ta/gs news - university of victoria · ta/gs newsletter fall 2012 2 ta/gs pro-d program the ta/gs...

TA/GS

FALL 2012

Welcome! Welcome to the TA/GS newsletter from the Learning and Teaching

Centre. The newsletter is specifically for all teaching assistants and

graduate students at UVic. Inside you will find information about

programs and workshops offered through the Learning and

Teaching Centre that can assist you with your needs and

professional development. In particular, you will want to read all

about the new Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (LATHE)

Graduate Certificate.

We encourage your participation in what we have to offer, but

please let us know at any time if there is a topic that you want

addressed and we will do our best to accommodate your request.

Enjoy!

Cynthia Korpan

TA Program Coordinator

Learning and Teaching Centre

University of Victoria

[email protected]

(250) 472-4798

NEWS

TA/GS Pro-D Program. All you

need to know about the

program

Contents

Improve Your Teaching. Read

about the exciting new

Learning and Teaching in

Higher Education (LATHE)

Graduate Certificate

2

5

TA Focus. Find out about the

upcoming International

Teaching Assistant (ITA)

Conference

8 Fall 2012 TA Pro-D Workshops.

Upcoming events for the fall

semester

7

The Teaching Assistant (TA) & Graduate

Student (GS) Information Source about

Learning and Teaching at UVic

TA/GS Newsletter Fall 2012

2

TA/GS Pro-D Program

The TA/GS Pro-D program consists

of a series of workshops,

conferences, and courses. The

time to complete is variable, but

the program is designed so that

graduate students and TAs can

successfully complete the whole

program in tandem with their

other graduate programs.

Graduate students in either

Masters or Doctorate programs

are encouraged to complete the

TA/GS Pro-D program.

Foundation Workshops

(Years 1/2): Essentials to

Succeeding as

TAs/Instructors/Tutors

Attendance at Fall Teaching

Assistant (TA) Conference, Spring

Teaching Assistant (TA)

Conference, International TA

Conference, and TA Pro-D

Workshops that cover the

following topics:

Today’s students

Learning styles

Using technology in the

classroom

Time management

Teaching labs and/or tutorials

Holding office hours and

tutoring

Interested in expanding your skills?

Find out about UVic’s Professional Development Program

for Teaching Assistants and Graduate Students

Facilitating discussion groups

Teaching styles

Communication issues and skills

Grading and assessment

Classroom management

Lesson planning

Feedback

Acknowledgement

Certificates of Completion or Letter of

Workshops attended.

Teaching Assistant Consultant (TAC)

Program

Several departments have a specially

trained mentor within their department

who will offer discipline specific

workshops and one-on-one

consultations. Acknowledgement for

the TAC program includes a TA

Fundamentals Certificate.

Core Courses/Workshops (Years 2/3):

Core Competencies

The following courses and topics,

covered at either the Fall Teaching

Assistant (TA) Conference, Spring

Teaching Assistant (TA)

Conference, or at TA Pro-D

Workshops, are highly

recommended if you are in a two-

year graduate program, or if you

would like to continue on to the

Learning and Teaching in Higher

Education (LATHE) Graduate

Certificate.

ED-D591A Learning and

Teaching in Higher Education

(graduate credit course)

Active Learning

Teaching Large Classes

Interpersonal skills

Group work strategies

Theories of teaching and

learning

Teaching Dossier/Portfolio

Clickers and other

instructional technologies

Syllabus design

Assessment: formative,

summative, and CATS

Art of questioning

Listening skills

Academic integrity

Acknowledgement

Certificates of Completion or

Letter of Workshops attended.

“ ” We aim to provide TAs with the necessary skills to effectively carry out their duties and

responsibilities in their role as a TA and teacher in higher education.


3

Capstone Program (Years 3/4):

Transitioning out

Participation in the Learning and


(LATHE) will prepare you for an

academic career. You may enter

the LATHE program during the 1st

year of a Masters terminal degree or

during a PhD program.

