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CUTF FAQs

Note: Departmental Nominations for the 2025-2026 CUTF cohort are now closed. The nomination process for the 2026-27 CUTF cohort will open in Winter 2026. Please note that we anticipate making some refinements to the process for the upcoming year and will post updates on this website as they become available.

FAQs for Prospective Participants

Since its inception over thirty years ago, the CUTF program has provided opportunities for advanced graduate students to design and teach original courses inspired by their research and creative endeavors. The latest iteration of the program focuses on engaging graduate student instructors in campus-wide efforts to expand undergraduate access to course-based research and creative practice. By involving graduate student instructors in the development and delivery of such courses, the CUTF program aims to prepare graduate students for high-impact teaching careers and ensure that undergraduates have opportunities to learn from some of UCLA’s most cutting-edge researchers and creative practitioners.

In line with recent scholarship on high-impact teaching practices, the CUTF program defines course-based research and creative activity as instructional practices that involve entire classes of students in broadly relevant, discovery-based research experiences or creative work that incorporates the use of inquiry practices, collaboration, and iteration/reflection (Auchincloss et al., 2014; Meyer et al., 2023). Laboratory research is one common form of course-based undergraduate research experience (often abbreviated CURE), but many different types of learning experiences and disciplinary approaches can fit the broad framework of course-based inquiry. Some examples of individual and team-based research and creative activities that might be suitable for a CUTF course include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Analysis of publicly available scientific or social scientific data
  • Citizen science projects
  • Archival research
  • Ethnographic research or oral histories
  • Public or community-engaged scholarship
  • Original art/performance/media work
  • Engineering or design labs or wet lab research (consult home department about lab space, materials, and other protocols for such proposals)

Strong syllabi submitted with CUTF program proposals will include a compelling course description and clearly articulated learning objectives that emphasize how the course will engage students in course-based individual or group research, or creative activity in the fellow’s discipline. Assignment descriptions should be detailed enough to give the review committee a solid sense of how student learning will be assessed. Syllabi should also include a grade breakdown, a draft schedule of discussion topics, and a draft reading list. Prospective fellows should pay attention to the anticipated hourly effort expected of students each week when adapting their research/creative work for an undergraduate audience. An approximate workload guideline is 4 hours per week (between both in-class and out-of-class activities) per unit.

Additional information about common components of strong syllabi can be found in the resources below:

See FAQs below for specific information about proposing courses under Research Practice 98T and English Composition 98TW.

To prepare a strong course proposal to be listed under Research Practice 98T, prospective fellows are encouraged to review the Research Practice subject area goals developed by the Undergraduate Research Centers and the general syllabus for Research Practice 98T. The course description and learning objectives for the general syllabus are intentionally broad. Prospective fellows should adapt the description and learning objectives to their disciplinary context.

Proposals to offer CUTF seminars under Research Practice 98T do not need to be reviewed by the Undergraduate Research Centers prior to submission for CUTF review, and a separate course information sheet does not need to be prepared at this time. Only the CUTF application with endorsement from the applicant’s home department is required. If selected for the program, the TLC will guide fellows through the process of aligning their course with Research Practice guidelines.

To prepare a strong Writing II course proposal to be listed under English Composition 98TW, prospective fellows are encouraged to review UCLA’s Writing II guidelines and the general syllabus for English Composition 98TW. The course description and learning objectives for the general syllabus are intentionally broad. Prospective fellows should adapt the description and learning objectives to their disciplinary context. 

Proposals to offer CUTF seminars English Composition 98TW do not need to be reviewed by UCLA Writing Programs or the Writing II committee prior to submission for CUTF review, and a separate course information sheet does not need to be prepared at this time. Only the CUTF application with endorsement from the applicant’s home department is required. If selected for the program, the TLC will guide fellows through the process of aligning their course with Writing II guidelines.

No. The TLC encourages prospective applicants to work with their faculty mentors and departments to identify the course number that is the best fit for their learning objectives and tailor application materials accordingly. When the TLC’s selection committee reviews proposals, the disciplinary breadth of the entire cohort may factor into decisions, but students are not at an advantage or disadvantage based on their proposed course number.

When reviewing applications and draft syllabi, CUTF selection committee considers a range of criteria including the following:

  1. How well the course proposal 1) draws inspiration from the applicant’s research field 2) adapts those modes of inquiry for a lower-division course, and 3) engages and inspires the next generation of researchers and/or creative practitioners.
  2. How well the proposed syllabus: 1) scaffolds the research and/or creative process for students, and 2) makes the learning objectives accessible and engaging for lower division students unfamiliar with the field of study. 
  3. Potential of the applicant to benefit from and contribute to the CUTF learning community.
  4. Enrollment management considerations, such as whether the course is likely to attract student interest and/or provides a learning opportunity not typically afforded at the lower division level.
  5. Eligibility of the applicant to hold an ASE appointment at the level of Teaching Fellow in the upcoming year. Refer to the UCLA Academic Apprentice Personnel Manual for detailed requirements for this appointment type.

Not at this time. Prior to AY 2025-26, all CUTF courses were created as one-time offerings under the course number 98T and housed in each fellow’s home department. However, the process of creating these one-time offerings limits how the campus can leverage CUTF to expand access to course-based research and has proven to be labor-intensive for fellows and difficult to align with campus’ course approval processes and timelines. Beginning in AY 2025-26, the Academic Senate granted TLC approval to create variable topics course numbers for CUTF under Research Practice and English Composition. These subject areas are logical places to house research-intensive CUTF courses taught by fellows in any discipline. Students already look to the Research Practice subject area for research opportunities, and look to the English Composition subject area for writing courses that are required for graduation and medical school admission. Listing CUTF courses in these subject areas allows UCLA to leverage existing enrollment drivers to fuel CUTF enrollment.

