PRE-FALL ORIENTATION

1. Departmental TA Orientation Issues
• introduction to the undergraduate curriculum
• criteria for selection of TA assignments
• departmental guidelines for use of TAs
• issues to discuss with the professor beforehand
• TA evaluation
2. TA Survival Skills
3. Sexual Harassment Presentation
4. Tutorial on Leading Discussion Sections
• preparing for the first day of section (and beyond)
• conducting effective Q & A
• potential problems with leading discussion
5. Preparation for TAing Lower-Division Courses
6. Computing Resources for TAs
• downloading and using electronic class lists

FALL QUARTER (PSY 590A)

1. Writing Exam Questions
2. Leading Review Sessions
• demonstration of PowerPoint techniques
3. Student Writing / Grading Objective Exams / Proctoring, and Dealing with Cheaters
• using scantron to grade tests
• using parscore to grade tests

WINTER QUARTER (PSY 590B)

1. Effective Lecturing (guest speaker: Dr. Aaron Ettenberg)
2. Lecturing Experience: Videotaping and Consultation
3. Instructional Improvement (guest speakers: Dr. Shirley Ronkowski and graduate students who have written instructional improvement grants) / TA evaluations

SPRING QUARTER (PSY 590C)

1. Designing a Course, & Philosophy of Teaching (guest speakers: summer teaching associates)
2. Instructional Technology/ Web Page Design and Maintenance
3. Individual Consultations on TA Issues

NOTE: Some time during most sessions will be spent discussing "TA Issues & Challenges," which will consist of a variety of topics that past participants have found to be worthwhile and/or which current participants suggest. Likewise, during individual consultations in the Winter and Spring Quarters, these topics may be discussed. Topics might include such things as: Dealing with grading complaints, parameters of a TA's authority, handling conflict with a course instructor, requests for "special favors," writing letters of recommendation, sexual harassment, making full use of campus resources, keeping organized, raising students' enthusiasm for learning, TA workload concerns, dealing with social overtures by students, proctoring exams, steps for handling cheating and plagiarism, diversity issues, responding to students with personal problems, ethical issues for teaching assistants, issues to consider in classes with multiple TAs, understanding performance evaluations, etc.

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