course and lesson design decisions.
- Discuss personal teaching philosophies (e.g., beliefs, formative experiences, and assumptions) and how philosophies influence individual teaching styles.
- Describe and recognize the value of learning communities, and how they impact student learning.
Nomination Process
The 2025 Call for GTC Nominations are closed. Please check back Spring 2026. To nominate an outstanding current or former teaching assistant in your department/college for the Graduate Teaching Consultant (GTC) program, please email the following to cte@tamu.edu- Student name (first and last)
- Student email address
- College & Department
- Brief statement specifying why you believe the nominee is qualified to be a GTC (100 words or less)
Overview & Eligibility
Up to 3 students from a department can be nominated! Following our receipt of your nomination email, the Center will email the nominees and provide them with a formal application for the GTC Program.
The GTC Program is intended to support the University’s commitment to excellence in
teaching and learning. Selected GTCs are paid $18/hr and receive mentorship, training,
and other specialized support from Instructional Consultants at the Center, contributing to
the GTC’s development of teaching and communication skills necessary for a faculty
appointment at 2- or 4-year institutions. GTCs in turn serve as instructional coaches,
seminar facilitators, and peer mentors to Teaching Assistants across campus.
GTCs are an integral part of graduate student professional development in teaching at Texas
A&M University, providing support to the Teaching Assistant Institute (TAI), Academy
for Future Faculty (AFF), and a number of departmental and student requests for
consultations in teaching services.
teaching and learning. Selected GTCs are paid $18/hr and receive mentorship, training,
and other specialized support from Instructional Consultants at the Center, contributing to
the GTC’s development of teaching and communication skills necessary for a faculty
appointment at 2- or 4-year institutions. GTCs in turn serve as instructional coaches,
seminar facilitators, and peer mentors to Teaching Assistants across campus.
GTCs are an integral part of graduate student professional development in teaching at Texas
A&M University, providing support to the Teaching Assistant Institute (TAI), Academy
for Future Faculty (AFF), and a number of departmental and student requests for
consultations in teaching services.
The Graduate Teaching Consultant program allows the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) to extend its reach, addressing the pedagogical needs of teaching assistants (TAs) on campus. Serving in a majority of departments across various colleges, TAs help to educate undergraduate students by ensuring they engage with course content according to course learning outcomes; support faculty in the facilitation of in-class learning activities; oversee laboratory exercises and studio projects; and provide assessment support in the preparation of exam questions and item grading. The important and varied roles of TAs continue to necessitate the employment of the GTC program. GTCs provide pedagogical support to TAs through individual and small group consultation on a variety of teaching and learning topics; teaching workshops; and classroom observation and feedback services.
- Must have had at least two semesters of teaching experience and/or completed the Academy for Future Faculty (AFF), Center for Integration of Teaching, Research, and Learning (CIRTL) course, or a similar experience.
- Can hold an assistantship (i.e., GAR, GANT, or GAT) in their department, and can be admitted to the GTC Program with approval of the department head and the Graduate and Professional School.
- International students may be nominated. Work hours will be limited in accordance with federal and university regulations. For more information contact cte@tamu.edu.
Graduate Teaching Consultants
Allison Goetz
Graduate Teaching Consultant Ph.D. student
Andrew Eberlein
Graduate Teaching Consultant Ph.D. student, Department: Physics and Astronomy
Dallas Williams
Graduate Teaching Consultant Ph.D. student, Department: Soil and Crop Sciences
Diya Dharmendran
Graduate Teaching Consultant Ph.D. student
Emily Burningham
Graduate Teaching Consultant Ph.D. student, Chemistry Department
Fatima Mahnaz
Graduate Teaching Consultant Ph.D. student, Department: Chemical Engineering
Francisca Briandt
Graduate Teaching Consultant Ph.D. student, Department: Educational Psychology
Hailey Schmidt
Graduate Teaching Consultant Ph.D. student, Department: Rangeland, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management
Harinee Rajagopalan
Graduate Teaching Consultant Ph.D. student, Department: Biology
Ikenna Okehie
Graduate Teaching Consultant Ph.D. student, Department: Food Science and Technology
Jean Ferguson
Graduate Teaching Consultant Ph.D. student, Department: Educational Psychology
Jeffrey Cragin
Graduate Teaching Consultant Ph.D. student, Department: Chemistry
Lincon Mazumder
Graduate Teaching Consultant Ph.D. student, Department: Biology
Longhao Guo
Graduate Teaching Consultant Ph.D. student, Department: Geography
Madison Weinrich
Graduate Teaching Consultant Ph.D. student, Department: Kinesiology and Sport Management
Nilson Chapagain
Graduate Teaching Consultant Ph.D. student, Department: Statistics
Olukayde Apata
Graduate Teaching Consultant Ph.D. student, Department: Educational Psychology
Purushottam Gyawali
Graduate Teaching Consultant Ph.D. student, Department: Soil and Crop Sciences
Rebecca Lee
Graduate Teaching Consultant Ph.D. student, Department: Statistics