TA/TM Week: Orientation to Remote Teaching

In this session, we will explore the role of TAs in remote teaching and discuss ethical principles in university teaching. You will learn about synchronous and asynchronous teaching approaches, become aware of campus resources for supporting student success, and have a chance to learn about the asynchronous learning opportunities for TAs through the Remote Teaching for TAs and TMs Canvas site.

What is expected of me as a TA/TM? What role does the course supervisor play? What is a TUG? What is a Base Unit? What’s the difference between a lab and tutorial? Do TAs/TMs have any benefits? What are members’ rights? Workshop participants will learn about the mechanics of their job as TAs and TMs, discover the resources and benefits available to them, their rights and responsibilities, teaching tips for the classroom, and more.

Topics will include:

• How to read your contract: Base units, rates of pay, work hours required
• The Collective Agreement and members’ rights
• The roles and responsibilities of a TA/TM, and differentiating them from those of a graduate student
• Deciphering TUGs, logbooks and workload reviews
• Union benefits and deciphering them
• TA/TM safety
• Problem solving and conflict resolution
• Working and communicating with course supervisors

This virtual workshop will focus on how to use Zoom as a tool for effective online instruction. We will demonstrate features in Zoom that can be leveraged for teaching and learning, as well as highlight best practices for online synchronous instruction. We will demonstrate how to use breakout rooms, whiteboards and the chat feature, and how to facilitate conversations. We will also address how you can improve the security of your sessions in light of issues some instructors have had while using Zoom.

Faculty members and experienced teaching assistants/tutor-markers from diverse disciplines will share advice and answer questions about managing your time while teaching online, engaging your students, creating community and setting up ground rules in your tutorial, holding online office hours and clarifying expectations with your course supervisor, among many others.

Working as a TA or TM is, for many, the first experience teaching or working with students, and it is common for TAs and TMs not to know how to respond to new workplace scenarios. This session aims to show new and veteran TAs and TMs how the Collective Agreement informs responses to such situations, and how it protects TSSU members. This workshop will increase participants’ awareness of their roles and responsibilities as a TA or TM, so they come away with strategies and solutions for responding to common scenarios.

Topics will include:

• Responding to common situations encountered by TAs and TMs (e.g., too much marking, or the process for taking sick leave)
• TSSU member rights
• Working and communicating with course supervisors
• TA/TM safety
• Problem solving and conflict resolution

This workshop will address basic functionality in Canvas: you will learn about the integration of course materials and assignments, how to grade assignments in Gradebook, and how to set up discussion groups and communicate with your students effectively in Canvas.

The Blackboard Collaborate Ultra workshop will provide information on how this tool can be used to facilitate tutorials and record and share mini-lectures with your students. We will provide an overview of some of the features such as using breakout groups, delivering student presentations, sharing a presentation or document from your desktop and engaging students with polls. CEE’s Blackboard experts will answer your questions during the session.

Join us to learn about cultural differences in instructor, TA and student roles, explore strategies for taking initiative and navigating power distance in TA/supervisor and TA/student relationships and discuss strategies for inclusive teaching and communicating across cultures in the SFU classroom. Participants will leave the session with a greater awareness of SFU’s diverse campus community, and resources for international TAs.

In this interactive session, you will collaborate with a small group of TAs to develop effective solutions to challenging classroom management situations related to academic integrity, accommodation, and class disruption. You will become familiar with campus policies and resources that will enable you and your students to respond to these challenges and seek additional support if needed.