Who decides that a graduate assistant is prepared for an assignment?
University and Regents' policies require that all new graduate teaching and laboratory assistants receive support for their instructional roles. Departments should develop discipline-specific support for the pedagogical development of graduate assistants in preparation for their instructional responsibilities at UGA and future careers.
International students who are required to submit the TOEFL score for admission to the Graduate School can only be designated as instructor of record if they have a TOEFL iBT speaking score of at least 26. Students with less than a 26 must comply with corresponding policies stated below. Different teaching assignments are appropriate for students scoring below 26. The following policy applies to all graduate students with instructional duties regardless of the student's appointment classification. Note: the minimum speaking score for graduate school admission does not qualify students to teach for all teaching assignments.
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What kind of instructional support is available to graduate students?
The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) provides or coordinates the following instructional support:
Fall Orientation for Graduate Assistants
GRSC 7770, teaching development seminar for GTAs and GLAs, and departmental sections providing discipline-specific teaching development
LLED 7768 and LLED 7769, language development seminars for international graduate assistants provided by the Department of Language & Literacy Education
Technology support for instructional purposes
Videotaping and consultation for instructional enhancement
GTA Newsletter
Online handbook for Graduate Teaching and Laboratory Assistants
Administration of awards in recognition of outstanding teaching and laboratory assistants
Future Faculty Program for award-winning GTAs and GLAs preparing for faculty positions
Seminars on personal and professional development issues for faculty, GTAs and GLAs
Teaching Portfolio samples, seminars, and consultation
Certificate in University Teaching support and consultation
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Who is required to attend the Fall Orientation for Graduate Teaching and Laboratory Assistants?
All new GTAs and GLAs who will have any kind of instructional responsibility are required to attend the university-wide orientation for Graduate Assistants held before the beginning of fall semester classes. Returning GTAs and GLAs are encouraged to attend sessions of interest.
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Who is required to register for LLED 7768, LLED 7769, or GRSC 7770?
International graduate students who teach must complete LLED 7768, LLED 7769, and/or GRSC 7770 or a departmental equivalent depending on their speaking score on the TOEFL iBT and their respective teaching assignment. All graduate students without prior successful teaching experience at the college level in The United States must complete GRSC 7770 or a departmental equivalent before they can teach as instructor of record. Graduate students in team-teaching or other supporting instructional roles may take GRSC 7770 concurrently with their teaching assignments. Departments are responsible for conducting sections of GRSC 7770 or a departmental course designated to meet discipline-specific needs. Contact Paul Quick at pauquick@uga.edu for information about developing departmental courses.
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What is included in the LLED 7768, LLED 7769 and GRSC 7770 seminars?
LLED 7768 and 7769 are designed specifically for non-English speaking teaching assistants.
LLED 7768
The class is designed to improve the classroom communication of international teaching assistants through English as a Second Language training. Sessions include:
a. Diagnosis of language problems
b. Structured opportunities to improve language proficiency
c. Practice with the English sound symbol system
d. Work on word stress and sentence stress production
e. Review of question forms and intonation patterns
f. Practice of vowels and consonants
g. Fluency exercises
LLED 7769
The class is designed to improve the ability of international teaching assistants to communicate effectively within the cultural context of the University of Georgia classroom. Sessions include:
a. Diagnosis of communication problems
b. Techniques to establish rapport with students
c. Demonstrations of effective teaching strategies
d. Discussions of classroom management procedures
e. Tips on how to lead discussion sessions, plan lessons, evaluate and advise students
f. Observation and practice of effective teaching communication strategies
g. Practice giving directions, explanations, and short lectures
LLED 7769 can be used for the Graduate Schools Interdisciplinary Certificate in University Teaching.
GRSC 7770 (Can be used for Certificate in University Teaching)
The class is designed to prepare teaching assistants for their role in the University of Georgia classroom and for potential careers involving instruction at other institutions. Sessions include:
a. Techniques to organize and effectively conduct the first class meeting of a course
b. Discussion of the range of options for dealing effectively with students and classroom problems
c. Practice in planning, organizing and presenting a good lecture
d. Tips on conducting and managing class discussions
e. Discussion of good test design and valid evaluation
f. Methods to evaluate ones own teaching
g. Techniques to design and use a variety of teaching methods
h. Presentations of the major sources of information that relate to the instructional policies and procedures at the University of Georgia
i. Opportunities to document the graduate teaching experience via the teaching portfolio
j. Guidence in developing a teaching project for the Certificate in University Teaching
LLED 7769 and GRSC 7770 can be used for the Graduate School’s Interdisciplinary Certificate in University Teaching.
Advanced levels of GRSC 7770 are offered in the spring semester can also count toward the Teaching Certificate. Contact Denise Domizi for more details.
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What kind of language evaluation is required for international teaching and laboratory assistants?
The following guidelines apply to all international graduate students required to submit TOEFL results to enter UGA:
A. Students with a speaking score of 26 or higher on the TOEFL iBT can be considered for any teaching assignment, including instructor of record, if they have attended TA Orientation and successfully completed a GRSC 7770 teaching seminar or departmental equivalent. Graduate teaching and laboratory assistants who are instructor of record must complete a GRSC 7770 teaching- support seminar or departmental equivalent and attend TA Orientation before assuming any instructional duties.
B. Students with a speaking score of 23-24 on the TOEFL iBT must complete a 3-credit-hour language and cultural orientation course (currently identified as LLED 7769). Upon completion of LLED 7769 and with a recommendation from the LLED 7769 instructor, students with a 23 may teach in limited and closely monitored assignments (e.g. laboratory teaching, graders, language teaching in native language). Students with a 24 and an LLED recommendation may be considered for any teaching assignment. GTAs and GLAs who are only assisting in a classroom or lab may take LLED and GRSC classes concurrently with their assignment. Before being instructors of record, students must attend TA Orientation and complete GRSC 7770 or a departmental equivalent.
C. Students with a speaking score of 20-22 on the TOEFL iBT test must successfully complete a 3-credit-hour language skills course (currently identified as LLED 7768) before enrolling in LLED 7769 and GRSC 7770 or a departmental equivalent.
D. Students who have no formal language score are required to enroll in LLED 7768 for language evaluation and must take the TOEFL iBT before being considered for a teaching assignment. Students with low or no formal language score may team-teach in a course-related lab or breakout sessions if a native English speaker is on-site at all times as a co-instructor.
E. Registration for The TOEFL iBT language evaluation is available from Educational Testing Service.
F. Departments who must support graduate students with teaching assignments the first year of a graduate program should only accept those students whose language skills qualify them for their respective teaching appointments.
G. Appeals to waive the speaking score of 26 for full teaching assignments will be conducted if the student has (1) successfully completed LLED 7769, (2) has a recommendation from the LLED 7769 instructor, (3) has taken the TOEFL iBT at least twice with a score of at least 23, and (4) has a departmental recommendation for an appeal accompanied by language test scores.
These guidelines will be administered for the Provost/Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs by the Center for Teaching & Learning. Language instruction in the special sections of LLED 7768 and 7769 will be provided by Dr. Linda Harklau in the Department of Language & Literacy Education. Questions regarding the implementation of the TA Policy regarding international students should be referred to Dr. Paul Quick at the Center for Teaching and Learning.
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