The LATHE program (see page 5 for

detailed information about LATHE)

consists of completing the following

units of instruction:

1. ED-D 600 Learning and


2. ED-D 610 Contemporary Issues

in Higher Education

3. ED-D 605 Doctoral

Apprenticeship in Teaching in

Higher Education

Acknowledgement

Graduate Certificate noted on your

transcript

Details on Certificates and Letter of

Workshops Attended

Please find below the requirements

needed to attain all certificates and

letters associated with the TA/GS

Pro-D Programming at UVic’s

Learning and Teaching Centre.

Letter of Workshops Attended

Our database system keeps track of

every event that you attend at the

Learning and Teaching Centre, as

long as you sign the sign-in sheet

provided at each event. The sign-in

sheet is usually available as you

enter the workshop location.

Upon approaching completion of

your degree, please contact Marg

MacQuarrie at [email protected] or

phone at 250-721-8571 to request

your letter. It will list all of the

workshops/events that you

attended at the Learning and

Teaching Centre and will be signed

by the Director of the LTC.

Conference Certificates

At the Fall, Spring, and International

TA Conferences, sign-in sheets will

be available for each workshop.

Please ensure that you sign in for

each workshop you attend. You will

earn a certificate to acknowledge

your participation in this professional

development event if you attend at

least 4 unique workshops.

TA Fundamentals Certificate

If your department participates in

the TA Consultant (TAC) program,

then you will have the opportunity to

apply for this certificate. Please

contact your TAC to find out more

about certificate requirements.

Program Goals and Outcomes

1. To provide opportunities for TAs and graduate students to engage with teaching and learning issues

in higher education to facilitate understanding of the wide range of topics and instructional strategies

that are necessary to successfully engage with the variety of situations that occur within their

discipline.

2. Provide TAs with the necessary skills to effectively carry out their duties and responsibilities in their role

as a TA and teacher in higher education.

3. Assist all graduate students to become independent, reflective, and collaborative problem solvers in

teaching.

4. Make TAs aware of campus resources and services so that TAs can assist and direct students’ needs.

5. Provide professional development for TAs and graduate students so that they are more competitive

on the job market, whether as future faculty or in other professions.

6. Provide opportunities for practice and reflection about teaching.

7. Make TAs aware of the scholarship of teaching and learning.

8. Encourage integration of research and teaching.

9. Improve undergraduate education.

10. Model good teaching practices.

11. Foster a community of engaged learners.


4

The TA/GS Pro-D Program offers a range of training and professional development options for all graduate students, including new, experienced, and International TAs. All workshops and programs are available to all graduate students on campus to help them prepare for their role as future faculty or to provide valuable transferable skills.

For more information about the workshops and programs offered and to register, please visit our website at http://www.ltc.uvic.ca/index.php. There you will find the monthly calendar of workshops, as well as other resources that will assist you with your academic professional development. All workshops are available at no cost but we appreciate prior registration so that we have enough supplies for those attending.

The diagram below illustrates the possible path that a graduate student can take in tandem with his/her graduate degree to successfully engage in professional development workshops and programs that will support his/her career goals.

TA/GS Pro-D

Program Overview

TAC Workshops

in specific

departments

Spring TA and/or

International TA

Conference

Fall TA

Conference

TA Pro-D

Workshops

Learning and Teaching in Higher Education

(LATHE)

Graduate Students PARTICIPATION

CERTIFICATE

PARTICIPATION

CERTIFICATE

GRADUATE

CERTIFICATE

1st Y

EA

R

2n

d YEA

R

3rd / 4

th Y

EA

R


5

What is LATHE?


