As most Brock students prepare for online learning this fall, the University\u2019s teaching assistants (TAs), lab demonstrators, course co-ordinators, marker\/graders and tutorial leaders from all disciplines are preparing to help them.<\/p>\n
Beginning Saturday, Sept. 12, Brock\u2019s Centre for Pedagogical Innovation (CPI) will host a week of synchronous and asynchronous TA Days workshops to ensure anyone involved in delivering online learning is prepared to engage with students in the virtual environment.<\/p>\n
Along with established sessions from previous years about active learning and getting to know SAKAI, this year\u2019s slate of workshops will also focus on being an online TA, humanizing learning, grading and providing feedback, and facilitating discussions in multiple formats.<\/p>\n
Madelyn Law, Brock\u2019s Associate Vice-Provost, Teaching and Learning, said the workshops will further enhance the knowledge and skills of TAs as they prepare to deliver a transformational and accessible academic and university experience.<\/p>\n
\u201dOur TAs are an integral part of our teaching and learning team at Brock who assist students through technical aspects of courses and impart their passion and expertise for the topics in the courses,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Another major addition to the week\u2019s activities comes in the form of Faculty-specific workshops that address questions and practices that are unique to certain disciplines and are led by Faculty instructional support assistants.<\/p>\n
CPI\u2019s Educational Developer, Natalie Currie-Patterson, said the expanded programming for TAs complements similar exercises from earlier this summer, which helped instructors create flexible and connected experiences, and reflects CPI\u2019s commitment to enhancing learning in every part of the University.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe designed these workshops to model the flexibility and multiple means of engagement possible through the asynchronous and synchronous learning that will be happening across Brock this fall,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n