Teaching Assistants’ Training Program (TATP)

The TATP is a peer-based network that offers training (workshops, microteaching, first-contract job training) and online resources (tip sheets, guides, videos, training modules) to support graduate students and teaching assistants at the University of Toronto. The TATP also provides professional development opportunities, such as special events and two certificate programs, and administers two teaching awards to acknowledge teaching excellence in teaching assistants and graduate student Course Instructors.

TATP Team Highlights 2020-2021

Student Life-TATP partnership: The TATP partnered with two offices in Student Life (Centre for International Experience and Academic Success) to create a series of four conversations based on “Intercultural Teaching Circles.” These teaching circles, offered on a monthly basis, were guided by two International Graduate Educational Developers, who also facilitated the crowdsourcing of materials, tools, and resources. The TATP also ran two workshops for graduate students on intercultural competencies through its certificate programs that were also eligible for SGS’s MyGDP program.

Programming redesign for online: The TATP reconceptualized two of its largest in-person and intensive offerings into responsive online training experiences. In a typical year, these events would train upwards of 700 TAs in total.

• Tri-Campus TA Day relaunched as Online TA Week: Divided into two streams (Teaching Foundations for first-time TAs, and Teaching Expertise for returning TAs), the Online TA Week had an overall focus on teaching with technology. Many sessions explored teaching in the online environment, including two roundtables facilitated by our IT campus partners focusing on educational technology tools. More than 700 graduate students registered for the Online TA Week, with some sessions having more than 250 participants.
• Transforming Job Training with synchronous and asynchronous resources and training offerings: Job Training sessions were directed at new TAs and returning TAs looking for specialized skills for online teaching. Training for new TAs also pivoted to include a combination of two 1-hour asynchronous modules and a 2-hour webinar. More than 2000 registrants completed one of the nine asynchronous training modules. By the end of September 2020, 4322 individual participants had attended one of TATP’s 60 webinars.

Creating Experiential Opportunities: new practicum on emotional intelligence and conversations on career readiness: To enhance the practicum offerings to certificate participants in an online space, TATP designed two new experiential opportunities. The cohort-based teaching practicum, Emotional Intelligence in Teaching and Learning, was a four-part webinar series that supported graduate students in developing their unique teacher identities through reflective exercises using the lens of emotional intelligence. The TATP also expanded offerings focused on career readiness and transferable skills, including roundtable discussions on teaching in the college sector and how to highlight transferable skills when entering the academic and non-academic job markets.