New TA Training

Congratulations on your appointment as a teaching assistant. The teaching assistantship may be the first step on the way to becoming a member of the future professoriate or may help prepare you for many career paths. You will be facing many challenges as you try to manage your classes, research, and your teaching responsibilities. The campus-wide training, co-sponsored by the Center for Teaching Development and the Office of Graduate Studies, is designed to help you meet those challenges.

The university requires that all teaching assistants receive training prior to or during the first quarter in which they teach. The Center for Teaching Development and the academic departments work collaboratively to ensure that all TAs are appropriately trained. Training includes workshops before classes begin, individual mentoring and feedback, and ongoing seminars on teaching. You are invited to attend the campus-wide workshop as partial fulfillment of these requirements. This workshop will introduce you to the complexities of university teaching and provide information about the support and services that will help you as you begin this exciting venture. I wish you every success in this phase of your training.

 Sincerely,

Kim E. Barrett
Dean of Graduate Studies

CENTER FOR TEACHING DEVELOPMENT

• Training for New Teaching Assistants
  Saturday, April 5, 2008
  9:00a.m. – Noon
  307 Center Hall

OBJECTIVES

• To provide an introductory workshop for new teaching assistants who will be serving in a variety of instructional roles.

• To convey the departmental and institutional concern that all instructors on this campus receive appropriate training in order to become informed and effective instructors.

• To develop an awareness of the issues (in addition to the subject matter that is taught) that can have a profound impact upon student learning; (i.e., respect, ethics, quality of work, interpersonal relations, ability to communicate effectively, etc.)

AGENDA