OSTEP | TA Coordinators Program
Please Note:
Currently, administration of this program is suspended.
Although this program is currently suspended, information about it will remain available on this website, to encourage departments' continued efforts to promote the development of and support for their GTAs.
Click here>> to learn more about other GTA Enhancement Initiatives.
About the TA Coordinators Program
In previous academic years, the OSTEP TA Coordinators Program has offered faculty and staff a year–long opportunity to focus on their roles as unit GTA coordinators within a community of peers. This program was designed to support the professional development of GTA coordinators at Ohio State, by establishing collegial relationships across disciplines and reinforcing a culture that brings the scholarship of teaching and research together.
Have you recently taken on the role of TA coordinator, and are looking for resources and support? Is there some aspect of the training program offered to GTAs in your unit that you would like to improve? Do you want to make changes, but feel like you lack the time and resources to do so? Would you benefit from hearing what other units around campus are doing to support GTAs' development?
If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions, you may benefit from reading about the accomplishments of prior participants in the OSTEP TA Coordinators Program.
Program Goals
In academic years when the OSTEP TA Coordinators Program is actively administered, it offers faculty and staff a year–long opportunity to focus on their roles as TA coordinators within a community of peers. Throughout the duration of a designated academic year, they work on individual plans for increasing their own knowledge base about GTA development issues and enhancing the GTA support offered in their units.
Program Rationale
GTAs can receive training through many centralized efforts at Ohio State, but most of the day–to–day support and specific GTA preparation occurs within individual units. Some units offer thorough programs and have GTA coordinators that spend a great deal of time designing, enhancing, and implementing these. Other units offer less support to GTAs and are asking GTA coordinators to develop new programming. GTA coordinators in either of these situations (and anywhere in between) bring a tremendous amount of knowledge, energy, and commitment to their work; but, they can run the risk of feeling under–resourced and may lack both access to the scholarship on GTA development issues, as well as the time to apply those ideas to their programs. This community will provide a space for GTA coordinators to share ideas on how to enhance both their own professional development and the training and support received by the GTAs.
Program Elements
All faculty and staff who fulfill the role of a GTA coordinator in their unit are eligible to apply for the program. This year–long program is appropriate for faculty and staff involved in designing and implementing initial teaching preparation and ongoing teaching support for the GTAs in their units. The goal of this program is to assist GTA coordinators in enhancing their abilities to do this important work.
Faculty and staff selected for the program will:
- Develop and implement a personal GTA coordinator enhancement plan (e.g., develop a needs assessment for GTA support, generate financial and/or unit support for GTA development activities, create a database/webpage of teaching resources for use by GTAs, learn about unique options for ongoing GTA support, design a college teaching course, etc.)
- Attend the OSTEP reception in May of each academic year.
- Participate in monthly sessions organized by and supported by the resources of University Center for the Advancement of Teaching (UCAT).
Participants may also choose to:
- Attend any number of conferences that have sessions on GTA development issues (such as the Lilly National Conference on College Teaching (opens new window), Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education (opens new window), American Association of Colleges and Universities (opens new window), and the Council of Graduate Schools (opens new window))
- Attend events organized by UCAT (e.g., special–topic seminars or forums, workshops, and/or book discussion groups).
- Present or facilitate a session at an UCAT–coordinated event to discuss the project or report results of the implementation.
- Prepare a scholarship of teaching project for publication or conference presentation.
Program Implementation
- The program will start in the Autumn Quarter and ends in the Spring Quarter of designated academic years. At times when this program is currently administered, if possible, we may start the program during the Summer Quarter, in order to have more time to plan for GTA support in the upcoming academic year.
- During years when this program is actively administered, each participant receives $750 for TA coordinator enhancement activities (e.g., attending a teaching conference, purchasing books on GTA development, purchasing software, etc.
- During years when this program is actively administered, each participant's unit also receives up to $250 to use towards GTA development activities (e.g., workshop costs, hiring facilitators for orientations, purchasing books on teaching for use by GTAs, etc.)
- A list of former participants in this program is available here>>.
Application, Selection Process, and Criteria
- Eight participants will be selected from all applicants.
- Applications will be reviewed by a steering committee for OSTEP. Consideration will be given to the quality of the proposed project, the diversity of disciplinary fields, and the commitment to being a member of a community. Selection of participants will be jointly made by the committee and UCAT.
Although the program is not currently being administered, you may still view copies of both the on–line application form and downloadable application form (MS Word). During years when this program is actively administered, interested parties can then type on the document and send as an attachment by e–mail to ucat@osu.edu (please type "TA Coordinators Program" in subject line)––or print out a copy and mail it to the address provided below.
Please Note:
Administration of this program is currently suspended.
No applications are being accepted at this time.
Although this program is currently suspended, information about it will remain available on this website, to encourage departments' continued efforts to promote the development of and support for their Graduate Teaching Associates (GTAs).
For more information about the TA Coordinators Program,
please contact:
Stephanie Rohdieck
University Center for the Advancement of Teaching
260 Younkin Success Center
1640 Neil Avenue
Phone: 614–292–3644
E–mail: ucat@osu.edu (please type "TA Coordinators Program" in subject line)