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

• E-mail : 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: http://www3.baylor.edu/Library/

• OsoFast: ILL at Baylor, https://illiad.baylor.edu/illiad/logon.html

• Electronic Resources: https://www1.baylor.edu/ERD/Search/AdvancedSearch.aspx

• BearSpace: Storing Information, https://bearspace.baylor.edu

Student Issues

• Ethical Behavior (honesty, plagiarism, cheating, doing homework)http://www.baylor.edu/honorcode/

• Special Services (OALA): http://www.baylor.edu/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.