TA ProD Series

2009 - 2010 Series

Fall Teaching Assistant (TA) Conference
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
10:00 AM ~ 4:00 PM
HHB Lobby, 105, 110, 116, 120 and 128
The TA conference is a one-day event designed to help you improve your teaching skills. We have invited experienced UVic TAs and faculty to present workshops covering a wide spectrum of topics, including TA Basics, Grading, Labs in the Physical Sciences, Student Motivation, Mentoring, and Facilitating Discussion.

The conference is a great opportunity to connect and share your ideas and experiences with graduate students in other faculties, and for professional and personal development. The conference is FREE for all graduate students, new and returning teaching and academic assistants, and instructors. Pre-registration required.
Fall TA Conference Information

2008 - 2009 Series

Fall Teaching Assistant (TA) Conference
Saturday, September 13, 2008
9:00 AM ~ 3:30 PM
HHB Lobby, 105, 110, 116, 120 and 128
The TA conference is a one-day event designed to help you improve your teaching skills. We have invited experienced UVic TAs and faculty to present workshops covering a wide spectrum of topics, including TA Basics, Grading, Labs in the Physical Sciences, Student Motivation, Mentoring, and Facilitating Discussion.

The conference is a great opportunity to connect and share your ideas and experiences with graduate students in other faculties, and for professional and personal development. The conference is FREE for all graduate students, new and returning teaching and academic assistants, and instructors. Pre-registration required.
Fall TA Conference Information


Guidelines for Planning Successful and Stress Free Lessons [TA ProD Series]
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
6:30 PM ~ 8:00 PM, HHB 128
Facilitators: Cynthia Korpan, Department of Anthropology and TA Training Program Coordinator, Learning and Teaching Centre, and Jon Chui, Department of Chemistry and TA Associate, Learning and Teaching Centre
There are many ways to approach planning your lessons, but one in particular has proven to be highly successful. This workshop will introduce the participants to a model that is easy to implement for a 15 minute short topic or for a longer 90 minute lecture. Participants will walk away with materials that will immediately assist them in planning their lesson for the next day!|

Effective Work Management [TA ProD Series]
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
6:30 PM ~ 8:00 PM. HHB 128
Facilitator: Jon Chui, Department of Chemistry and TA Associate, Learning and Teaching Centre
While other workshops are about looking after your students (directly or indirectly), this workshop is all about looking after *you*. From tech-savvy solutions in time management to the art of gracefully saying no, the methods and techniques from our experienced TAs will help you manage your workload more efficiently.


Teaching Labs [TA ProD Series]
Thursday, January 8, 2009
6:00 PM ~ 7:30 PM, HHB 128
Facilitator: Melissa Graham, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria.
This workshop encompasses all aspects of teaching labs to undergraduate students. TAs will learn what to expect when teaching labs, and what will be expected of them by professors and students. We will cover how to prepare for labs, different lab formats in a variety of disciplines, including social sciences and humanities, techniques for effective teaching in the laboratory, and the styles of lab reports you might be grading. Advice and interactive discussion on common problems encountered will also be provided, including equipment malfunction, measurement error analysis, academic dishonesty, time management, and lack of basic (math and science) knowledge amongst some students.
http://www.astro.uvic.ca/~melissa/TAConference/ - Document is: MLG_TAingLabs.pdf


Microteaching for Teaching Assistants
Spring Teaching Assistant (TA) Conference Workshop
Saturday, January 24, 2009
10:00 AM ~ 3:30 PM
HHB Lobby, 105, 110, 116, 120 and 128
The Spring TA Conference highlights more advanced skills required to enhance the quality of your instruction and explore critical issues through microteaching. Microteaching is where you get to teach a very short, 5 minute lesson to a group of 5 peers. You will gain valuable strategies to improve your teaching skills through peer feedback. This safe and informal atmosphere will allow you to meet other graduate students and build a community with similar interests and goals in teaching and learning. The agenda and more information will be posted in early December.
Spring TA Conference Workshop Information

