Mandatory Training
When invited to deliver a training workshop for first-contract TAs, the TATP graduate student peer trainers will contact the department to confirm the kind of training desired, the number of TAs to be trained, and when possible, will meet with a faculty member or experienced teaching assistant currently working in the department to gather information that will help tailor the training session to that department’s needs. Typically, a TATP training workshop (1 – 3 hours) will include a presentation on essential teaching strategies and important policies that all TAs at the University of Toronto should know, followed by a training activity that will model effective teaching skills. The second part of the workshop usually involves collaborative work and can focus on a grading activity, or a couple of case studies, or another activity of your choosing, and will be highly interactive.
If you are an instructor working with TAs for the first time, please consult the Building Your Teaching Team document.
If you require more information about the peer-to-peer TA training the TATP provides, please contact Bethany Babinchak, the TATP Program Assistant, at 416.946.3799 or services.ta@utoronto.ca.
If you are ready to book a training workshop led by TATP staff, or a talk by TATP staff at your department’s graduate orientation, kindly read the information below.
To learn more about the collective agreement between UofT and CUPE 3902, please view a copy of the most recent collective agreement here: CUPE 3902, Unit 1, Collective Agreement (PDF)
Or visit: www.hrandequity.utoronto.ca/about-hr-equity/policies-guidelines-agreements.htm If you are an instructor working with TAs for the first time, please consult the Building Your Teaching Team document.
If you require more information about the peer-to-peer TA training the TATP provides, please contact Bethany Babinchak, the TATP Program Assistant, at 416.946.3799 or services.ta@utoronto.ca.
If you are ready to book a training workshop led by TATP staff, or a talk by TATP staff at your department’s graduate orientation, kindly read the information below.
To learn more about the collective agreement between UofT and CUPE 3902, please view a copy of the most recent collective agreement here: CUPE 3902, Unit 1, Collective Agreement (PDF)
If you would like to book a training session for the TAs in your department, please fill out this ONLINE FORM.
If you have a group of 5 or less TAs who require training, we recommend they:
- attend a catch-all session
- attend workshop series
Please keep the following points in mind when contacting the TATP office to book a training workshop:
- we require a minimum of two weeks’ notice, preferably one month’s notice, to book a training workshop;
- we would like to know if the session is restricted to first-contract teaching assistants, or will returning TAs will be allowed to attend? (this will affect the level of material included in the training session);
- what is the desired focus of the training session (discussion-based teaching, lab demonstration, grading, communicating effectively, etc.);
- what is the nature of your teaching assistants’ duties (are they primarily grading-only TAs? do they lead tutorials? are they Course Instructors?);
- date, location and time of training workshop (TATP staff are not responsible for booking space or determining a time for training sessions);
- number of TAs expected to attend;
- audio-visual equipment available? if yes, what kind?
Information on mandatory PAID training can be found here.
TATP LIAISON PROGRAM
Encourage a senior TA in your department to volunteer as a liaison to make the training session as department-specific as possible.
Please note: once a date and time for the training session are confirmed, the TATP will be contacting CUPE 3902 to invite a union representative to the training session. The CUPE 3902 representative will speak for 15 minutes of the allotted training time. For more information or if you have any questions about this, please speak with the TATP Program Assistant, at 416.946.3799 or services.ta@utoronto.ca. We will be coordinating the CUPE 3902 talks within TATP training sessions.
St. George campus: Rong Wu, TATP Program Assistant, 416.946.3799, services.ta@utoronto.ca.
UTM campus: Andrew Petersen, Director, Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre, 905.828.3858, andrew.petersen@utoronto.ca
UTSC campus: Janice Patterson, Assistant Director, Centre for Teaching and Learning, 416.287.7504, janicecp@utsc.utoronto.ca.
For UTM and UTSC departments, you will be put in touch with the TATP Trainer on your campus at your request.