TA Fundamentals Certificate (non-credit)

To be awarded a TA Fundamentals Certificate (non-credit) by the Division of Learning and Teaching Support and Innovation (LTSI), you are required to complete the following:

  1. Instruction and/or teaching observations

Completion of eight (8) hours of professional development seminars/workshops/teaching observations offered by the Teaching Assistant Consultant (TAC) in your home department.

  1. Submission of instructional material

Submission of an original item of instructional material that you have designed to support you (and perhaps your colleagues) in your TA role in your discipline. This could be something you have developed and used OR something that you would like to use in the future (even if you do not have this kind of flexibility in your current role). Examples might include: a grading key for an assignment or test, a lesson outline, revisions to an already existing lab session, a discussion group plan, or any instructional piece that illustrates that you have been able to successfully take information provided in the seminars and use it effectively. 

  1. Reflective essay

Submit a three- to four-page reflective writing piece (proper spelling and grammar, 12 pt. font in Times New Roman, double-spaced, and written in essay form) about the seminars/workshops/teaching observations that you were part of, and about your work as a TA that specifically answers the following questions:

  • What were the most significant thing(s) you learned that helped you in your role as a TA? Provide three specific examples about the value of the seminars.
  • Explain how your original instructional material (in 2 above) arose and what, if any, contribution the seminars made to its development.
  • From what you learned and observed in the TAC seminars, what did you use immediately or will use in the future in your role as an academic professional?

Process and deadline

The submission deadline is April 15. Documents should be sent directly to your departmental TAC. Once your submissions have been reviewed, and it has been determined that you have met all the requirements as listed above, the certificate of completion of the TA Fundamentals Program will be issued and sent to your home department.