USC Graduate School TA Training
AUGUST 2008 GTA/GIA TRAINING
13-14 August 2008 in the Russell House University Union
Checking to see whether a student is trained
You may check to see whether your student is in the "trained" database by visiting this page:
Table of Trained TAs
"This list of trained students is sorted by departmental/program unit, and then by year trained
(student entries lacking a date are at the end of each departmental list). ... Only students who are on this list may be hired
as teaching or instructional assistants on this campus."
Registering students for the August training
In order for a student to participate in the TA workshop, their graduate program must register them for it.
If you are hiring a student as a GTA or GIA in August 2008 who is not listed in the "trained" database, you must
register them for training AND inform them of the scheduled dates for this training.
The following URL opens up an online registration page:
TA Training Registration form
DO NOT have students register themselves. They should be registered by a departmental representative
(preferably a person who does the hiring of graduate students or who is generally responsible for graduate students).
The registration deadline for August 2008 TA training is Friday, 18 July 2008, 5:00 pm.
August 2008 GIA/GTA Training and Graduate Student Orientation
This year's training will consist of three mandatory online video sessions, to be viewed and completed before 13 August, followed by a two-day workshop to be held on 13-14 August 2008 in the Russell House University Union.
The GIA/GTA Training will be followed, on August 14, by a Graduate Student Services Fair from noon until 1:00 p.m. in the Russell House second floor lobby, and a Graduate Student Orientation in the Russell House ballroom from 1:00-4:00 p.m.
TA/IA TRAINING MANDATORY ONLINE SESSIONS - SCHEDULE AND INSTRUCTIONS
TA/IA TRAINING WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
GRADUATE STUDENT SERVICES FAIR PARTICIPANTS/EXHIBITORS
GRADUATE STUDENT ORIENTATION SCHEDULE
For questions related to TA training, e-mail TATrain@sc.edu
AUGUST 2008 ITA TRAINING AND ASSESSMENT
Monday, 11 August 2008, and Friday, 15 August 2008
Checking to see whether a student has passed the ITA assessment
You may check to see whether your student has passed the ITA assessment by visiting this page:
Table of ITAs who may teach
"This list of students is sorted by departmental/program unit, and then by year
(student entries lacking a date are at the end of each departmental list). ...
International students who are not on this list may NOT be hired
as teaching or instructional assistants on this campus."
Registering students for August ITA assessment
Graduate Directors need to register their students for the assessment by Friday, 18 July 2008, 5:00 pm. Students may be registered by contacting EPI at epi-info@epi.sc.edu or 777-3867. Students may not register themselves. Only those students who are registered will be permitted to take the test.
August 2008 ITA Training and Assessment
This workshop will be held on Monday, 11 August 2008, in the Russell House ballroom, and Friday, 15 August 2008, in the Byrnes Building.
INTERNATIONAL TEACHING ASSISTANT TRAINING WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
TYPES OF TRAINING AND ASSESSMENT:
Graduate Instructional Assistant (GIA)/ Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) Workshop
This workshop is required for all (domestic and international) graduate students who will serve as instructional/teaching assistants. Graduate students must complete this training before they can be appointed as instructional/teaching assistants.
Why: The University has mandated training, in accordance with criteria established by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), to ensure that all graduate instructors and teaching assistants have the tools needed to enter the classroom. See USC Academic Affairs Policy on Graduate Assistantships
What: Training covers a range of topics including, but not limited to: safety, preparing a syllabus, evaluating students, and classroom management.
When: This training consists of a workshop held in August just before the start of the Fall semester. Training is also given for students in January, but this is limited to students who were not on this campus in August and who will be teaching for the first time in the Spring semester.
Outcome: Students receive notification of completion several weeks after the conclusion of the workshop. The names of students who complete the workshop are posted on the Graduate School's TA-training website.
International Teaching Assistant (ITA) Training Workshop and Assessment
This workshop is required for all international students who will serve as teaching/instructional assistants. All international graduate students who have not been to this workshop must attend and receive a satisfactory evaluation of their oral English skills to be eligible for appointment as a GIA or GTA. International students must successfully complete this training as well as GIA/GTA training before they will be allowed to serve as a GIA/GTA.
