Fall GTA Orientation

Purpose To advise new graduate students on how to serve as a responsible and happy GTAs To describe the common responsibilities of GTAs Provide advice from experienced GTAs

Who is a Graduate Assistant? Research Assistant: A GRA is funded to assist a professor in research or to conduct her own research. Teaching Assistant: A GTA is funded to assist in the classroom or laboratory and may eventually be a “teacher of record” (TOR).

Who is a GTA? GTAs have diverse responsibilities and varied experiences. –Senior Learners* –Colleagues in Training* –Junior Colleagues* GTAs may have diverse relationships with their supervising professors –E.g.. Employer-employee, Trainer-Colleague in training, Collaborating Peers *Jody D. Nyquist and Donald H. Wulff, Working Effectively with Graduate Assistants, Thousand Oaks, Ca.: Sage Publications, 1996

Working with “The Professor” Starting out Right: Introduce yourself Responsibilities Introduction to Students Clarification & Deadlines Office Hours

Working with “The Professor” Know Your Environment: Room & Technology Dress Code Printing When things don’t go well Intra-departmental politics

Campus Communication Daily, Official correspondence Copy (Cc) the professor to all official correspondence Cell-phones

Common Responsibilities Attend Classes Read Textbook/assignments Maintain Seating chart Take attendance Take class notes Maintain office hours

Other Possibilities Editing work Proctor exams Prepare Mid-Semester Reports: Athletes Conduct Field Trips Research for Profs; Acquisition of materials …

Teaching Responsibilities Sub Lecturing Tutoring / Review Sessions Grading

Substitute Lecturing Clarify expectations w/ Prof Balancing style Structuring your lecture Confidence Technology issues Access to room Expect to submit lecture notes to your Prof

Tutoring / Review Sessions Frequency Location Content

Grading Allot hours at the end of the semester - do your own papers early. Grade and enter grades quickly; ask about expectations. Providing Reports: to students and prof Familiarize yourself with the Scantron machine.

Research Tools Library Webpage –Two Libraries: Moody and Jones BearCat: OsoFast: ILL at Baylor, Electronic Resources: rch.aspx rch.aspx BearSpace: Storing Information,

Student Issues Ethical Behavior (honesty, plagiarism, cheating, doing homework) Special Services (OALA):

SET Seminars for Excellence in Teaching –Improves quality of undergrad education –Assists departments in preparing teachers –Documents SACS required training

SET Requirements for TORs –Prior to or during your first semester of teaching: Core Workshop 1 (180 minutes) Core Workshop 2 (120 minutes) –Each subsequent semester you teach: One elective workshop (60 minutes)

“Working as a GTA” Q&A with a Panel of Senior GTAs Lydia Cooper, English Ph.D. Michelle Porter, Spanish M.A. Alicia Myers, Religion Ph.D. Bracy Hill, Religion Ph.D.