Higher Education (LATHE) is a

dynamic Certificate Program

that focuses on the

pedagogical knowledge and

practical skills required to

teach effectively in higher

education. LATHE combines

knowledge and practice

about teaching and learning

across the disciplines to

create a future professoriate

fluent in the foundational

principles of post-secondary

instruction. It will challenge

participants to reflect on their

practical teaching activities

in a scholarly way within their

disciplinary context. This

program is jointly offered by

Educational Psychology and

Leadership Studies (EPLS), the

Learning and Teaching

Centre (LTC), and the Faculty

of Graduate Studies (FGS).

Goals of the Program:

- contribute to discussions

concerning important

and topical issues in

higher education, such

as internationalization,

globalization, the impact

of educational

technology, and issues in

one's own discipline;

- assess practices and

theories of effective

university teaching;

- adapt teaching

methods to meet the

needs of adult learners

and of students for

whom special

considerations might

arise from cultural and

learning differences;

- provide informative and

balanced critical

reflections on one’s own

and others’ teaching;

- implement effective

student engagement

strategies;

- prepare a research

grant proposal on

teaching and learning

in one’s discipline;

- develop a revisable

teaching dossier to

accompany one’s

ongoing career in

university teaching; and

- compete effectively for

an academic position

with those who share

similar teaching

experiences.

Course Content of Program:

ED-D 600 Learning and


(1.5 units) – Fall term

(September to December)

Explores instructional

research and contemporary

practices in higher

education. Topics include

using effective teaching

strategies, developing

course curriculum, and

exploring various instructional


Higher Education

Get a head start on your

academic career!

How to apply:

For registration, contact Stacy Bronwell,

Graduate Program Assistant, at 250-721-7883 or

[email protected]

LATHE conforms to the requirements of all

Certificate Programs at UVic (please consult the

Graduate Calendar). Priority is given to doctoral

students who are co-registered in their own

disciplines at UVic.

Admission Requirements:

- Has completed or is in-progress of a

Master’s, Ph.D., or Post-Doctoral degree.

Preference will be given to students

currently enrolled in doctoral studies at

UVic.

- Possesses a GPA of 6 (B+ average) in the

last two years of academic work at either

the graduate or undergraduate level or

combination thereof.

- Enters the program in September.

- Meets the minimum requirements set by

the Faculty of Graduate Studies, including

English Language Proficiency.

Skills Workshop

How effective is the ISW at

preparing participants for

teaching?

mailto:[email protected]


6

models and media. Content is

guided by recent research in the

psychology of learning and

instruction.

ED-D 610: Contemporary Issues in

Higher Education (1.5 units) –

Spring term (January to April)

Critically examines the problems

and issues that dominate current

thought and discussion in higher

education in Canada and

internationally. Topics considered

will be globalization and

internalization, university

governance, teaching and

learning, the nature of academic

work, corporatization of post-

secondary institutions,

credentialism, and relations

between higher education and

the state.

ED-D 605: Doctoral Apprenticeship

in Teaching in Higher Education

(3.0 units) – Fall and Spring Terms

This two-semester course provides

guided teaching apprenticeship

under the mentorship of the

program faculty advisor, program

consultant at the LTC, and select

faculty members. Participants will

engage in presentations, role-play

scenarios, teach

undergraduate classes, and

complete the program with a

teaching dossier.

Program Cost:

Application fee: Domestic -

$100.00, International -

$125.00 plus a one-time

program fee for currently

registered UVic graduate

students: Domestic -


$813.36.

Or a fee per unit for non-

UVic students: Domestic -


$813.36 plus ancillary fees

that are charged each

term (Athletics, Transit, and

GSS).

continued…

Dr. Marty Wall

Dr. Wall is currently teaching and mentoring at the University of Victoria, having arrived five years ago as a professor emeritus from the University of Toronto. A graduate of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, he spent most of his career at

the University of Toronto, including serving as chair of the Department of Psychology, a post he held for a decade spanning the 90’s. While chair, he served as the sole instructor of the introductory course in Psychology, a course of 2200 students.

