Teaching and Supporting Learning as a Graduate Teaching Assistant
Who is the Module for?
Teaching and Supporting Learning as a Graduate Teaching Assistant - Summer 2022. This fully-online 5-ECTS module offered by Academic Practice is targeted towards PhD students with roles in teaching or supporting learning, e.g. those working as teaching assistants or demonstrators, and is particularly appropriate for students aiming towards a career as a lecturer. Module participants join a supportive peer group who share practice, insights, and pedagogical concerns and are supported to reflect critically on and take a scholarly approach to their own educational practice.
This module seeks to enable Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) to:
- Develop a conceptual understanding of the norms and expectations of being a TA;
- Examine your assumptions, values, beliefs, and practices;
- Employ effective teaching strategies to enhance student learning;
- Develop a student-centred approach to teaching;
- Promote inquiry and student engagement;
- Evaluate your teaching and its impact on student learning.
Module for Credit - Summer 2022- Teaching and Supporting Learning as a Graduate Teaching Assistant (5 ECTS) - Registration now open
This module carries (5ECTS) and can form part of the structured PhD.
Module learning outcomes:
Upon successful completion of this module, you should be able to:
- Reflect on the tasks and responsibilities associated with your role;
- Practice some appropriate communication and coping strategies;
- Select and apply some relevant theories of learning to your teaching;
- Design a teaching session plan;
- Use technology to enhance your students’ learning;
- Support assessment of, for and as learning;
- Reflect on your own learning as a teaching assistant.
Module Blocks
The module is divided into the following 7 learning blocks:
- Role of the Graduate Teaching Assistant
- Communications and Coping Strategies
- How Students Learn
- Session Planning
- Designing an Online Activity
- Assessment and Feedback
- Reflecting on and Evaluating your Teaching
The module will run from Monday 13th June 2022 for 10 weeks and there is no charge (see timetable below). You will participate in weekly online discussion threads, contribute to journal entries and must be able to participate in the following 3 x 50 minute online tutorials on the following dates;
- Tutorial 1 – Designing a Session Plan(1:05pm) -Wednesday 13th July 2022
- Tutorial 2 – Digital Teaching and Learning (1:05pm) - Wednesday 3rd August 2022
- Tutorial 3 – Preparation of a Draft Teaching Philosophy Statement (1:05pm) -Wednesday 10th August 2022
Please note this module is open to PhD students only at this time. Please see below for information on the non-credit version of this module which is open to all.
Please see timetable and assessment details below.
Module for Credit - Summer 2022
| Block Title | Weeks | Date |
Block 1: Role of the Graduate Teaching Assistant |
Week 1 |
Monday 13th June 2022 |
Block 2: How Students Learn |
Week 2 |
Monday 20th June 2022 |
Block 3: Communications and Coping Strategies |
Week 3 |
Monday 27th June 2022 |
Block 4: Session Planning |
Week 4 |
Monday 4th July 2022 |
Tutorial 1 – Designing a Session Plan |
Week 5 | Wednesday 13th July 2022 |
Block 5: Assessment and Feedback |
Week 6 |
Monday 18th July 2022 |
Block 6: Designing an Online Activity |
Week 8 |
Monday 25th July 2022 |
Tutorial 2 – Digital Teaching and Learning(1:05pm) |
Week 9 |
Wednesday 3rd August 2022 |
Block 7: Reflecting on and Evaluating your Teaching |
Week 10 |
Monday 8th August 2022 |
Tutorial 3 – Preparation of a Draft Teaching Philosophy Statement (1:05pm) |
Week 11 |
Wednesday 10th August 2022 |
Further Information
