Teaching Assistant & Teaching Fellow Orientation

9:00 Plenary

The plenary will include the following components, with a break in the middle and several opportunities for Q&A:

• Introductory words, including an overview of the day, some statistics about UU直播 students and how this can inform your teaching, and campus resources.
• A presentation from Susan Shea, from the Office of International Students & Scholars, about some challenges international undergraduate students might face and the resources available to them.
• An opportunity for you to consider why and how you will establish authority with students in the classroom, facilitated by CTE staff members.
• A panel of faculty, who will share their experiences teaching UU直播 students and strategies to help you get to know your students and teach them effectively. Panelists: Ethan Baxter, Associate Dean for the STEM Disciplines & Professor, Earth and Environmental Sciences; Ellen Goldstein, Associate Professor of the Practice, Math; Krithika Vachali, Assistant Professor of the Practice, English

There will also be a raffle.聽

Please note: A photographer will be at the plenary. Please email cte-gradprograms@bc.edu if you have any questions or concerns about being photographed.

11:15 Sessions

Teaching Natural Sciences in the Lab Workshop

Science Teaching Assistants generally have more opportunities in the laboratory setting for direct contact with individual students than do instructors who teach in a traditional classroom. In this session, we will present a variety of scenarios that a lab TA might encounter and then discuss the options and resources available for managing each situation. This session will be facilitated by Malavika Chandra, Director, Physics Labs, Physics Department, Lynne O鈥機onnell, Director, Chemistry Labs, Chemistry Department, and Doug Warner, Director, Biology Laboratories, Biology Department.

Planning for a Strong Start as a Teaching Assistant Workshop

Open to all new Teaching Assistants who do not need to attend the session 鈥淭eaching Natural Sciences In The Lab,鈥� this interactive workshop will help prepare you for a successful start to the semester. In this session, we will spend the majority of the time discussing how you might handle some typical challenging scenarios. You will also consider how you will grade and identify strategies for working on a teaching team.

Planning for a Strong Start as a Teaching Fellow Workshop

Open to all new Teaching Fellows, this interactive workshop will help you prepare for a strong start to the semester and, more broadly, for a successful first semester as a TF at Boston College. In this session, you will 1) reflect on how to successfully set the stage for student engagement, 2) practice creating a lesson plan, and 3) discuss how to navigate difficult classroom situations. Participants will leave this session with the start of a plan for the first day of class.

12:45 Sessions

Experiences of Underrepresented & International Instructors Panel

For instructors who identify as international or as belonging to historically underrepresented groups -- who are navigating a university system in a different culture or who don鈥檛 fit their students鈥� assumptions about who a 鈥渢ypical professor鈥� should be -- the classroom can present unique challenges. In this open discussion with a panel of experienced TAs and TFs who identify as underrepresented in various ways (e.g. race, ethnicity, gender identity) and/or are international, we鈥檒l talk about some of those challenges and share strategies for responding to them.

Collegiality and Solidarity in Teaching Workshop

As international and underrepresented instructors meet to reflect on teaching experiences at UU直播, this session is a space for instructors who want to leverage their privilege to be good colleagues to their peers. During the session, participants will learn a little bit about the dynamics underrepresented and international instructors often end up negotiating when making pedagogical decisions. Participants will also have a chance to reflect on their own social location and identify some steps they can take in their teaching to practice solidarity with their colleagues.聽

Educational Tech Workshop: Canvas, GenAI and More

This workshop is for TAs and TFs seeking an overview of the technologies supported for work in these roles at UU直播, and opportunities and limitations in using them. You鈥檒l learn some quick tips for getting started and getting help if you need it. We鈥檒l briefly cover Canvas essentials, including managing content, the gradebook, announcements and notifications, and tools like Poll Everywhere for interactive student engagement. We鈥檒l explore how instructors are taking AI into account in their teaching, considering its potential benefits and pitfalls for learning, and discuss how to set policies, guide students and make use of AI resources available at UU直播.

2:00 Sessions

Experiences of Teaching Assistants: Humanities & Social Sciences Panel

This open discussion with a panel of experienced TAs in the humanities and the social sciences will cover the challenges and opportunities of serving as a Teaching Assistant at Boston College, along with practical strategies for managing the responsibilities of your role.

Experiences of Teaching Assistants: STEM Panel

This open discussion with a panel of experienced TAs in STEM fields will cover the challenges and opportunities of serving as a Teaching Assistant at Boston College, along with practical strategies for managing the responsibilities of your role.

Experiences of Teaching Fellows Panel

This open discussion with a panel of experienced TFs will cover the challenges and opportunities of serving as a Teaching Fellow at Boston College, along with practical strategies for managing the responsibilities of your role.

