The department of Political Science does not require, but strongly encourages, its TAs to take advantage of professional development opportunities offered at the departmental and university level.

Departmental Training

Each September the Political Science department holds a workshop for new and returning TAs, with several follow-up thematic sessions throughout the academic year. This year the first workshop will be held Saturday, September 8 in the Buchanan Penthouse (see map below) and will run from 9 am to 3 pm. I will attend this workshop and run a session on essay grading. The workshop will be chaired by your new TA coordinators Veronica Hurtado and Spencer McKay. The workshop touches on a wide array of issues, including discussion of equity and inclusion in the university classroom. This event is typically followed by a grading workshop in October, and an April workshop on how to design a course syllabus, so check back later for more information. Slides and notes from previous sessions are archived under the Resources tab.

University Training

The UBC Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT) provides a wide-array of free and ongoing workshops and events for UBC TAs. For more information click here

Graduate Instructional Skills Workshop – August 19, 25, 26 2018