Michaelmas Term 2021 Role of the Graduate Teaching Assistant Week 1 Monday 27th September 2021 How Students Learn Week 2 Monday 4th October 2021 Communications and Coping Strategies Week 3 Monday 11th October 2021 Session Planning Week 4 Monday 18th October 2021 Tutorial 1 – Designing a Session Plan Week 5 Wednesday 3rd November 2021 Assessment and Feedback Week 6 Monday 8th November 2021 Designing an Online Activity Week 7 Monday 15th November 2021 Tutorial 2 – Digital Teaching and Learning(1:05pm) Week 8 Wednesday 24th November 2021 Reflecting on and Evaluating your Teaching Week 9 Monday 29th November 2021 Tutorial 3 – Preparation of a Draft Teaching Philosophy Statement (1:05pm) Week 10 Wednesday 8th December 2021 Hilary Term 2022 Block 1: Role of the Graduate Teaching Assistant Week 1 Monday 24th January 2022 Block 2: How Students Learn Week 2 Monday 31st January 2022 Block 3: Communications and Coping Strategies Week 3 Monday 7th February 2022 Block 4: Session Planning Week 4 Monday 14th February 2022 Tutorial 1 – Designing a Session Plan Block 5: Assessment and Feedback Week 6 Monday 28th February 2022 Block 6: Designing an Online Activity Week 8 Monday 14th March 2022 Tutorial 2 – Digital Teaching and Learning(1:05pm) Week 9 Wednesday 23rd March 2022 Block 7: Reflecting on and Evaluating your Teaching Week 10 Monday 28th March 2022 Tutorial 3 – Preparation of a Draft Teaching Philosophy Statement (1:05pm) Week 11 Wednesday 6th April 2022 Students are required to submit 3 items for assessment. Each assessment is linked to one online tutorial, led by one of the Academic Practice team. Further details will be given at the start of the module but please find a brief overview below. Assessment due date for all 3 items will be scheduled for early September 2022. Funded by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, Academic Practice & eLearning (CAPSL) have developed an online module titled ‘Teaching and Supporting Learning as a Graduate Teaching Assistant.’ The new online module is research led and is based on the original 5ECTS module for Graduate Teaching Assistants. The online module is available in Blackboard and contains seven blocks: - All postgraduates in Trinity may self-enrol on the fully online version of the module from within Blackboard. This resource has been developed by Alexandra Mc Kibben Driscoll & Laine Abria, School of Pharmacy, Trinity College Dublin. Guidance for GTAs (Word Doc 2,105KB) The HEA has online New to Teaching Toolkits for those starting out on, or returning to, a higher education teaching career. A list of these toolkits are below. The New to Teaching Toolkit contains guidance, literature and exercises in the areas of assessment, feedback, large and small group teaching, as well as developing and working with open educational resources (OER). It draws on the experiences of new and experienced academic staff from across the disciplines and their reflections on the challenges and opportunities of teaching in higher education in the UK. In a series of videos, colleagues consider what has worked for them in the classroom and what may work for others. The toolkit also contains information that you can work through at your own pace. It will be updated with new resources as they become available.Module Timetables 2021-22
Block Title
Weeks
Date
Study Week of 25th October 2021
Block Title
Weeks
Date
Week 5
Wednesday 23rd February 2022
Study Week 7th March 2022
Peer support for assignment completion and submission
Week 12
Monday 11th April 2022
Module for Credit - Assessment Process
Self Directed Module (No Credits) - Teaching and Supporting Learning as a Graduate Teaching Assistant
•Role of the Graduate Teaching Assistant
•Communications and Coping Strategies
•How Students Learn
•Session Planning
•Technology-Enhanced Learning
•Assessment and Feedback
•Reflecting on and Evaluating your Teaching
To self-enrol, go to Blackboard at https://mymodule.tcd.ie (This module is NOT for credit).
Log in using your College network username and password
In the Module Search box, enter –Teaching and Supporting Learning as a Graduate Teaching Assistant
Click on the module -VP1017_PD_1819
Click on + Enrol at the bottom of the module menu on the left of the screen
In the ACCESS CODE box enter –TACOURSE1819
Click OK. You may need to log out and back in to Blackboard if you cannot see all the content in the module after self-enrolling.Guidance for GTAs Leading or Supporting a Teaching Event
New to Teaching Toolkit
Useful Links to support postgraduate teaching and research