8.8 TA training

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Working as a TA online will likely be new to your TAs. Investing time in ensuring your TAs have the necessary training to do their job successfully is important. You may provide that training yourself or encourage your TA to attend any training provided by your department, faculty, or a central unit such as the CTLT in Vancouver or CTL in the Okanagan. Keep in mind that any training you ask your TA to do should be counted towards their paid hours.

General training opportunities

General TA training focuses on building skills and developing strategies for TAs from all disciplinary backgrounds. This may be offered by your department or centrally through units like the CTLT in Vancouver or CTL in the Okanagan. Workshops of particular interest to TAs include:

  • Leading synchronous and asynchronous discussions
  • TA workflow and time management in an online environment
  • Managing expectations for one’s self and students
  • Managing online bullying and creating inclusive environments online

The CTLT offers a variety of general TA training programs and some programs designed for faculty are open to TAs as well. If you feel your TAs would benefit from the Online Teaching Program, please share the link with them.

To inquire about training for Okanagan TAs offered by the CTL, please contact ctl.helpdesk@ubc.ca.

Discipline, department, and course-specific TA training

Discipline and course-specific TA training may be a combination of training you provide to your course TAs, programming run by a departmental TA training coordinator, and other resources or supports offered by your department or faculty. Training might include:

  • Department TA orientation
  • Course TA orientation (a beginning of term meeting between you and your TAs) to cover:
    • Course policies
    • Your expectations
    • What your TAs need to prepare ahead of time
  • Course-specific topics, for example:
    • TA’ing large synchronous classrooms online
    • Laboratory safety and procedures
    • Supporting community engaged learning online
    • Accessing and using open educational resources

For more information on discipline-specific TA training, please contact your department’s TA training coordinator, or your department head.

Technical skills

Your TAs may benefit from improving their skills with learning technology. Learning technology workshops may be offered through your Faculty Instructional Support Services (ISS) or centrally through the CTLT in Vancouver or CTL in the Okanagan. Good online resources for TAs include: