The mandatory TA training program is one of five requirements to be considered for a teaching assistantship in both undergraduate and graduate level courses. The Office of Academic Affairs and the Office of Student Experience have partnered in this training effort to enhance the teaching and learning experience at the SPHTM.
The two-part TA training provides a toolkit for our TAs where ethics, academic standards, best practices, honor code, payroll, etc., are discussed.
It should be noted that Instructors select TAs and will often reach out to hire students with whom they have a good rapport and who have done well in their courses. If you're interested in a teaching assistantship in a course for which you were not a student or did not know the instructor well, reach out to that instructor, express your interest and discuss the appointment.
Part 1 is an asynchronous, 2-hour intensive with 3 modules that incorporate instructional technology lessons in Canvas, Zoom, and Yuja. It requires submission of the Confidentiality Agreement, Bio Sheet, and several knowledge checks.
This Canvas course will be available for potential candidates to enroll and begin as of 12:01am Monday, December 7, 2020. Click here to enroll.
Enrolled students have until 11:59pm on Monday, December 14, 2020 to complete the modules. The course will be unavailable after that time for those assisting in the Spring of 2021 and will be offered again for summer appointments.
Part 2 is synchronous. It involves a 1-hour Zoom session following completion of the Canvas modules. Students will have an exercise in giving feedback and examine the findings from course evaluation comments related to effective TA contributions to learning.
There are three offerings for this part of the training. Students should choose one of the three to attend and can register below.
REMEMBER: DO PART 1 IN CANVAS BEFORE ATTENDING ONE OF THE LIVE SESSIONS BELOW
TA Training Session – Part 2 (Section 1), Wednesday, December 16 at 5:30pm (Register here)
TA Training Session – Part 2 (Section 2), Thursday, December 17 at 5:30pm (Register here)
If you have questions about the TA Training contact Dr. Angela Breckenridge at 504-988-9916.
This training is targeted to students who have been selected by faculty to serve as TAs for the fall semester and those who may wish to TA this fall. Ideally, doctoral students have priority for TA positions in master’s courses; however, there may also be qualified master’s students. Second-year master’s students can serve as TAs for first-year students, and first-year master’s students may serve as undergraduate TAs if they have knowledge of the course subject matter. In such cases, it is advisable that the students not be in the same entering class/cohort as their peers and should not serve as TAs in any classes in which they have friends.
Please note that the Office of Student Affairs now maintains a list of trained and approved Teaching Assistants. This list also includes information on the courses and topics that the trained TAs are interested in supporting. This list can be referenced by the individual departments and faculty members looking for TAs. Please contact Rozanne Bailey to access the list.
For questions about the hiring process and appointments to the Online MPH program, contact Kathleen Carniero.
The school is working on a TA compensation policy that will account for the additional time required.
No, taking TA training does not guarantee a TA job. Students should contact course instructors as they are the ones who select TAs for their courses. Instructors will often look for students who have taken their course so they have the knowledge and skills taught in the course.
TAs will learn how to:
