2005 Winners / 2004 Winners
/ Award Information
The School of Physical Activity and Educational Services (PAES)
The School of Physical Activity and Educational Services enhances the teaching support provided to GTAs in a number of ways that create a culture that values teaching and learning. PAES provides a comprehensive week-long orientation for all GTAs the week prior to autumn quarter. It also extends the Certificate of Professional Development in the College Teaching program to all PAES graduate students and requires a college teaching course for Sport Fitness and Health Program students. The Faculty Mentor, Program Managers, and Peer Mentors provide ongoing support for GTAs. Peer Mentor GTAs conduct "drop-in" observations of all GTAs in order to get a sense of the instructional quality of the program. PAES also maintains a teaching resource center (both web-based and a physical site) and instructor manuals. An online version of the SFHP Instructor Manual is available online. PAES nomination materials (Word document)
All new graduate students in a foreign language department in the College of Humanities attend a two-week GTA Training Workshop coordinated by the Foreign Language Center prior to their first quarter teaching. The mix of discussion, workshop sessions, and practicum groups provide new GTAs with a great balance of pedagogical theory and practical application as part of their prior teaching preparation. The departments represented in this GTA training program include: The Department of African American and African Studies, the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, the Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Literatures, and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.
In fiscal year 2005, the Department of Sociology increased its budget to fund graduate student positions that provide direct peer support to GTAs—specifically, a head GTA for Sociology 101 and a GTA Coordinator. When GTAs arrive on campus, they are immediately matched with a temporary faculty advisor and a "buddy," a more advanced graduate student. During the two weeks prior to the start of classes, GTAs attend the department's orientation in addition to the university orientation. GTAs are compensated a modest amount to defray some of their expenses during orientation. Ongoing support is provided through Sociology 802 (Teaching Sociology), access to the faculty Chair of Instructional Development and the GTA Coordinator, and regular "brown bags." Sociology nomination materials (Word document)
The First-Year Writing Program (Department of English)
The First-Year Writing Program provides training for all incoming GTAs with an intensive two-week pre-quarter workshop in the Summer and a five credit-hour graduate course in Autumn. The Director and Assistant Director of the FYWP, along with Writing Program Administrators and Peer Mentors, provide ongoing support for GTAs. The FYWP staff reviews discursive student evaluations from all sections of English 110 each term, and they conduct at least one classroom observation for every new GTA within their first year of teaching. The FYWP has an updated website with teaching resources, including an online version of the revised FYWP Handbook.
Five years ago, the Department of Psychology developed two companion graduate courses, together worth 7 hours of graduate credit, designed to provide extensive preparation for either newly appointed or experienced GTAs. During and subsequent to their initial teaching experiences, GTAs are encouraged to complete the Department of Psychology Certificate of Teaching Program developed and supervised by Professor Robert Arkin. Teaching is evaluated in three standardized ways: (1) Student Evaluation of Instruction (SEI) Reports, (2) a blind review of discursive evaluations by a GTA Peer Review Committee, and (3) the course supervisor observes classes and provides both written and oral individualized feedback for GTAs. Psychology nomination materials (Word document)
The Department of Sociology provides a departmental orientation two weeks prior to start of classes. GTAs are surveyed immedieately following orientation and again during the fall and spring. Data collected from these surveys is evaluated to modify GTA training. A GTA Coordinator is responsible for providing ongoing support to GTAs by offering peer-advising services to GTAs on teaching concerns and instructional resources. The Sociology Teaching Library contains a variety of instructional aids, sample syllabi, and other materials that are useful to students preparing courses.
Last Updated: 2/21/07
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Faculty & TA Development
The Ohio State University
260 Younkin Success Center
1640 Neil Avenue
Columbus, OH 43201-2333
614-292-3644
ftad@osu.edu
http://ftad.osu.edu/
