seminars, weekly TA meetings, TA shadowing, faculty mentoring and discipline-specific college teaching classes. Teaching Opportunities Faculty should work closely with their TAs to encourage and prepare them to teach a discussion or lecture section several times throughout the semester. This has the potential to provide invaluable experience in teaching and science communication. Currently, lecturing is most often performed by TAs in the CoS only when faculty need a substitute, but would be much more beneficial as a professional development experience if faculty were present to provide feedback. Faculty should be open with their classes about the necessity of teaching training for their graduate TAs. In summary, TAing should be a valued, organized, and beneficial professional experience. Faculty who elect to have graduate TAs should see them as a junior colleague to be trained. Graduate TAships in the CoS can and should be a beneficial professional development experience, as teaching and communication skills are invaluable in both academia and in industry. We hope that you will use this information to improve TA practices within your own departments. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or if we can be of any help in this endeavor. We can provide you with documentation of already existing exemplary practices in the CoS, and will work to make this information available on our website in the near future. Sincerely, The 2012-13 Associate Graduate Council for the College of Science President Vice President Secretary Kate Follette (Astronomy) Henry Timmers (Physics) Natalie Dailey (SLHS) kfollette@as.arizona.edu Outreach Coordinator Webmaster Treasurer Kendra Murray (Geoscience) Andy Predoehl (CS) Mason Quick (Atmo.) Ecology and Evolutionary Molecular and Cellular Astronomy Biology Biology Michelle Wilson Andy Gloss Danielle Buck Greg Walth Erik Hanschen Tracey Beyer Cristina Howard Atmospheric Sciences Geoscience Mike Stovern Devon Orme Physics Adarsh Pyarelal Chemistry Hydrology Gordon Meyer Bobby Chrisman Psychology Javier Castillo-Montoya Brooke Reid Stephanie Tolbert Tree Ring Laura Marshall Planetary Sciences Computer Science Chris Guiterman Donna Viola Dan DeBlasio Mathematics Speech, Language and Megan McCormick Hearing Sciences Andrew DeMarco
seminars, weekly TA meetings, TA shadowing, faculty mentoring and discipline-specific college teaching classes. Teaching Opportunities Faculty should work closely with their TAs to encourage and prepare them to teach a discussion or lecture section several times throughout the semester. This has the potential to provide invaluable experience in teaching and science communication. Currently, lecturing is most often performed by TAs in the CoS only when faculty need a substitute, but would be much more beneficial as a professional development experience if faculty were present to provide feedback. Faculty should be open with their classes about the necessity of teaching training for their graduate TAs. In summary, TAing should be a valued, organized, and beneficial professional experience. Faculty who elect to have graduate TAs should see them as a junior colleague to be trained. Graduate TAships in the CoS can and should be a beneficial professional development experience, as teaching and communication skills are invaluable in both academia and in industry. We hope that you will use this information to improve TA practices within your own departments. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or if we can be of any help in this endeavor. We can provide you with documentation of already existing exemplary practices in the CoS, and will work to make this information available on our website in the near future. Sincerely, The 2012-13 Associate Graduate Council for the College of Science President Kate Follette (Astronomy) kfollette@as.arizona.edu Treasurer Mason Quick (Atmo.) Astronomy Michelle Wilson Greg Walth Atmospheric Sciences Mike Stovern Chemistry Gordon Meyer Javier Castillo-Montoya Stephanie Tolbert Computer Science Dan DeBlasio Vice President Henry Timmers (Physics) Outreach Coordinator Kendra Murray (Geoscience) Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Andy Gloss Erik Hanschen Geoscience Devon Orme Hydrology Bobby Chrisman Tree Ring Laura Marshall Chris Guiterman Mathematics Megan McCormick Secretary Natalie Dailey (SLHS) Webmaster Andy Predoehl (CS) Molecular and Cellular Biology Danielle Buck Tracey Beyer Cristina Howard Physics Adarsh Pyarelal Psychology Brooke Reid Planetary Sciences Donna Viola Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences Andrew DeMarco
TABestPractices_v5.docx