Attendance at the annual TA Orientation is required of all first-time graduate student TAs, graduate student Readers, and undergraduate Readers at UCSB, even if duties will not be assumed until Winter or Spring Quarters.

For partial fulfillment of Requirement #1 of the Certificate in College and University Teaching attendance at the General Session and the two workshop sessions is required.

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Schedule of Events for 2008:

09:00 - 10:05 General Information Session –Campbell Hall
10:05 - 10:25 Refreshments
10:30 - 11:30 Workshop Session I–Phelps Hall
11:30 - 12:30 Workshop Session II–Phelps Hall
12:30 - 1:00 United Auto Workers (UAW) –Campbell Hall

(SEE BELOW FOR A TENTATIVE LIST OF WORKSHOPS AND DESCRIPTIONS)

Tentative List of Workshop and Descriptions offered by UCSB faculty, TAs, and professional staff.

TEACHING PROBLEM SOLVING
This session focuses on a variety of ways to enhance student learning. A videotape produced at UCSB will be used to illustrate effective and non-effective strategies for teaching problem solving skills. This session is for TAs in math, engineering & natural sciences.

AN INTRODUCTION FOR INTERNATIONAL TAs
This session will deal with issues in adjusting to U.S. classrooms and offers teaching techniques specifically for international TAs. A videotape will provide examples of common classroom experiences as told by International TAs.

HOW DO STUDENTS LEARN ?
A 28 minute video demonstrates the process by which students learn and what prevents them from learning. Discussion after will focus on how to apply what you learned in the video to you own teaching.

GRADING STUDENT WRITING
For those of you who will be grading student research and term papers, this session will provide you will invaluable concepts on how to grade fairly and in ways that will best assist students in their learning.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Sexual harassment is a legal issue regarding actions both in and out of the classroom. Know your rights and your responsibilities as both a TA and as a graduate student.

THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS
This session provides a check list of pre-class preparations, styles of approaching the first class session, hints in getting comfortable in front of the class, and ideas on how to deal with "first quarter anxiety."

LEADING LAB SECTIONS
An experienced TA will offer perspectives on basic teaching issues for lab classes. In addition, this workshop will provide a method that will help you teach your students to think critically as they prepare their lab reports.

LEADING DISCUSSION SECTIONS
An experienced TA will offer strategies for promoting and focusing discussions, encouraging student participation, styles of approaching the first class session, and hints in becoming comfortable as a TA.

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE UAW: KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
How do you balance being both a grad student and a UC employee? What rights do you have while working as a teaching assistant, reader or tutor? Union representatives will lead the session.

TEACHING STUDY SKILLS TO ENHANCE LEARNING
This session offers dozens of study skill strategies to teach your students. Also provided will be methods of identifying student academic skill difficulties so that referrals can be made.

DEALING WITH CONFLILCT IN THE CLASSROOM
UCSB's Ombuds officer provides information, strategies, and stories on the kinds of conflict that can occur in the classroom as well as offering suggestions for handling such events.

 

COMMENTS FROM PREVIOUS PARTICIPANTS

• "I enjoyed the variety of workshops and the opportunity to meet other TAs in other departments."

• "The Orientation Program was well-run and useful. The workshops were quite helpful for my preparation to lead sections."

• "Well-organized: moved quickly through the speakers and topics. I was very impressed with the range of topics discussed."

• "Helpful information on student and TA responsibilities, as well as on referral services."

• "Thanks for the careful attention to making being a TA for the first time less stressful."

• "I felt that the campuswide TA orientation was great, it really helped. The checklist given in one of the seminars really calmed my nerves."

• "Overall, very good orientation and I appreciate the administration of UCSB for doing this for us. I learned a lot, which in turn profits the students. Thanks!"

• "The TA orientation program gave both information about TA work and the personal stories from the experience of veteran TAs."