The Class of 1969 Teaching Fellows program is designed for untenured assistant professors who want to develop their full teaching potential. Established in 1990 through the generosity of the Lilly Endowment, this initiative became a permanent offering at Georgia Tech in 1994 when the class of 1969 adopted the program at its 25th class reunion fundraising project.

There is one group of Class of 1969 Teaching Fellows per academic year. During the fall semester of their two-semester commitment, the Teaching Fellows explore various aspects of teaching and learning in weekly seminars; typically Teaching Fellows choose to discuss topics such as teaching for learning, getting students to be partners in the learning process, encouraging academic honesty, using technology to enhance student learning, and assessing student learning. In addition to participating in the seminars, each Teaching Fellow receives private assistance with teaching; this involves confidential discussion of (1) a classroom observation conducted by CETL consultant, (2) a self-critique of a videotaped class, and (3) feedback from a Class Dialog conducted with the Teaching Fellow's students. During the spring semester, Teaching Fellows undertake a project to improved student learning in one of their courses; a $1,000 grant is available to support the project. The Class of 1969 Teaching Fellows are invited to join the President and campus colleagues in March at Celebrating Teaching Day, where they display a poster and/or multimedia exhibit about their projects and innovations in teaching.

Participating in the Class of 1969 Teaching Fellows program provides new faculty at Georgia Tech with the foundation for a lifetime of professional growth in teaching. As a result of participating in the program, Teaching Fellows report that they feel more effective in the classroom, earn higher CIOS ratings, and balance their teaching research responsibilities more efficiently.