The following descriptions are meant to provide a taste of what various academic
departments are doing in their TAT programs and to wet your appetite to know
more.
The training activities listed for each department are not meant to cover the complete extent of the department’s TAT, just the highlights. If you take issue with any of this information or want something added, please email <shirley@id.ucsb.edu>.
*You will see the term microteaching
used in these lists. Microteaching refers to presenting a short
discussion, lecture or problem solution to one’s peers, often as if the
peers were students. Peers then critique the presentation verbally and/or on
a rating sheet of specified criteria.
ANTHROPOLOGY
www.anth.ucsb.edu/projects/leadtatraining/
First-time TAs required to attend 6 training sessions
Experienced TAs required to attend 2 training sessions
Videotaping and Consultation required for new TAs
Most training conducted by 2-3 Lead TAs
BLACK STUDIES
Departmental TA Handbook
Quarterly orientations –one for new TAs, one for experienced
Chair present at orientations
Regular emails from Lead TA
Individual meeting w/each new TA and Lead TA
Lead TA invites all faculty to a mtg to discuss TAT
Videotaping and Consultation required for new TAs
COMMUNICATION
Beginning of year barbeque – all grad students and faculty
Department TA Award for Excellence given at end-of-year banquet
Quarter-long course taught by faculty
COMPARATIVE LITRATURE
All TAs (new and returning) attend one-half-day departmental TA orientation
All TAs (new and returning) attend two pedagogoical workshops per quarter
TAs receive a 55-page Departmental TA Training Handbook
All TAs are assigned a Teaching Buddy within the program for ongoing mentoring
TAs complete a peer observation, video taping and consultation, and a written Teaching Philosophy
ENGLISH
http://english.ucsb.edu/teaching/resources/ta_handbook/index.asp
TAT Committee of Lead TAs
Online handbook of Teaching Tips
2-day orientation
GEOGRAPHY
www.geog.ucsb.edu/~keuper
Full quarter course taught by senior faculty & Lead TA
Videotaping and Consultation required for new TAs
TA Roles and Responsibilities: need permission to have access to this page and to the course syllabus for the Geography TA training seminar course
HISTORY
www.history.ucsb.edu/grads/tahandbook.htm
Orientation every quarter for new TAs
3 mandatory seminars for new TAs
1 mandatory seminar for experienced TAs (from choice of 2): example topics; Leading Discussion, grading, sensitive subjects, TA-faculty relations, teaching technologies, student writing, teaching primary sources
Faculty committee for TAT
2 Lead TAs
LAW AND SOCIETY
TAs receive 2-year “TA Fellowship” to encourage dept loyalty
Day-long orientation
TA Handbook - http://www.lawso.ucsb.edu/documents/leadtatraining.pdf
Videotaping and Consultation required for new TAs
Lead TA (12% time supported by department plus TAship)
MATH
2 weeks before Fall Quarter, microteaching groups
quarter long TAT seminar taught by senior faculty & Lead TA
Lead TA visits all new TA classrooms
Videotaping and Consultation required for new TAs
Departmental handbook
MUSIC
Departmental TA Handbook
Videotaping and feedback
Instructor observation and feedback
10 week seminar run by Lead TA
PHYSICS
http://www.physics.ucsb.edu/Education/Education.php3
Two-day institute before start of fall quarter, with microteaching groups
Fall quarter TA training course taught by a faculty member
Videotaping and consultation required for new TAs
Document outlining Roles and Responsibilites of TAs and Faculty
POLITICAL SCIENCE
12-week Seminar required (fall-winter) for new TAs w/ faculty speakers: Topics include student learning styles, teaching styles, grading and record keeping, common TA problems and solutions, microteaching, sexual harassment, TAing large classes, culture and gender awareness.
Videotaping and Consultation required for new TAs
Faculty Coordinator reviews student ratings with TAs
In addition to TAD, department commits one-fourth of funding for Lead TA
PSYCHOLOGY
www.psych.ucsb.edu/~taap/
Pre-fall Orientation for new TAs
3-quarter course, meets three times a quarter – led by faculty member and TA committee
TA Advisory Panel with varying years experience, apprentice Lead TA (all positions must be applied for)
Extensive TA survey at end-of-year / each year designed in response to TA survey
Videotaping and Consultation required for new TA
Departmental TA Training Website
RELIGIOUS STUDIES
“Training Future Faculty” – 6 hour orientation for all grad students in October
Workshops offered throughout the year
Some workshops in conjunction with Women’s Studies
New online course modules for TAs to share quizzes, handouts, class activities etc
SOCIOLOGY
www.soc.ucsb.edu/gradAid.html
2-day TAT Practicum for new TAs
3- quarterly sessions, “Pedagogy Series for Sociology” + 2 quarter Professional Course
Example topics: role-playing case scenarios, mechanics of grading, model first day, microteaching, developing a personal pedagogy, balancing teaching and graduate study
3-person Lead TA Committee
STATISTICS and APPLIED PROBABILITY
http://www.pstat.ucsb.edu/projects/leadtatraining/index.html
TA training is achieved through a 2-unit 'class' (501), taken by all new
TAs during
Fall and Winter quarters. Training topics include preparing for the first
day, writing and
evaluating lesson plans, effective teaching methods, sexual harrassment
policies and professional development.
Mandatory videotaping and consultation for all TAs
Completion of the online sexual harrassment tutorial
Weekly TA Office Hours
Departmental Handbook
WOMEN’S STUDIES
www.womst.ucsb.edu/Pedagogy/links.htm
URL: http://www.oic.id.ucsb.edu/TA/index.html
Contents developed by the Office of Instructional Consultation, UCSB.
Comments to web author: george@id.ucsb.edu
All contents copyright ©1995-2006,
The Regents of The University of California.
All rights reserved.
Revised: Tuesday, September 12, 2006