Please email our team at cutf@teaching.ucla.edu.

FAQs for Department Staff

Since its inception over thirty years ago, the CUTF program has provided opportunities for advanced graduate students to design and teach original courses inspired by their research and creative endeavors. The latest iteration of the program focuses on engaging graduate student instructors in campus-wide efforts to expand undergraduate access to course-based research and creative practice. By involving graduate student instructors in the development and delivery of such courses, the CUTF program aims to prepare graduate students for high-impact teaching careers and ensure that undergraduates have opportunities to learn from some of UCLA’s most cutting-edge researchers and creative practitioners.

In line with recent scholarship on high-impact teaching practices, the CUTF program defines course-based research and creative activity as instructional practices that involve entire classes of students in broadly relevant, discovery-based research experiences or creative activities that incorporate the use of inquiry practices, collaboration, and iteration/reflection (Auchincloss et al., 2014; Meyer et al., 2023). Laboratory research is one common form of course-based undergraduate research experience (often abbreviated CURE), but many different types of learning experiences and disciplinary approaches can fit the broad framework of course-based inquiry. Some examples of individual and team-based research and creative activities that might be suitable for a CUTF course include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Analysis of publicly available scientific or social scientific data
  • Citizen science projects
  • Archival research
  • Ethnographic research or oral histories
  • Public or community-engaged scholarship
  • Original art/performance/media work
  • Literature reviews
  • Engineering or design labs or wet lab research (consult home department about lab space, materials, and other protocols for such proposals)

Beginning in AY 2025-26, the Academic Senate granted TLC approval to create two variable topics course numbers for CUTF: Research Practice 98T (4 units) and English Composition 98TW (5 units, Writing II credit). These subject areas are logical places to house research-intensive CUTF courses taught by fellows in any discipline. Students already look to the Research Practice subject area for research opportunities, and look to the English Composition subject area for writing courses that are required for graduation and medical school admission. Listing CUTF courses in these subject areas allows UCLA to leverage existing enrollment drivers to fuel CUTF enrollment. Faculty mentors and department leadership are encouraged to review the learning objectives for Research Practice 98T and English Composition 98TW and work with prospective applicants to determine which course number aligns with their learning objectives. FOr more details, see the syllabus templates below and participant FAQs.

Research Practice 98T General Syllabus

English Composition 98TW General Syllabus

Departments may nominate only one candidate’s application for consideration by the CUTF selection committee.

Departments are free to determine which individuals and/or committees should be involved in reviewing CUTF proposals in advance of this due date and are encouraged to set their own internal deadline to facilitate review. Prospective candidates for CUTF should be required to submit the following for departmental review:

*Syllabus that clearly articulates course learning objectives and assignments that align with the CUTF program goal of engaging undergraduates in course-based research and/or creative practice. See FAQ for general guidance.

* Current CV.

* Application form with short answer questions – geared toward illuminating alignment between the proposed course and CUTF program goals.

The TLC suggests the following criteria for review of proposals, but departments may also consider their own criteria:

  1. How well the course proposal 1) draws inspiration from the applicant’s research field 2) adapts those modes of inquiry for a lower-division course, and 3) engages and inspires the next generation of researchers and/or creative practitioners.
  2. How well the proposed syllabus: 1) scaffolds the research and/or creative process for students, and 2) makes the learning objectives accessible and engaging for lower division students unfamiliar with the field of study. 
  3. Potential of the applicant to benefit from and contribute to the CUTF learning community.
  4. Enrollment management considerations, such as whether the course is likely to attract student interest and/or provides a learning opportunity not typically afforded in the department or at the lower division level.
  5. Eligibility of the applicant to hold an ASE appointment at the level of Teaching Fellow in the upcoming year. Refer to the UCLA Academic Apprentice Personnel Manual for detailed requirements for this appointment type.

Departments are expected to assist prospective applicants with identifying a faculty mentor (typically a member of the student’s dissertation committee) and establish a protocol for collecting application materials for departmental review. Graduate advisors typically assist with this process.

Once departments have identified the top proposal to forward to the CUTF selection committee for review, graduate advisors or other designated staff assist with routing applications to TLC through our online nomination form. A departmental nomination letter is required. 

After a student is admitted to the CUTF program, the student’s faculty mentor is expected to continue to provide mentorship and is expected to serve as a supervising instructor during the fellow’s teaching quarter and submit final grades. TLC also encourages departments to celebrate the accomplishments of fellows through departmental communications.

During the application process, faculty mentors are expected to provide feedback to a prospective fellow on the development of their syllabus and application materials. After a student is admitted to the CUTF program, the student’s faculty mentor is expected to continue to provide mentorship and is expected to serve as a supervising instructor during the fellow’s teaching quarter and submit final grades. TLC staff will also provide support during the fall pedagogy seminar to assist fellows with refining their course design and through subsequent learning community meetings. Faculty mentors may be invited to join select learning community meetings and will be invited to receptions or other events TLC hosts to celebrate fellows.

Please email our team at cutf@teaching.ucla.edu.

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