TA Orientation Session Friday, September 7, 2012 Robin Hutchinson – Associate Head

Benefits of working as a TA For benefit of department –Well-prepared TAs improve undergraduate education, and are more efficient support for faculty members For benefit of grad student –Acquire and improve basic teaching and time-management skills –Improve communication skills: build self-confidence and alleviate anxiety when speaking to a group –Teaching skills (organizational, communication, …) are transferable to other (future) jobs

TA Duties in our Department Classroom course –Organize and present tutorial material in class –Run session in cluster to teach course software –Answer student questions during office hours –Mark assignments, projects, mid-terms and exams Lab course –Brief students in small groups on safety and theory and test them to see if they are well-prepared –Assist during the experiments when necessary –Mark lab reports and evaluate performance in lab

“The Effective TA” What are the qualities of an effective TA? Think of your own experiences as a student!

TA Duties in our Department Average workload is 6 hrs/wk for 12 wks = 72 hrs TA/Instructor Agreement (job contract) outlines the expected breakdown of the 72 hours. It can be used as a guide during the term. You will receive a copy of the textbook for the course you are TAing. Look at this!! Some competency in the course material is expected. If you are TAing this coming term, arrange to meet with the instructor right away!

TA Evaluation Procedures Start of term –The TA/Instructor Agreement Halfway through the term –It is strongly encouraged that the TA and instructor seek Midcourse Feedback from the students to assess TA performance and improve teaching skills End of term –A formal End of Term Performance Assessment is completed by the course instructor for each TA

New TA union and agreement effective this year – facultyrelations/psac.htmlhttp:// facultyrelations/psac.html TA Rights –To be informed of expected workload –To be compensated for your work –To have access to a fair dispute resolution mechanism –To be informed of your rights! TABLE OF CONTENTS Article Page 1. Purpose ………………………………………………………………… 3 2. Recognition and Exclusions …………………………………………… Definitions ………………………………………………………………… 4 4. Management Rights …………………………………………………… Union Representation and Activities …………………………………… No Strike/No Lockout Provision.…………………………………… 6 7. Correspondence and Information ………………………………………… 7 8. Union Security …………………………………………………………… 8 9. Joint Union Management Committee …………………………………… Service and Facilities …………………………………………………… Grievance Procedure and Arbitration …………………………………… Appointments ……………………………………………………………… Probationary Employees ……………………………………………… Personnel File …………………………………………………………… Discipline, Suspension, and Discharge ………………………………… Hours of Work ………………………………………………………… Wages and Stipend …………………………………………………… Pay Administration …………………………………………………… Holidays and Vacation Pay …………………………………………… No Discrimination/No Harassment …………………………………… Health and Safety …………………………………………………… Intellectual Property …………………………………………………… Leaves of Absence …………………………………………………… Benefits ………………………………………………………………… Duration ………………………………………………………………… 33

TA responsibilities –To acquire & maintain general knowledge of course content –To fulfill your duties in a positive manner –To respect and treat all fairly – no discrimination!! Harassment/discrimination policy and procedures: –To keep all grades and personal information confidential

“Teaching Concerns and Solutions” What are the concerns, worries, or problems you think you may encounter as a TA… Think of your own experiences as a student!

Resources to improve teaching skills Seminars for Teaching Assistants –A series of workshops for TAs is offered by Queen’s Centre for Teaching and Learning, leading to a series of four certificates Courses offered by Queen’s University –SGS 901, a graduate level course on Teaching and Learning in Higher Education –SGS 802, a course in English Language Communication Skills for Teaching Purposes

Resources (continued) Queen’s Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) – contains a lot of information on improving teaching skills, including a Handbook for TAs by A. Hadwin and S. Wilcoxwww.queensu.ca/ctl –CTL staff offers free consultations for one-on-one support, advice or feedback on teaching, as well as in-class observation or videotaping of your tutorial/lab –Four certificates can be obtained for formal recognition of your participation in TA training and development –Workshops series for TAs during the Fall and Winter terms –Library with over 4000 items on Teaching and Learning

Resources (continued) Your course instructor! –Meet on a regular basis –Not sure the best way to mark a certain question? Try a few “test cases”, then discuss with the instructor –Find out what material is being covered week by week, and work with the instructor to keep “on the same page” –Work through assignments (if you have problems, talk with the instructor), so that you will be in a better position to aid students in the course