TA Guide: Essential trainings
Get ready to teach!
Department-level trainings
Your first step should be to check in with your lead instructor and/or department’s TA staff, such as a graduate coordinator or program manager. They can make you aware of any trainings that are hosted by the department, and clarify which trainings you are expected to complete.
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College-level trainings
New TA Training – required/recommended for first-time TAs (check with your department)
The New TA Training is offered the Thursday before each fall semester, and again in January (check website for exact dates). Participants will leave motivated and equipped to be effective and inclusive teachers.
Returning TA Workshop – recommended for TAs with prior UW-Madison teaching experience
The Returning TA Workshop is offered every August. TAs will have an opportunity to connect with peers, discuss common teaching challenges in a supportive environment, and advance their teaching practice.
These trainings are run by the L&S TA Training & Support Team. The main contact is Lynne Prost.
Many TAs employed in CALS attend TA Training provided by the College of Engineering – please contact your department to determine if you are required to attend. Please refer to the Engineering section of this guide.
New TAs in full-time MBA programs and PhD students with teaching responsibilities will complete a four-module online course during the first week of TA contracts to help them succeed in their role. (TAs in the Master of Accountancy program receive separate training.) You are automatically enrolled in this Canvas course and will receive a welcome email with all the necessary details to get started.
For more information, please contact the WSB Teaching, Learning & Assessment team.
All new School of Education TAs are strongly encouraged to attend the following:
- School of Education Graduate Assistant Orientation
- The Letters & Science New TA Training
- Any additional training or teaching seminar required or recommended by your department or program
For more information, please contact your graduate coordinator or program manager.
These trainings are conducted by CEETE, the Collaboratory for Engineering Education and Teaching Excellence. For more information, please email CEETE.
Undergraduate TAs, called Student Assistants (SAs), must attend one half-day training the Friday before the semester start. There is also a Canvas course associated with that training. You will receive information from your department.
New TAs attend New Educators Orientation (NEO) for 1.5 days total on the Tuesday and Wednesday before the semester starts. This is required for all new TAs in the College of Engineering (and for many TAs in CALS).
Register: TA Training
Returning TAs have required continuing education. You must complete a short Canvas quiz and also choose one of the following:
- Attend a workshop offered by CEETE once during the semester
- Observe another TA and write a short reflection on the experience
- Be observed by another TA and write a short reflection on the experience
Register: TA Training
As part of the School of Human Ecology (SoHE) Graduate Student Orientation Week, all new SoHE TAs are required – and returning TAs are encouraged – to attend the following:
- The Letters & Science New TA Training
- SoHE TA Community Building
For more information, please contact Michelle Holland and Chelsea Martinez.
All Nursing TAs, PAs, and RAs attend an in-person orientation during the first contract week. TAs who support specific courses will also complete an asynchronous online training focused on Canvas functionality. You will receive the complete schedule with dates and times from the School of Nursing (SoN) Academic Affairs Office.
For more information, please contact the SoN Academic Affairs Office.
All Pharmacy TAs from the HSRP and Pharm Sci graduate programs are required to complete the Letters & Science New TA Training prior to their first TA appointment.
- Pharmacy TAs (new and returning) supporting the Psychoactive Pharmaceutical Investigation (PPI) program or the Applied Drug Development (ADD) program are required to participate in an additional customized training prior to the start of each semester they are appointed in these programs. These trainings are coordinated and led by PPI/ADD staff.
- Other Pharmacy TAs should complete the training that is recommended by their course coordinator. Depending on your program and/or teaching assignment, you may be asked to complete an additional training or review teaching support information within Canvas.
For more information, please contact Lindy Stoll and Kate Rotzenberg.
University-wide trainings
Graduate Assistants Equity Workshops
Required for all first-time TAs
These workshops for graduate assistants focus on expectations regarding appropriate workplace behavior, best practices, discrimination, harassment, and related resources. Completion is a requirement for reappointment as a TA in subsequent semesters.
Register: Graduate Assistants Equity Workshops
FERPA Training
Required for all first-time TAs
This 30-minute online training covers your responsibility to uphold student privacy rights. For more information, see: FERPA (Student Record Privacy) Overview.
Register: FERPA Training
Comm-B Training
Required for all first-time TAs of Comm-B courses
The university offers a sequence of two required training workshops for Communication-B courses prior to each semester.
Register: Comm-B TA Training
Ethnic Studies Requirement (ESR) Training
Recommended for all TAs of ESR courses
The training focuses on pedagogy fundamentals for teaching courses that fulfill the Ethnic Studies Requirement such as leading respectful discussions about race and racism, awareness of student and instructor roles, and addressing conflict in the classroom. It is open to both first-time TAs and those with more experience.
Register: Teaching About Race/Racism for Grad Students (NetID login required)
International TA Training (English as a Second Language 370)
May be required for English proficiency; open to all international TAs
The ESL 370 training is a non-credit course offered each fall and spring semester. It is designed to help non-native speakers of English improve their oral communication and classroom teaching skills.
Register: International TA Training