His interest in fostering excellence in teaching

has led to his participation in UVic’s Teaching Assistant Training Program, developing courses on university teaching for graduate students and faculty, and presenting annual workshops on various topics related to university teaching. Dr. Wall is a 3M National Teaching Fellowship recipient.

ED-D 600

ED-D 610 Instructor

Dr. Tatiana Gounko

Tatiana Gounko is an assistant

professor in the Department of

Psychology and Leadership Studies.

Her teaching and research interests

include higher education and the

role of international organizations in

shaping education policies around

the world. Tatiana has taught ED-D

610 since 2010. Her articles on higher

education have been published in

Higher Education Policy, European

Education and Compare.

Instructor


7

Focus

International

Teaching Assistant

(ITA) Conference: January 9, 2013

The first all-day conference

devoted to International

Teaching Assistants (ITAs) will

take place on Wednesday,

January 9, 2013. What will

the conference include?

The conference will have a

series of workshops in the

Harry Hickman Building. The

workshops will cover topics

such as:

- Culture in the

Canadian Classroom

- Communication with

students and

professors

- How to answer

questions from

students

- Who are UVic

students? What

makes them unique?

- How to effectively

grade and give

feedback to students

- And many more!

To help us plan the

conference, to make sure

that we have the topics that

you want instruction and

information about, we are

holding a special session on

Friday, October 26 from 1 to

2 :30 pm in HHB128.

At this session we will give

you a chance to tell us what

topics you want covered at

the ITA Conference.

If you are an International

Teaching Assistant at UVic,

or will be in the Winter term,

please join us!

For more information on the

conference, check our website at

http://www.ltc.uvic.ca/servicespro

grams/taprod/ta_conf.php

Photos courtesy of ©

Margaret MacQuarrie [email protected]

http://www.ltc.uvic.ca/servicesprograms/taprod/ta_conf.php

http://www.ltc.uvic.ca/servicesprograms/taprod/ta_conf.php

mailto:[email protected]

University of Victoria

Harry Hickman Building, Room 126

3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2


Fall 2012 TA Pro-D

Workshops

Learning and Teaching Centre

For full descriptions and registration, please see our current

calendar at http://ltc.uvic.ca/events/index.php

October

Avoiding Death by Paper: Surviving Essay

Marking

Wednesday, October 11, HHB 128

1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Facilitator: Edward White, Department of

Sociology

Andy Farquharson TA Award Information

Session


1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

Facilitator: Crystal Tremblay, Department

of Geography

Formative and Summative Assessment:

what are they, how they connect, and

how to use them


1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Facilitator: Ed Ishiguro, Department of

Biochemistry and Microbiology

Helping undergraduates succeed

Thursday, October 25, HHB 128

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Facilitator: Allyson Hadwin and Mariel

Miller, Department of Educational

Psychology and Leadership Studies

Teaching with PowerPoint

Thursday, October 25, HHB 128

1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Facilitator: Marty Wall, Department of

Educational Psychology and Leadership

Studies

Reducing Student s’Anxiety when

Learning Statistics

Monday, October 29, HHB 128

3:00 PM – 4:30 PM

Facilitator: Stayc Voll, Department of

Curriculum and Instruction

November

Teaching Effectively Across Diversities

Monday, November 5, HHB 128

10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Facilitator: Jin-Sun Yoon, Child and Youth

Care

Adjusting to a new cultural and

academic life: how to shape this

transition into a positive experience

Thursday, November 8, HHB 128

9:30 AM – 11:30 AM

Facilitator: Areli Valencia, Faculty of Law

Guest lecturing: effective planning and

design

Thursday, November 15, HHB 128

11:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Facilitator: Areli Valencia, Faculty of Law

Indigenous Knowledge Epistemology and

Pedagogy as Education Scholarship

Monday, November 19, HHB 128

10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

Facilitators: Jacquie Green, School of

Social Work

Teaching in a Computer Lab –

Challenges and Opportunities

Friday, November 23, HHB 128

10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

Facilitators: Jes Bassie, School of Health

Information Science

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