Teaching in the American Classroom

banner image of students in American classrooms

Anyone moving to a new country may experience a culture shock which even extends to classrooms and academia. International GTAs, instructors, and professors teaching in an American classroom may find their students’ behavior, attitudes, values, and interactions quite strange or even disrespectful. This course is intended to help introduce you to many of the differences you will experience and what will be expected of you. We will cover: types of American classroom formats, instructor roles and responsibilities, classroom culture, basic etiquette, language and communication, social customs and cultural differences.

Although written and designed by Wichita State University, this course is suited for new international instructors and GTAs at any institution.

To begin this course, you will need to have an account and login. If you are not logged in or do not have an account, click “Login to Enroll” in the upper right of your screen. Next, click on one of the lessons below. At the bottom of each window, you will have the option to mark the lesson as complete (which will move you to the next lesson) or click on the “next lesson” button. A course navigation menu will remain on the left side of your screen for direct access to any page, including the quiz. Once you have reviewed all the content in this course, please attempt the Teaching in the American Classroom Competency Quiz.

Please allow up to 45 minutes to complete this course and take the competency quiz.

About the Author: This course was created by the Office of Instructional Design and Access at Wichita State University.