7  Training

7.1 Training

As a TA, you will be trained by the department and other units of the University. All TAs will complete a mandatory training session and other requirements each semester. In Fall 2024, we are not requiring a technology check for Zoom-readiness but that training will be provided upon request (reach out to the Undergraduate Coordinator with your request). We expect that you will get training on other technologies as they pertain to your course (Gradescope, Canvas, etc.) from your course instructor. If you feel that you have not been trained adequately on a technology you’re expected to use, please reach out to your course instructor and/or c and we’ll make sure this training happens promptly.

You have been assigned to STATSCI TA Fa24, the departmental training Canvas site for TAs, as the main TA training site. Training may be added as needed as the semester proceeds and we’ll inform you with a Canvas announcement from there. There is required training on TA duties, on preventing harassment, on other topics as required by the University, and on the learning technologies needed in your course.

7.2 First-time TAs

As a new TA or new to your course and instructor, the instructor will work with you to make sure you are ready to lead your labs and hold office hours to meet their expectations. Your instructor might drop in on your labs or office hours from time to time and so might the Undergraduate Coordinator or any others involved with course management. You will train and work with them to develop your skills so that each semester that you have a TAship, you are ready for more responsibilities and leadership roles. You can also request a lab observation after a few weeks, for suggestions and feedback. Lab observations of all TAs leading labs or discussion sections will be offered in Weeks 3 - 5. Your instructor or the Undergraduate Coordinator may do this observation.

7.3 Further Training

Learning Innovation & Lifetime Education (LILE) offers workshops and other training opportunities. Upcoming LILE workshops can be found at https://lile.duke.edu/events.

Additionally, the Graduate School has many training opportunities for students interested in teaching: https://gradschool.duke.edu. Some specific opportunities that might be of interest are listed below.

7.3.1 Certificate in College Teaching

The Certificate in College Teaching program prepares doctoral students to teach and formally documents this professional development to make you more competitive when applying for positions. Students who complete the CCT will have it listed on their transcripts as an officially endorsed Duke University Graduate School certificate. The CCT combines departmental training and resources with programming from The Graduate School to give you systematic pedagogical training that helps you develop as a teacher and allows you to use your time more efficiently as you balance your research and teaching responsibilities. The Certificate in College Teaching program has three major requirements:

  • Coursework (2 courses)
  • Teaching experience and observation
  • Online teaching portfolio

The program requirements take about a year to complete, but that may vary as opportunities for gaining teaching experience vary across departments. CCT work may be done alongside other classes, research, or work on a dissertation and should not significantly interfere with the timely completion of any of these. After you apply to the CCT program, the program director will meet with you to review the requirements and your timeline for completing them. Discuss your CCT activities with your instructor and the Department if you need assistance scheduling observations, etc. You may complete the Triad teaching observation requirement during any semester you are TAing or teaching.

Two Statistical Science courses have been developed and count towards this Certificate:

  • STA 771S - Teaching Statistics
  • STA 772S - Mentoring Undergraduate STEM Research

7.3.2 BASS Instructional Fellowships

The Bass Instructional Fellowship Program supports high-quality teaching experiences for Ph.D. students where normal means of funding are unavailable. It also helps students become more knowledgeable in online college teaching. The program offers fellowships for

  • instructors of record (Bass IORs),
  • instructional teaching assistants (Bass TAs), and
  • online apprentices (Bass OAs).

Recipients of Bass Instructional Fellowships will receive compensatory payment at the level of Arts and Sciences teaching assistants and a scholarship covering full or partial tuition and fees for their semester of participation. This effectively “buys out” that much of any existing fellowship or financial support; the student will not net any additional pay. A Bass Instructional Fellowship should not lessen a student’s competitiveness for other fellowships. If the student wins another fellowship after having also won a Bass Fellowship, that other fellowship can be decreased by the amount provided by the Bass Fellowship so that there is no penalty or disadvantage to receiving a Bass at the same time (unless terms of the other fellowship prohibit this arrangement).

7.3.3 College Teaching Workshops

College Teaching Workshops are an annual workshop series open to Duke graduate students, postdocs, faculty, and staff. Invited speakers in this series will draw upon their experience to address topics relevant to classroom teaching, dealing with students, or faculty life and career paths. You will learn how to: - recognize the complex dimensions of classroom teaching and faculty life, - analyze difficult teaching situations and respond creatively, - improve your teaching skills by drawing upon various resources at Duke, - plan and design courses with the student perspective in mind, and - engage in scholarly conversations about college teaching and learning.