Why: The English Fluency in Higher Learning Act requires that all instructional faculty hired by any public institution who are not native speakers of English possess the ability to effectively communicate, both written and spoken, with students who they are teaching. See S.C. Code of Laws - English Fluency in Higher Learning Act
What: The workshop is divided into three parts. The first part introduces students to the culture of the American classroom and University's undergraduates. In the second part students are taught how to, and prepare, a micro-lesson not longer than 5-7 minutes. During the final part of workshop participants present their micro-lesson which is recorded and assessed by staff of the English Programs for Internationals (EPI).
When: ITA assessment and training takes place in August just before the start of the Fall semester. Assessment is also provided for students in January, but this is limited to students who were: (a) not on this campus in August and who will be teaching for the first time in the Spring semester, or (b) students who did not pass the August assessment and who need to be retested.
Outcome: The names of students who pass the assessment will be posted on the Graduate School's TA-training website. The scores and ratings of all students who are assessed is communicated to their home departments. Students who are not successful ("at risk") will be encouraged to get additional training in English, and will need to be retested before they are allowed to teach in the classroom.
PREVIOUS GTA/GIA WORKSHOPS:
Spring (January) 2008 GIA/GTA Training
This training is limited to students who enroll in January and will be immediately appointed as GIAs/GTAs. Departments who anticipate hiring new (not previously trained) GIAs/GTAs in January are required to insure that they receive training.
Protocols for January Training
Once the student is registered for January training, they will need to view the on-line workshop sessions from the Fall 2007 GIA/GTA Training Workshop:
August 2007 Graduate Teaching/Instructional Assistants WorkshopAfter viewing these sessions on-line, the student should write a one page response to each of them. This response can include a summary of what the student found relevant to their own prospective teaching assignment, what they did not find to be relevant, and what was not covered that they would liked to have been informed about.
When these responses have been written, they should be submitted electronically to the student's graduate director. The deadline for submission of these responses to graduate directors is January 4, 2008. The document should be saved as a MS Word file and named using the following naming convention:
DEPT.student-name.January.2008.doc (e.g. CHEM.Smith.January.2008.doc)
Once they have reviewed these submissions and determined them to be satisfactory, the graduate directors will submit them to the Graduate School. The deadline for submission to the Graduate School is January 14, 2008 (the first day of the Spring term).The student will then attend a mandatory half-day workshop from 1:00-4:00 p.m. on Friday, January 18, 2008. in Room 205, Russell House University Union
JANUARY 2008 TA-TRAINING HALF-DAY WORKSHOP
Time |
Session |
|
12:30-1:00 |
Sign in and pick up badges |
|
1:00-1:15 |
Welcome and introduction |
|
1:15-2:15 |
Faculty discussion panel |
|
2:15-2:35 |
Break |
|
2:35-3:35 |
Student discussion panel |
|
3:35 |
Turn in badges and sign out |
Fall (August) 2007 GIA/GTA Training
This workshop was held on 15-16 August 2007. The following URL links to the workshop program and streaming video of the event: August 2007 Graduate Teaching/Instructional Assistants Workshop
PREVIOUS ITA TRAINING AND ASSESSMENT:
January 2008 ITA Training and Assessment
This training is limited to students who were: (a) not on this campus in August and who will be teaching for the first time in the Spring semester, or (b) students who did not pass the August assessment and who need to be retested.
Protocols for January ITA assessment
The January 2008 ITA testing will be on Wednesday, January 9, beginning at
3:30 pm. Students should report to Byrnes 207 by 3:20 pm on Wednesday, January 9,
for their testing room assignments. The students will be assessed on their
communicative competence as demonstrated in a 5-7-minute microlesson which
they will have prepared before the assessment.
Please contact the office of English Programs for Internationals at 777-3867 or
epi-info@epi.sc.edu directly for more information.
Fall 2007 ITA Training and Assessment
This workshop was held on Monday, 13 August 2007, and Friday, 17 August 2007. The following URL links to the workshop program: August 2007 International Teaching Assistant Training Workshop