Transformational Communication [TA ProD Series]
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
6:00 PM ~ 7:30 PM, HHB 128
Facilitator: Michèle Favarger, Certified Trainer in Nonviolent Communication, and Student Awards & Financial Aid Officer, University of Victoria
How does mindfulness create meaningful change in our interpersonal and intra-personal communication? This introductory workshop will summarize the process of Nonviolent Communication and will teach some key differentiations, such as: Observations vs. Evaluations, Needs vs. Strategies, Stimulus vs. Cause.
This workshop will help you to get your needs met more frequently with willingness rather than resistance by learning the following:
- 10 Ways that we frequently express ourselves that DON’T help
- How to give and receive criticism with greater ease
- How to communicate more effectively with a greater likelihood of being heard


Using On-Line Games for Educational Purposes [TA ProD Series]
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
6:30 PM ~ 8:00 PM, HHB 128
Facilitator: Cynthia Korpan, Department of Anthropology and TA Training Program Coordinator, Learning and Teaching Centre
On-line games are a fun and quick post-assessment tool. In this workshop, we will take you through several games that have been designed specifically for higher education that you will be able to implement with very little time commitment. We will take you through a step by step demonstration of how to set up a quick post-assessment for the end of a class, lab, or tutorial.

2007 - 2008 Series

Fall Teaching Assistant (TA) Conference
Saturday, September 15, 2007
9:30 AM ~ 3:30 PM
HHB Lobby, 105, 110, 116, 120 and 128
Join us Saturday, September 15, 2007 for the annual Fall TA Conference. You will gain valuable strategies to improve your teaching skills. The informal atmosphere will allow you to meet other graduate students and enhance your experience at UVic.
Fall TA Conference Information

TA Dilemmas and Ethical Concerns [TA ProD Series]
Monday, October 15, 2007
6:30 PM ~ 8:00 PM, HHB 128
What do you do as a TA when you suspect a student of plagiarizing or you feel one of your students has crossed a line? Whom do you go to for support? Dilemmas and challenges are certainly a part of a TA's life but where can you find the support you need to deal with these issues? This workshop will include a panel of representatives in various positions across the campus (Graduate Student, TA, Instructor, Administrator) who will help you find solutions for relevant issues, increase your understanding, and aid you in your journey of teaching students.
Any member of campus welcome.
TA ProD Poster

Technology in Presentations [TA ProD Series]
Monday, November 19, 2007
6:30 PM ~ 8:00 PM, HHB 128
Presented by Lior Malka, Department of Computer Science.
Your presentation skills are phenomenal, and you've got the right slides. But what if the data projector fails or it will not connect to your computer? What if your presentation looks good on your computer but not on the screen?
This workshop will cover issues about the technical side of presentations, whether in the class or when you give a talk at a conference. It will also include advanced features of Microsoft PowerPoint and will make your presentation stand out.
Any member of campus welcome.

Spring TA Conference
Saturday, January 19, 2008
9:00 AM ~ 3:00 PM
HHB Lobby, 105, 110, 116, 120 and 128
This second TA Conference of the year highlights more advanced skills required to upgrade your presentation quality and explore critical issues.  Join us Saturday, January 19, 2008 for the annual Spring TA Conference.  You will gain valuable strategies to improve your teaching skills.  The informal atmosphere will allow you to meet other graduate students and enhance your experience at UVic.
Spring TA Conference Information

Student Motivation: Strategies that Work [TA ProD Series]
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
6:30 ~ 8:00 PM, MacLaurin D116 [PLEASE NOTE CHANGE IN LOCATION]
Learn how to engage and motivate your students throughout the year, in either intimate or large classroom settings. Become the effective, engaging, and inspiring teacher you want to be at the same time as your students benefit from a deeper knowledge of your course material. This workshop is based on a large body of human motivation research known as "Self-Determination Theory". Any member of campus welcome.

Using Virtual Environments (Second Life) as Classroom Meeting Space [TA ProD Series]
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
6:30 PM ~ 8:00 PM, HHB 128
Virtual worlds, such as Second Life, have become active venues in which to engage with students, with some education institutions holding their regular classes "in world". This workshop will look at virtual spaces, what is being done, and how instructors could incorporate virtual worlds into their courses/labs/tutorials.
Any member of campus welcome.
Second Life Poster