GTA Training Program

Who should attend  |  Fall 2018-19 GTA Training Program  |  Workshops  |  Program Brochure  |  Registration

What is GTA Training Program?

Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) provide academic support under the supervision of Postgraduate Programs Coordinators (PGCs) and supervising faculty. They play an essential role in the undergraduate education at the University, shouldering responsibilities significant to the learning experience of students in their departments. They are accountable to their students, the course instructor, the University and to themselves for their quality of teaching performance. CEI offers GTA Training Program every year to help GTAs get hands-on teaching skills applicable to various teaching roles.

GTAs' roles are varied across departments and divisions, subject to the requirements from PGCs and faculty in charge. This is therefore important for all GTAs to acquire a combination set of skills and knowledge to handle all possible duties assigned to them. The GTA Training Program, consisting of 6 core workshops (totally 9 mandatory hours), is designed to cover skills in marking and grading, handling students' questions during office hours, facilitating discussions, teaching tutorials, and/or conducting laboratory sessions.

GTA Training Program aims to: 

• Introduce the roles and responsibilities of GTAs in HKUST
• Introduce the basic teaching and presentation skills to facilitate new GTAs’ teaching in HKUST
• Familiarize GTAs with the teaching and learning resources at HKUST
• Foster and enhance GTAs’ communication with faculty, Teaching Assistant Coordinators (TACs) of the department, Postgraduate Programs Coordinators (PGCs) and CEI
• Enhance the professional development of GTAs to prepare them for lifelong career development
  

Who should attend the Program?

GTA Training Program is mandatory to all GTAs receiving Postgraduate Studentships. It does not matter whether you have teaching experience before, all new GTAs are required to attend all the six core workshops in one year (maximum 2 years) to complete the program and receive the Certificate of Achievement.

Fall 2018-2019 GTA Training Program

• This semester, the workshops of GTA Training Program start from August to October.
• The core workshops are offered in multiple repeated sessions. New GTAs can choose to register for a perferred session which works best for their schedule.

New GTAs are streamed into two groups (HK graduates or non-HK graduates) according to their education backgrounds.

• Elective workshops are open for all GTAs wanting to further develop teaching and learning-related skills.

Departmental GTA Briefing Session

• The Departmental GTA Briefing Session is on 23 August for the participation of all new GTAs.
• Full attendance is expected and students are not required to register for the sessions.

GTA Training Workshops

Workshops covering different aspects, core to your effective teaching, are available for the participation of GTAs in Fall and Spring semesters 2018-19. Repeat sessions are offered for all core workshops to give a greater flexibility for GTAs to select a time slot that best fits their timetable.

• Space is limited and advance registration is highly recommended for workshops offered in August to October.
• Online registration is available on 23 August 2018, 9am.
• All workshops are held at classroom 6558 (lift 27/28).

The table below shows an overview of workshop availability in Fall 2018. For detailed program timetable, please refer to the program brochure or the online registration system.

Code	Core Workshops	Availability Fall 2018
TA104	Canvas Basics
TA111	Effective Teaching Skills
TA112	Marking and Grading
TA113	Effective Presentation Skills for Teaching
TA122	Classroom Management
TA123	Techniques for Interactive Teaching

Code	Elective Workshops	Availability Fall 2018
TA104 II a	Canvas Extended (Assessments and Grading)
TA104 II b	Canvas Extended (Turnitin Assignments)
TA104 II c	Canvas Extended (Student Group Work)
TA201	Developing Instructional Strategies
TA202	Teaching Demonstration – Advice and Strategies
TA203	Engaging Students with Learning Activities
TA204	Facilitating Group Work and Discussions

GTA Training Program Brochure

Program details including a complete Fall workshop schedule, workshop objectives and registration information can be found in the Fall GTA Program e-Brochure.

Please click for the Fall GTA Program e-Brochure >>
Last updated on 9 Aug, 2018.

Workshop Registration

Departmental GTA Briefing Session: No online registration is required. Participants need to report for attendance at the designated classrooms.

GTA Training Program: Please register for the workshop session according to your preferred date and time at the CEI GTA Program Registration System by clicking here from 23 August 2018 (Thursday) 9am onwards.

If problems arise upon your first-time online registration for GTA training workshops, please check whether you have activated the ITSC account by following the steps below.

1. Click here for ITSC account activation
2. Email taprog@ust.hk the following information for the account setup in the GTA Program Registration System.

• Full name
• Student number
• Department
• ITSC network account
• Cohort (year / term)

GTA Work Plan 2018-19

GTAs are advised to communicate with their course instructor(s)/supervisor(s) before the commencement of the semester to clarify your GTA duties.

• Questions to ask the instructors upfront