TA/TM Day is presented by the Centre for Educational Excellence in cooperation with the Office of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Fellows and with consultation from the Teaching Support Staff Union at Simon Fraser University
This workshop is primarily intended for TAs whose courses include writing assignments. It should make a great difference to a TA who is uncertain about how to give students substantial, meaningful formative feedback without simply telling students what to do or marking up their papers. Some of the principles and techniques around giving feedback on writing will also be useful to TMs, who can adapt this information to online writing feedback to help build capacity in students. Emphasis in this workshop is placed on discussions between TAs and students (for example, during office hours). However, the techniques can also be applied in writing. Session Outcomes: TAs and TMs who attend this workshop will learn strategies for • Talking (or corresponding) with students about their writing; • Helping students set priorities for developing and improving their writing; • Ensuring that academic integrity is maintained in the TA/TM-student interaction and that students do their own work; • Focusing on support students to develop better writing habits and techniques, rather than trying to “fix” individual student papers; • Set, communicate, and maintain clear boundaries to govern their work with students’ writing.
