The Spring Teaching Assistant Institute is a re-mix of pre-recorded videos and recordings of live sessions offered in the fall institute, plus asynchronous activities to promote connection and community. While there are core requirements that everyone must complete, you will also be able to choose from a selection of elective activities based on your experience and role.
The fall institute featured live presentations and discussions. In the spring institute, you can review the recordings of these sessions and post any questions to the discussion board where a facilitator will answer them or connect you with the right resource at NIU.
The recorded modules offer an overview of key resources available at NIU or techniques to use when you work with your students. There are two types of modules - Core and Elective. Together, these should require about two hours to complete.
Sample module topics include: Reducing Barriers for Students with Disabilities, Assisting Students with Mental Health Concerns, Imposter Syndrome, Communicating Effectively, Engaging with Students via Web Conferencing, Supporting Success in Gateway Courses, Supporting First Generation Students, and more.
You will receive a certificate of completion if you watch the recordings of the three "live" sessions and watch the required and elective modules. While completion of the TA Institute is encouraged, it is not required by the university. It may, however, be required by your department. Check with your supervisor to determine whether you are required to receive a certificate of completion for the TA Institute.
This institute is open to all graduate teaching assistants, research assistants, and staff assistants at NIU. The institute is designed for new graduate assistants, but continuing graduate assistants are welcome to attend. The sessions cover general teaching and teaching-related responsibilities which are applicable to all disciplines; individual departments may provide more detailed discipline-specific training.
Questions? View answers to commonly asked questions below.
While we strive to ensure that the Teaching Assistant Institute is relevant and up-to-date, the majority of the content remains the same each year. The Keynote session is changed periodically and new topics are added to the recorded modules, however, so returning graduate teaching assistants should find something new and relevant to them.
You will need a computer with speakers or headphones for the live sessions, or a smartphone (Android or iOS). You will need a webcam or microphone to share your audio or video with other participants, but this is not required. There is a text chat for discussion if you do not have a microphone built in to your computer or headphones. You will also need a reliable Internet connection.
You may be able to come to campus to connect to the Institute if you do not have a reliable Internet connection at home. Check with your supervisor to find out if there is an office space that you can use, or find a space in the Holmes Student Center or Founders Memorial Library.
No, parking permits are not issued for attending the TA Institute. You may attend most of the sessions from anywhere, so you do not have to come to campus to attend the TA Institute.
If you plan to attend the in-person networking session during the Fall offering or you need to be on campus to have a reliable Internet connection, you can park in the visitor pay lot located on Carroll Avenue for a fee for the day. Alternatively, you can purchase the appropriate parking permit for the following academic year or semester from Campus Parking Services and use it to park in the parking deck located on Normal Road or any of the approved lots. For more information, visit the Campus Parking Services website.
The live sessions of the TA Institute will be recorded for you to review in the Blackboard Course for the TA Institute. You will have access to this course for at least a year. There may be a 24-48 hour delay before the recording is made available.
The in-person networking session will neither be streamed nor recorded. Attendance at this session is optional.
If you are no longer required to attend, we encourage you to still access the Institute to determine whether the content might still be valuable for you, in which case there is no need to cancel.
If you will be unable to attend and wish to be removed from the registration list so that you do not receive any communication about the event, please email us at citl@niu.edu.
In the past, the Teaching Assistant Institute was scheduled to occur after classes started. However, overwhelming feedback received from graduate assistants indicated that it would be more convenient before the semester began. TAs found it difficult to attend the institute after classes started because of schedule conflicts. TAs also stated that they would like to have the information presented at the Teaching Assistant Institute before they started teaching or providing teaching-related support. This is why the institute is scheduled during the week before classes start and between other programs scheduled for faculty.
If you don't currently have an appointment because your department is waiting until after the semester begins, you can still register and participate in the institute.
Phone: 815-753-0595
Email: citl@niu.edu
Facebook page Twitter page YouTube page Instagram page LinkedIn page