Graduate TA Training
Mentor TA Position Revamped and Stipend Increased!
We reviewed the position description and stipend and have made some changes that may increase your interest in the Mentor TA position. We have increased the ten-month stipend to $2,000. Additionally, Mentor TA's responsibilities will be more focused on planning and facilitation of the core and elective seminars. The revamped position description and application can be found at this site on the graduate TA page at following site. Please have the applications in by Monday, April 2 and call 368-5230 to set up an appointment for Wednesday, April 4.
Mentor TA Position Description Spring 2012/2013
The Mentor TA team plans the Graduate TA Training program and facilitates approximately 20 TA seminars throughout the school year. The team meets approximately monthly to plan seminars. The facilitation includes arriving early to help to organize the seminar space and sign in participants. Facilitation involves leading small and large groups during the discussion phase of a seminar. The team meets monthly.
Each Mentor TA is assigned an additional responsibility, which involves assisting the Assistant Director of the Graduate Teaching Assistant Training Program. These responsibilities include one of the following:
- Assist with improving the TA manual and International TA Manual
- Provide summaries of the student evaluations
- Help maintain the website
The Mentor TAs are paid a $2,000 stipend over a period of ten months.
The Mentor TAs report to the Director of the Educational Services for Students and the Assistant Director of the Graduate Teaching Assistant Training Program.
Graduate Teaching Assistant (TA) Training for the 2012 Spring Semester
Our orientation is set for Tuesday, January 17, 5:30 to 8:30 pm in Nord 204.
Pizza, salad, and botted water will be served at 5:30 pm. All domestic and international TAs should come at 5:30 p.m. Do not register through SIS for either UNIV 400 A (training for domestic graduate TAs) or UNIV 400 B (international TAs) UNTIL after January 17.
At this January 17 meeting, international TA's will sign up for the CWRU Spoken English test that will administered the week of January 17.
After the assessment, the staff administering the assessment will indicate whether international TAs need to take UNIV 402 A, B, or C to increase their spoken English and whether they can take UNIV 400 B concurrently. If international TAs are to take UNIV 400 B, then Judith Olson-Fallon, the UNIV 400 A/B lead faculty will add you to the course.
Overall questions should be sent to univ400@case.edu or you can call Judith at 368-8825.
Description of UNIV 402 A, B, or C (formerly known as UNIV 400C)
- During their UNIV 400 B orientation, international TAs will be asked to sign up for the CWRU Spoken English Placement Test. The dates and times for this testing are listed below. All testing will take place in Educational Services for Students (ESS), Sears 470. Students should bring their course schedules and the correct spelling of their advisor’s name, email address, and phone number to the testing.
- The purpose of UNIV 402 A, B, and C is to provide practice with the level of spoken English needed in instructional settings.
- There are three levels of UNIV 400 C, now known as UNIV 402A (focusing on pronunciation and idiomatic language), UNIV 400B (focusing on fluency), and UNIV 402 C (focusing on presentation style).
- If students do not pass the Spoken English Placement test, they will be scheduled for one of the levels of UNIV 402 (A, B, or C) at the end of the test.
- Students enrolled in either UNIV 402A or UNIV 402 B will not take UNIV 400 B until the second semester.
- Students are expected to pass an oral exit exam for either UNIV 402 A, B, or C. If they do not pass this exit exam, they will be required to take an additional semester of either UNIV 402 A, B, or C.
- Christina Larson, the lead faculty for the UNIV 402 series, will be sending advisors a list of the results for the CWRU Spoken English Placement test after the drop/add period. Christina’s email is christina.larson@case.edu
CWRU Spoken English Placement Test Dates
Students missing the orientation must email Christina Larson at christina.larson@case.edu to schedule a time for the SPEAK test, which is held in Educational Services for Students (ESS), 470 Sears Building.
Seminar Attendance for UNIV 400 A and B
You will receive an email announcement approximately two weeks before each seminar. This message will be sent to your Case email account. You are responsible for reading your Case email account on a regular basis. If you do not receive regular messages, you should contact Judith Olson-Fallon at 216.368.8825 or send an email to univ400@case.edu immediately.
Since many seminars are held at lunch time, please feel free to bring your lunch.
Seminar registration will begin after the drop/add period. You may register up to 5 p.m. before the day of a seminar. We do not accept walk-in registrations. We recommend that you arrive about 10 minutes before the seminar begins in order to sign in and to receive your small-group assignment.
A sign-in sheet is provided at each seminar. This sign-in sheet is our way of checking attendance. If your signature does not appear on the sign-in sheet, you will not receive credit for that seminar.
Within two weeks of any seminar, the attendance will be posted online. You should check your attendance regularly. If you have any questions regarding your attendance, please contact Judith Olson-Fallon at 216.368.8825 or by email at univ400@case.edu.