9:00 Sessions

The plenary will include three components, with several opportunities for Q&A:

• A presentation from the Office of the Dean of Students about common concerns TAs and TFs might encounter and the kinds of support they provide to students and instructors.
• An opportunity for you to consider why and how you will establish authority with students in the classroom, facilitated by CTE staff members.
• A panel of faculty, who will share their experiences teaching UU直播 students and strategies to help you get to know your students and teach them effectively. (Panelists: Clarissa Keen, Visiting Assistant Professor, Chemistry; Erik Owens, Professor of the Practice in Theology & Director, International Studies Program; H茅ctor E. Rodr铆guez-Simmonds, Core Fellow; Visiting Assistant Professor, Engineering)

There will also be a raffle.

11:15 Sessions

Experiences of Teaching Fellows Panel

This open discussion with a panel of experienced TFs will cover the challenges and opportunities of serving as a Teaching Fellow at Boston College, along with practical strategies for managing the responsibilities of your role.

Teaching Natural Sciences in the Lab Workshop

Science Teaching Assistants generally have more opportunities in the laboratory setting for direct contact with individual students than do instructors who teach in a traditional classroom. In this session, we will present a variety of scenarios that a lab TA might encounter and then discuss the options and resources available for managing each situation. This session will be facilitated by Lynne O鈥機onnell, Director, Chemistry Labs, Chemistry Department, Malavika Chandra, Director, Physics Labs, Physics Department, and Katie Rose Boissonneault, Assistant Director, Biology Labs, Biology Department.聽

Planning for a Strong Start as a Teaching Assistant Workshop

Open to all new Teaching Assistants who do not need to attend the session 鈥淭eaching Natural Sciences In The Lab,鈥� this interactive workshop will help prepare you for a successful start to the semester. In this session, we will spend the majority of the time discussing how you might handle some typical challenging scenarios. You will also consider how you will grade and identify strategies for working on a teaching team.

12:45 Sessions

Experiences of Underrepresented & International Instructors Panel

For instructors who identify as international and/or as belonging to historically underrepresented groups -- who are navigating a university system in a different culture or who don鈥檛 fit their students鈥� assumptions about who a 鈥渢ypical professor鈥� should be -- the classroom can present unique challenges. In this open discussion with a panel of experienced TAs and TFs who identify as international or underrepresented in various ways, we鈥檒l talk about some of those challenges and share strategies for responding to them.

Collegiality and Solidarity in Teaching Workshop

As international and underrepresented instructors meet to reflect on teaching experiences at UU直播, this session is a space for instructors who identify as members of groups that have historically had greater access to systems of power. During the session, participants will learn a little bit about the dynamics underrepresented and international instructors often end up negotiating when making pedagogical decisions. Participants will also have a chance to reflect on their own social location and identify some steps they can take in their teaching to practice solidarity with their colleagues.聽

Educational Technology: Essential Tools Workshop

This workshop is for TAs and TFs seeking to leverage technology to improve their instructional practices. The session will increase your awareness of the educational technology available to you at UU直播 and give you some quick tips on what you need before day one of the semester. It will cover essential Canvas topics, including efficient gradebook management and the setup and monitoring of announcements and notifications. We will show you tools like Poll Everywhere for interactive student engagement, and explore the potential of Generative AI (GenAI) to innovate and enhance your teaching methods.

2:00 Sessions

Experiences of Teaching Assistants: Humanities & Social Sciences Panel

This open discussion with a panel of experienced TAs in the humanities and the social sciences will cover the challenges and opportunities of serving as a Teaching Assistant at Boston College, along with practical strategies for managing the responsibilities of your role.

Experiences of Teaching Assistants: STEM Panel

This open discussion with a panel of experienced TAs in STEM fields will cover the challenges and opportunities of serving as a Teaching Assistant at Boston College, along with practical strategies for managing the responsibilities of your role.

Planning for a Strong Start as a Teaching Fellow Workshop

Open to all new Teaching Fellows, this interactive workshop will help you prepare for a strong start to the semester and, more broadly, for a successful first semester as a TF at Boston College. In this session, you will 1) reflect on how to successfully set the stage for student engagement, 2) practice creating a lesson plan, and 3) discuss how to navigate difficult classroom situations. Participants will leave this session with the start of a plan for the first day of class.

Schedule Overview

Friday, August 25 in 245 Beacon & Higgins Hall

8:30 am: Light Breakfast and Registration (245 Beacon)聽

9:00 am: Plenary: Engaging and Supporting UU直播 Students (245 Beacon)聽

10:30 am: Concurrent Session (Higgins)

11:30 am: Pick up box lunches (Higgins)

12:00 pm Concurrent Session (Higgin)

1:15 pm: Concurrent Session (Higgins)

2:30 pm: Planning for the First Weeks as a Teaching Assistant for TAs in Natural Sciences (Higgins)

See the detailed schedule below for more information about the sessions.

