University at Buffalo (UB)
Empowering Instructors | Supporting Excellence
This event is free and provides an opportunity for teaching assistants (TA's), graduate assistants (GA's) and students in instructional roles to learn about the critical role they play in helping to improve student experience and advance the university’s mission of academic excellence.
Whether you are a new TA or you have previous experience in an instructional role, this orientation is for you! Through interactive presentations and discussions, participants will gain knowledge on effective teaching practices, learn tips and best practices from other TAs, network with peers and connect to instruction-related services and resources.
You're invited to join us on Thursday, August 22 from 9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Zoom for the 2024 TA Orientation.
ABC's of Brightspace
The Office of Curriculum, Assessment and Transformation will provide you with the ABC’s of Brightspace: essential training and information related to UB’s learning management system, UB Learns. During this session, you will learn how to access Brightspace, navigate your course pages, create course content, assess and grade, and ways of engaging with your students through the system.
Grading with CARE: Best Practices in Evaluating Student Performance
In this session, presenters will review the steps for ethically and accurately designing and evaluating student learning. There will be opportunities for attendees to ask questions and share experiences with each other during the presentation. By the end of the session, attendees will be able to recall the value of assessment in the classroom, provide examples of formative and summative assessment methods, and identify resources for additional assistance.
Keynote Address | Active Learning & Teaching
In the keynote, you will learn about ways to jump-start your teaching by exploring the roles of your expertise, pedagogical empathy, the learning environment, and equity issues. Techniques for active learning and developing a student-centered classroom will be explored.
How to be a TA
Being a TA is an excellent way to gain valuable insight into what it's like to facilitate learning in Higher Education. From grading assignments to answering student emails, this session will teach you various key skills to have a successful semester as a TA at UB.
TA Panel Discussion
This is your opportunity to ask your questions about what it is like to be a TA and gain insights into the best practices on being a successful TA here at UB.
Our panel consists of current and former teaching assistants, including
previous winners of the Excellence in Teaching Award for Graduate Teaching Assistants.