Peer Teaching - FAQ's

To provide entering students with...

• Unique, interactive courses for full credit
• An introduction to critical thinking
• Instant community & solid peer advising
• An experience proven to improve their academic experience at Tufts

To provide upper-level students with...

• A unique opportunity to design and teach their own course
• An experience that will refine their organizational, analytical, and interpersonal skills
• A chance to have an impact on the next class of Tufts students

Any sophomore or junior in good academic standing with a minimum 3.2 GPA may apply to lead a Peer Teaching seminar. Selected leaders will be juniors or seniors in the fall when they teach.

Yes, you may apply via the online application. You'll need to communicate with your partner as you prepare your materials for submission. If you have any questions or want to meet virtually with the ExCollege staff, email excollege@tufts.edu.

No, Peer Teaching courses are designed to provide in-person experiences for new students as they adapt to life at Tufts.

For Explorations, please submit all the materials through the Qualtrics form found on the Peer Teaching page. For Peer Teaching, please fill out the Google form before accessing the application. In both cases, you will submit a synopsis and outline of your course idea, a 1-2 page essay on why you want to teach and what you bring to the program, and information on faculty recommenders. There are a limited number of proposals chosen for Peer Teaching, and the written application materials are reviewed closely. You may need to meet with the ExCollege staff either virtually or in-person to talk more about your application.

You will receive a total of 4 SHU credits with Pass/Fail grading for teaching your course and for taking a teaching practicum led by the ExCollege administrators. You will teach your course once a week in the evening for 2.5 hours on a selected day Monday through Thursday. You will attend the teaching practicum on Mondays at open block from 12:00-1:00pm.

We recommend taking no more than 11 additional SHUs.

We recommend that you design and teach the course with a partner, but we will also accept applications to teach solo. Because Explorations, leaders also serve as peer advisors to the group of first-year students, having two co-teachers can make that aspect of the program more manageable. 

No, a faculty advisor will be assigned to your students.

• You will need to prepare a syllabus and course materials, with guidance from the ExCollege
• You will need to attend some virtual training sessions over the summer, and attend in-person practice teaching shortly before school starts. The exact dates will be provided

Applications to teach Explorations are due in March for the following fall semester, while applications to teach Peer Teaching are due in September for the following spring semester.