UA’s Graduate Teaching Assistant Workshop Set for Aug. 13-14

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Graduate teaching used to be a sink-or-swim part of secondary postgraduate education. Teaching assistants would be loosed on unsuspecting undergraduates, and the results could sometimes be problematic for both the TAs and the undergrads. However, a program nearing its third decade at The University of Alabama has made the experience smoother for everyone.

The 29^th Graduate Teaching Assistant Workshop is set for Aug. 13-14, and approximately 350 TAs are expected to participate.

“We never had a program like this back when I was a TA,” said Dr. David Francko, dean of the Graduate School. “They really threw you into the deep water, and you had to sink or swim on your own. But this workshop builds a real sense of community in the graduate teaching assistants, and it helps them succeed as well as our undergraduate students.”

The goal of the workshop is to teach the graduate students how to cope with different challenges in the classroom.

“Our goal is that there would be no drop-off in quality of teaching,” said Dr. Cathy Pagani, associate dean of the Graduate School. “We want students to have enough of a quality learning experience that they cannot tell if their class is being taught by a TA or a faculty member. We’re not just putting them in a workshop for two days. We’re equipping them to handle a real class with real challenges.”

The program was started by Dr. John Schmitt, who retired from the Graduate School in June. The challenge, Pagani said, is continuing to meet—and expand upon—Schmitt’s high standards.

“This was his baby,” she said. “This program wouldn’t be where it is today without all of his hard work.”

And the graduate students definitely see the value in the workshop.

“It’s very fulfilling work, and I think it’s an important program for the University,” said Dr. Will Nevin, who attended the workshop as a graduate student and then moved into a supervisory role as graduate assistant for teaching development under Schmitt.

“For a lot of graduate students, this is their first real impression of UA,” Nevin said, “so we want this to be a quality workshop. I came back for several years in a row, just to refresh myself on some things, so the workshop is good for first-time teaching assistants and those with more experience.”

Nevin uses his experience these days as an assistant professor at the University of West Alabama, and as an adjunct at UA.

One of the most helpful aspects of the workshop are the sessions where TAs give short lectures in front of their fellow graduate students. The presentations are then recorded and critiqued, giving the workshoppers a place to start improving. And that can be helpful even for those who are used to spending time leading classrooms.

“One of the most beneficial meetings is when my fellow peers would give me feedback,” said Lisa Gaskill, who succeeded Nevin as the lead graduate assistant for the workshops. “Even though I was a veteran teacher by that point, I still learned so much from the feedback I received. Some of it was humbling, but it was definitely instructive.”

And Gaskill knows what it takes to be an effective teacher and communicator. She’s pursuing her doctorate and teaching classroom management to elementary education teachers in the College of Education.

At the end of the day, though, the workshop is about making The University of Alabama experience better for TAs and undergraduates alike.

“We want the TAs involved with this to not just be capable, but to be excellent teachers,” Nevin said.