9:00 Sessions

A representative from the Office of the Dean of Students will share some statistics about UU直播 students and how that can inform how you approach teaching. This will be followed by a panel of faculty, who will share their experiences teaching UU直播 students and strategies to help you get to know your students and teach them effectively. Q&A will follow the panel.

10:30 Sessions

Experiences of Teaching Fellows at UU直播

This open discussion with a panel of experienced TFs will cover the challenges and opportunities of serving as a Teaching Fellow at Boston College, along with practical strategies for managing the responsibilities of your role.

Planning for the First Weeks as a Teaching Assistant

Open to all new Teaching Assistants who do not need to attend the session 鈥淭eaching Natural Sciences In The Lab,鈥� this interactive workshop will help prepare you for a successful start to the semester. In this session, you will 1) identify strategies for working on a teaching team, 2) consider how you will grade, and 3) discuss how you might handle some typical challenging scenarios.

Teaching Natural Sciences In The Lab

Science Teaching Assistants generally have more opportunities in the laboratory setting for direct contact with individual students than do instructors who teach in a traditional classroom. In this session, we will present a variety of scenarios that a lab TA might encounter and then discuss the options and resources available for managing each situation. This session will be facilitated by Lynne O鈥機onnell, Director, Undergraduate Chemistry Labs, Chemistry Department, and Douglas Warner, Director, Biology Laboratories, Biology Department. Please note: This session will be recorded and shared with natural science TAs who are unable to attend.聽

12:00 Sessions

Experiences of Underrepresented & International Instructors at UU直播 Panel

For instructors who identify as international or as belonging to historically underrepresented groups -- who are navigating a university system in a different culture or who don鈥檛 fit their students鈥� assumptions about who a 鈥渢ypical professor鈥� should be -- the classroom can present unique challenges. In this open discussion with a panel of experienced TAs and TFs who identify as international or underrepresented in various ways, we鈥檒l talk about some of those challenges and share strategies for responding to them.聽

Teaching as an Ally at UU直播 Workshop

As international and underrepresented instructors meet to reflect on teaching experiences at UU直播, this session is a space for instructors who are members of groups that have historically had greater access to systems of power. During the session, participants will learn a little bit about the dynamics underrepresented and international instructors often end up negotiating when making pedagogical decisions. Participants will also have a chance to reflect on their own social location and identify some steps they can take in their teaching to practice solidarity with their colleagues.聽

Using Technology to Build Rapport with Students Workshop

Research shows that establishing rapport with students can increase participation and relationship-building, lower anxiety, support learning, and foster a more inclusive learning environment. However, deciding how you want to build rapport with students isn鈥檛 always easy. In this workshop, participants will explore ways in which technology鈥搉amely, Perusall and Poll Everywhere鈥揷an be integrated into your instruction to build stronger rapport with students. We will offer some background into the value of building rapport, and provide practical strategies and tools that can enhance instructor-student relationships when teaching and grading. The session will also include time for participants to experiment with various tools.

1:25 Sessions

Planning for the First Weeks as a Teaching Fellow

Open to all new Teaching Fellows, this interactive workshop will help you prepare for the first weeks of class and, more broadly, for a successful first semester as a TF at Boston College. In this session, you will 1) practice creating a lesson plan, 2) reflect on ways to establish authority and navigate boundaries as a new instructor, 3) decide how you will get to know your students, and 4) discuss how to navigate difficult classroom situations. Participants will leave this session with the start of a plan for the first day of class. This session will end at 3:15 p.m.

Experiences of Teaching Assistants at UU直播: Humanities & Social Sciences聽

This open discussion with a panel of experienced TAs in the humanities and the social sciences will cover the challenges and opportunities of serving as a Teaching Assistant at Boston College, along with practical strategies for managing the responsibilities of your role. This session will end at 2:15 p.m.聽

Experiences of Teaching Assistants at UU直播: STEM

This open discussion with a panel of experienced TAs in STEM fields will cover the challenges and opportunities of serving as a Teaching Assistant at Boston College, along with practical strategies for managing the responsibilities of your role. This session will end at 2:15 p.m.聽

2:30 Sessions

Planning for the First Weeks as a Teaching Assistant in the Natural Sciences

Open to all new Teaching Assistants who attend 鈥楾eaching Natural Sciences In The Lab,鈥� this interactive workshop will help prepare you for a successful start to the semester. In this session, you will 1) identify strategies for introducing a lab to students, 2) consider how you will grade, and 3) reflect on how to work on a teaching team. This session will end at 3:45 p.m.