Unfortunately, state budget reductions have eliminated funding for TA Development Grants for the present.

Description

Several grants of up to $500 are available to support departmental efforts to improve professional development programs for graduate student teaching assistants.

Teaching assistants--whether graders, discussion leaders, laboratory assistants, instructors, or lecturers--have a major responsibility toward the undergraduate students in their classrooms, toward their departments, and toward their disciplines. The TA Development Grants program was created to improve the training TAs receive and to encourage faculty mentoring of graduate students as teachers.

Criteria

Proposed projects should:

• assist TAs in improving their classroom teaching.
  
• include interaction between UVa faculty and TAs.
  
• increase the amount of TA training already provided.
  
• include a follow-up component beyond any initial sessions, e.g., observation of TAs teaching, forums for continuing dialogues about teaching, enhanced interaction between faculty teaching multi-section courses and TAs assisting in those courses.
  

Possible project types and formats:

• workshops providing basic information to TAs before they teach for the first time.
  
• workshops to train experienced TAs to teach a new course or to teach in a new way.
  
• courses designed to educate TAs about all aspects of their future profession.
  
• department-specific or interdepartmental workshops.
  
• improved methods of supervising TAs leading classes in a multi-section course.
  
• improved models of mentoring graduate students as teachers.
  

Application procedure:

• Submission of letter of application, including goals and budget (limited to five double-spaced pages). Funds may be requested for equipment purchase, materials and supplies, and/or TA stipends.
  
• Endorsement of application by the departmental chair. For deadlines, see above.
  
• Consideration of all applications by the TA Development Grants Committee.
  
• Follow-up reports due to the Teaching Resource Center, Hotel D, 24 East Range.