Teaching Assistantship Training Course
Being a teaching assistant (TA) is an excellent way to dive deeper into course materials and gain experience teaching and supporting students and faculty. The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) has developed a training course to support current and future teaching assistants
Program Overview
The Teaching Assistantship Training course is a single, self-paced course to train TAs for both on-campus and online courses. This training course orients TAs to the roles and responsibilities of their position, technical tools, teaching tips, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health policies and regulations, and other best practices for effective course support. Upon completion, students receive a certificate, which may or may not be a requirement for all TAs in your department.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing the course, students will be able to:
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Identify resources to support the TA role and answer student questions
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Identify possible roles for teaching assistants at the Bloomberg School
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Describe uses for different pedagogical and technological tools
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Identify key elements of a well-written learning objective and associated active learning activity
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Develop recommendations for improvement and/or solutions to a classroom problem
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Successfully set up, use, and navigate the CoursePlus learning management system as needed for teaching assistant responsibilities
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Review student confidentiality regulations (including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) and impacts on teaching assistants
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Identify possible ethics violations and approaches for dealing with academic ethics violations
Johns Hopkins University Teaching Academy: Phase 1 Requirement
The Teaching Academy offers college teacher training and academic career preparation opportunities to PhD students and postdoctoral fellows from all divisions across Johns Hopkins University through courses, workshops, teaching practicums, teaching-as-research fellowships, and individual consultation. The CTL Teaching Assistantship Training Course Certificate has been approved to fulfill the Phase 1 Requirement for the Johns Hopkins University Teaching Academy Program. Students interested in obtaining a Johns Hopkins Teaching Academy certification can complete the CTL Teaching Assistantship Training Course and then continue their path with the Teaching Academy Program.
How to Enroll
The Teaching Assistantship Training Course is offered twice each year, with rolling admission so that students can register after the course start date and complete the course at their own pace. However, students are expected to complete the course by the course end date. Course facilitators will be available to answer questions, but the course is specifically designed so that students can complete activities at their convenience.
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Annual Summer Offering: July 1–December 31
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Annual Winter Offering: January 1–June 30
Visit the Teaching Assistantship Training course site to enroll now.
Requirements for Completion
A certificate is awarded to students who successfully complete all coursework, including discussions, readings, lectures, quizzes, and assignments. There are three major assignments.
Assignment 1: CoursePlus Sandbox
Assignment 1 provides students with hands-on experience with the tools in CoursePlus as they set up and work through commonly used CoursePlus tools and functions within a “TA Sandbox” course website.
Assignment 2: Classroom Scenarios
Assignment 2 allows students to choose one of three common classroom scenarios to problem-solve. Each student posts their solution to their selected scenario as a VoiceThread presentation and then provides feedback to their peers.
Assignment 3: Workshop Attendance and Reflection
Assignment 3 highlights the many workshops and trainings offered by CTL and the importance of staying up to date on the latest technology and teaching practices. Students are required to attend (virtually or in-person) at least two CTL Teaching Toolkit events and then reflect on what they learn. We highly encourage synchronous attendance; however, if an alternative is needed, students may watch a recorded past event from a select list of archived workshop recordings.
Credit/Recognition
This course is not offered for credit. A certificate of completion will be provided for those who complete the course. The assignments completed during the course may be suitable for use as part of a teaching portfolio for those who intend to pursue a teaching career.
If you have further questions, please contact CTL.