TA Orientation

All graduate students who will be newly appointed Graduate Teaching or Instructional Assistants (TAs) are required to participate in the university-wide TA Orientation (TAO) prior to teaching their first semester. TA Orientation is an important part of the University’s Graduate GTA/GIA Training Program and will help to ensure your success as a TA at USC.

TA Orientation Workshops

All graduate teaching and instructional assistants must participate in two (2) three-hour orientation workshops, A and B, introducing graduate students to teaching at USC. These workshops provide concise, helpful information, resources and guidance on developing your teaching skills as you prepare to teach. Students can register and participate in these workshops in any order, but must participate in and complete both Workshop A and B.

COVID-19 Changes: The required GTA/GIA Orientations will be moved to a virtual environment and online platform due to the number of students participating (over 400) and following UofSC and CDC guidelines. Some TAO Workshop sessions will be synchronous while others will be asynchronous, with completion required prior to the start of classes. Any required synchronous session will be held within students’ pre-registered time slots - no additional scheduling is needed. Please note though that students are still required to register for a specific day and time for both Workshops A and B because planning for the synchronous breakout sessions (discipline-specific, varying TA responsibilities such as graders, lab instructors, etc.) will be based on the registered participant TA demographics for that day. Thus, we ask that students keep those dates and times reserved in their schedule.

A TA Orientation Information Sheet will be provided in early August with more detailed instructions.

Note: Deadline for TA Orientation registration is Friday, August 7, 2020. Advance registration is required. Registration link is at the bottom of the page.

Fall 2020 TA Orientation Workshops
Date	9 a.m. - Noon	1 - 4 p.m.	Location
Wednesday Aug. 12	Workshop A	Workshop B	Online Synchronous / Asynchronous
Thursday Aug. 13	Workshop B	Workshop A	Online Synchronous / Asynchronous
Tuesday Aug. 18	Workshop A	Workshop B	Online Synchronous / Asynchronous
Wednesday Aug. 19	Workshop B	Workshop A	Online Synchronous / Asynchronous

Workshop A

Topics:

FERPA policies (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)
University Policies
Discrimination and Sexual Harassment
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Dealing with Different Types of Disruptive Student Behavior (CHDC, BIT, USC Police)
University Resources

Workshop B

Topics:

Teaching Preparation and First-day Tips
Workload Management
Establishing the Teacher-Student Relationship
Engaging Students
Grading Objectively
Classroom Challenges
Discipline-specific Veteran TA Panels
Duty-specific Sessions with Experienced TAs

Any student who misses TA Orientation must contact Dr. Michelle Hardee, TA Training Program Manager, at hardeem@mailbox.sc.edu or 803-777-1975.

PLEASE NOTE regarding your registration confirmation:

Confirmation of registration will be by email within a week of registration receipt via a list of Confirmed Dates for Registered Participants. Be sure to check this list to confirm your registered dates and times.

If you have any questions or problems, please contact Dr. Michelle Hardee, TA Training Program Manager, at the Center for Teaching Excellence, hardeem@mailbox.sc.edu (preferred) or 803-777-1975.

Register for Fall 2020 TA Orientation

A listserv for graduate TA/IAs across USC, TA-Connect is your source for up-to-date information on university-wide events and opportunities that support graduate student teaching. Weekly emails provide information and news related to GTA/IAs including: upcoming CTE workshops and special events, GRAD 701 sessions, teaching-related programming from campus partners, and other helpful teaching resources and websites that may be of use to GTA/IAs now or in the future.

All international graduate students who will be newly appointed TAs/IAs must additionally participate an International Student Services (ISS) Orientation, an International TA Training speaking assessment practice workshop (ITA Workshop) and subsequently have their English proficiency assessed (ITA Assessment) through the English Programs for Internationals (EPI) office prior to the start of classes. For questions regarding International Teaching Assistant (ITA) training and assessment, English speaking/writing proficiency requirements or courses, or International Student Orientations, please contact the following:

• International Teaching Assistant (ITA) training workshop and assessment dates, workshop agenda and microlesson assignment, IELTS and iBT score exemptions, or other ITA questions: ita@epi.sc.edu, 803-777-3867, or visit their ITA Workshop and Assessment page.

• English for Foreign Students (ENFS) requirements, courses, and other questions: enfs@epi.sc.edu or visit the English for Foreign Students page

• International Student Services (ISS) Orientation dates and other information: iss@sc.edu, 803-777-7461, or visit their ISS Orientation Information page.

Center for Teaching Excellence

TA Orientation

TA Orientation Workshops

Fall 2020 TA Orientation Workshops

Workshop A

Workshop B

Register for Fall 2020 TA Orientation

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