Summary of developments and events

Register now for Teaching Assistant Orientation

Teaching Assistant (TA) Orientation provides a breadth of information for graduate students new to a teaching assistant position, allowing them to start their assignment with confidence. Dr. Jennifer Cason, director of Graduate Student Support Resources, notes that TA Orientation plays a vital role in acclimating first-time TAs (many of whom are new to ASU) to their new roles.

“After attending TA orientation,” Cason says, “our data shows us that students’ confidence levels rise substantially.” 

The four-hour orientation includes an overview of the Teaching Assistant Development (TAD) program, a graduate student panel on what to expect as a TA, and presentations on university student support resources, including ASU Wellness, the ASU Police Department, the Disability Resource Center, Student Rights and Responsibilities, Counseling Services and the Office of Equity and Inclusion. Aside from learning about resources for both themselves and their students, attendees learn tips and strategies on an array of practical tools for graduate student success, such as facilitating effective communication with students, engaging with faculty supervisors and developing or modifying course syllabi.

The orientation experience is valuable for a number of reasons, say previous attendees. A perennial highlight is the graduate student panel, facilitated by members of the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA). One recent attendee specifically praised this panel, indicating that “the experiences shared by seasoned TAs was very helpful.” In addition, the wide array of perspectives offered by both faculty and other graduate students underscored both the universality and the diversity of the TA experience across disciplines. 

Just as useful, though, is the opportunity new TAs have to learn to better navigate the larger campus community, particularly for those new to Arizona State University. 

“As an international student, I'm not very familiar with university resources,” noted one student. “Getting familiar with resources like the LiveSafe campus safety app, various contact numbers and rules in one place, for both myself and my students, is pretty helpful.” 

TA Orientation takes place the week before the Fall term starts, and is required of all first-time TAs. Registration is required. New teaching assistants should register for one of the dates below:

TA Orientation – Afternoon Session
Thursday, August 15, 2019
Neeb Hall, Room 105
1 to 4:30 p.m.
Register

TA Orientation – Morning Session
Friday, August 16, 2019
Neeb Hall, Room 105
8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Register

All TA Orientation sessions will be held on Tempe campus, in Neeb Hall, Room 105.

Questions about TA Orientation or the TAD program should be emailed to TAD-Q@asu.edu.

Collaboration as a value proposition to transform graduate education

 “Collaboration allows us to know more than we are capable of knowing by ourselves.” 

 —Paul Solarz

The Office of Strategic Enrichment (OSGE) advances interdisciplinary collaborations that lead to opportunities to transform graduate education at ASU through new funding and a network of connections and resources to support growth. 

The art of creating effective collaborations and creating new value together can produce powerful results. But the path to those great results may not be smooth or straight because the value of being a part of a collaboration can take on many meanings among its members. The value proposition for a successful collaboration is that it must yield mutual benefits for each individual as well as the group as a whole. This is a critical construct to understand when forming any type of collaboration. What does effective collaboration look like? 

Dynamics of an Effective Collaboration:

1. Set up clear goals with detailed expectations

2. Respect and leverage the expertise each member brings to the collaboration

3. Build a strong network for support and knowledge exchange

4. Communicate, communicate and communicate some more

5. Recognize and reward the accomplishments of individuals and the group at large

Collaborations in Action: 

To encourage new collaborations, the OSGE is conducting Asset Mapping workshops to identify priority areas for advancing graduate programs. Through interactions with the Associate Deans of Research, the workshops have generated ideas and action plans around creating new programs, funding opportunities for professional development and curriculum innovation and connections to resources to drive new interdisciplinary research collaborations within the ASU community.

 For more information about the Asset Mapping workshops or the Office of Strategic Graduate Enrichment, visit website https://graduate.asu.edu/graduate-enrichment.