Instructional Development workshops for Winter 2022

Instructional Development is offering a range of workshops for graduate student Teaching Assistants and Teaching Associates during Winter Quarter. Workshops are designed to be interactive, fun, and model research-based teaching practices. See more info below and here.

SPECIALTY WORKSHOPS

Register here

Nectir: 5 Simple Methods to Keep Students Engaged Throughout the Term
Facilitator: Kavitta from the Nectir Team
Wednesday, January 5 1-2pm @ Zoom RSVP on the Nectir Workshops site

Nectir is UCSB's officially licensed backchannel chat tool. In remote or hybrid classes, it's easy for students to lose interest and become passive listeners. We take you through five tried and true methods that instructors have used to turn their students into active creators in the classroom.

Crafting Your Teaching Philosophy Statement
Wed, Jan 12, 10-11:15am @ Zoom
Thurs, Jan 20, 9:30-10:45am @ Zoom

Writing a Teaching Philosophy Statement can be a challenge, and is required for most teaching positions and awards. At the same time, examining and articulating your teaching philosophy can help you to become a more effective instructor. As a participant in this workshop, you will work through a series of exercises to help you reflect on your teaching, and by workshop end you will have a draft outline of your teaching philosophy statement.

Preparing your CCUT Portfolio
Thurs, Jan 20, 1-2:00pm @ Zoom

The session will provide tips on writing the CCUT teaching portfolio, including ways of presenting teaching materials, documenting student ratings, meeting the technology requirement, tone of the portfolio narration, and more. Participants need to have completed at least two of the CCUT requirements. Please note that if you are completing your doctorate degree in Winter Quarter, the final date that you may submit your CCUT portfolio is Friday Dec 10th.

International TA Appreciation Social - Finding your Teacher Identity
Friday, Feb 4, 4-5:30pm @ Arts 1332 (in-person)

Meet and socialize with fellow international TAs while discovering your teaching talents and persona as an International TA in this fun confidence-boosting exploration of your "inner teacher"! Food/Refreshments will be provided.

Instructional Design for Effective Learning
Fri, March 4, 12:00-1:15pm @ Kerr 1128 (in-person)

Part of your responsibility as a TA is to provide material to your students in a way that can benefit their learning. However, this can be more difficult than it seems. This workshop will provide you with the fundamental principles that guide learning and demonstrate how we can use those principles to create effective learning material.

PILLARS OF TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIP WORKSHOP SERIES
The "Pillars of Teaching Assistantship" workshop series and certificate is designed to provide TAs with a comprehensive, research-based foundation for teaching in the role of TA. TAs will earn a Pillars certificate after completing all six workshops and their brief pre- and post- workshop activities.

Register here

Pillar 1: Creating Supportive Learning Environments
Fostering Belonging and Community in the Classroom
Fri, Jan 7, 10-11:15am @ Zoom
Tues, Feb 1, 3-4:15pm @ Zoom

Come learn about the diversity of UCSB's undergraduate students and how to support them from a perspective of inclusivity. In this workshop, you will explore communication and classroom strategies that promote community, and reflect on how your life experiences affect your interactions with undergraduates.

Pillar 2: Engaging Students in their Learning

2A: Active Learning: What, Why, and How?
Tue, Jan 18, 1-2:15pm @ Zoom
Wed, Feb 16th, 3:30-4:45pm @ 1128 Kerr (in-person)

Students learn better when they are actively participating in the learning process rather than passively listening. In this workshop, you will differentiate between active learning and passive listening, identify elements that foster active learning, and apply a variety of instructional methods.

Pillar 2B. Creating Engaging Lessons
Thur, Jan 27, 10-11:15 am @ Zoom
Wed, Feb 23rd, 3:30-4:45 pm @ Kerr 1128 (in-person)

Creating lessons is essential, but how can we ensure those lessons are engaging for our students? In this workshop, you will use learning objective taxonomies and a lesson planning framework to design active, student-centered classes.

Pillar 3: Assessing Student Learning

Pillar 3A. Effective Questioning and Classroom Assessment Techniques
Wed, Feb 2, 2-3:15 pm @ Kerr Hall 1128 (in-person)
Mon, Feb 28, 4-5:15 pm @ Zoom

Much of a TA's role during section is to formulate generative questions, structure activities that check student understanding, and give effective feedback. In this workshop, you will explore several classroom-based assessment and questioning techniques that are based on the principles of giving effective feedback.

Pillar 3B. Designing and Grading Assessments
Wed, Feb 9, 2-3:15pm @ Kerr Hall 1128 (in-person)
Mon, Mar 7, 4-5:15pm @ Zoom

TAs are responsible for creating, implementing, and evaluating assessments. But what makes a good assessment? How can we use assessment to support learning? And what are some reasonable ways to grade student work? In this workshop, you will use principles from evidence-centered design to make assessments more focused and impactful, and help you with practical grading strategies.

Pillar 4: TA Professional Growth and Development
Improving Teaching through Feedback and Reflection
Fri, Feb 4, 12-1:15pm @ Arts 1332 (in-person)
Tues, March 1, 9:00-10:15am @ Zoom

How well are your teaching strategies working? How can you get useful, real-time feedback on your teaching? How will you respond when students have widely different perceptions of your teaching? In this workshop, you will evaluate different ways of reflecting on your teaching that help you grow as a TA.