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TA Programs » Best Practices for New Course Directors

Best Practices for New Course Directors Series

  • Day 1: Wednesday, June 22, 2011 - 10:00 - 4:00 p.m., 1004 TEL Building
  • Day 2: Friday June 24, 2011 - 10:00 - 4:00 p.m., 1004 TEL Building
  • Register Online!

Workshop Description

The "Best Practices for New Course Directors" series will help you build essential pedagogical and practical skills and understanding as you transition from TA to Course Director. The sessions will help you to develop different aspects of your course and to design-in principals and approaches that will enhance the quality of your students learning and experience.

The modules will be highly interactive and will provide resources, activities and feedback to enable you to:

  1. Establish clear learning goals and objectives for your course;
  2. Develop an assessment and grading plan that improves your students' learning;
  3. Make informed choices about instructional approaches and selecting appropriate teaching and learning activities and resources; and
  4. Keep your course on track: logistics, management and feedback. The sessions will build on ideas introduced in Really Useful Research on Student Learning, and How To Use It in Your Teaching, and Fundamentals of Course Design, and help you implement them at course level.

Note: This session is intended for experienced Teaching Assistants who hold a Course Directorship for 2011/2012 year, or anticipate applying for an academic position in the near future. We encourage participants to attend both modules. Space is limited and pre-registration is required.

Preparation

Video: Teaching Teaching and Understanding Understanding

Recommended Background Reading

Biggs, J. (1996). Enhancing teaching through constructive alignment. Higher Education 32, 347-364.

Useful Resources If You Want to Know More

Biggs, J. (2003, 3rd edition). Teaching for quality learning at University. Society for Research into Higher Education and Open University Press: Buckingham, U.K.

Pergente, R. (1994). Charting your course: How to prepare to teach more effectively. Magna Publications, Madison, WI.