All schools and departments in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences are required to provide a TA orientation/training during the three-day period preceding the beginning of Fall 2020 classes that does not conflict with the Graduate College orientation. I encourage you to schedule your departmental orientation on Friday, August 21, 2020 rather than on Wednesday, August 19, 2020 or Thursday, August 20, 2020, as those days are reserved for the Graduate College Orientation and Center for Teaching New TA Orientation respectively. The departmental orientation should include preparatory instructional training in the discipline. Some larger units may wish to divide the teaching assistants into smaller groups according to specialization, while smaller departments may wish to work with other departments in offering TA training. All TA supervisors must observe the teaching of new TAs by the 8^th week of the semester and provide feedback to the TAs on their overall performance in a written form apart from the ACE evaluation.

An effective TA orientation should include discussion of the following:

• Information about FERPA and Sexual Harassment Prevention Training
https://clas.uiowa.edu/faculty/teaching-policies-resources-student-records
https://clas.uiowa.edu/human-resources/sexual-harassment-prevention-training

• Required content of the course syllabus
https://clas.uiowa.edu/faculty/teaching-policies-resources-required-syllabus

• Creating a coherent lesson plan for each class period
https://teach.its.uiowa.edu/handbook-teaching-excellence-6th-edition/planning-ahead-and-first-day-class/session-plans-–-mini

• Using the ICON site
https://teach.uiowa.edu/icon

• Instructor guidelines for meeting classes, holding office hours, and covering absences (including departmental policies for securing substitutes)
https://clas.uiowa.edu/faculty/teaching-policies-resources-time-committed-instruction

• Meeting deadlines for class lists, student attendance, and submission of grades
https://clas.uiowa.edu/faculty/teaching-policies-resources-class-lists-submitting-grades-and-student-attendance

• Policies regarding student absences, student workload, student accommodations, final examinations, and textbooks and teaching materials
https://clas.uiowa.edu/faculty/teaching-policies-resources-student-absences
https://clas.uiowa.edu/faculty/teaching-policies-resources-student-workload-guidelines
https://clas.uiowa.edu/faculty/teaching-policies-resources-accommodating-students-disabilities
https://clas.uiowa.edu/faculty/teaching-policies-resources-examination-policies
https://clas.uiowa.edu/faculty/teaching-policies-resources-textbooks-and-materials

• Cultivating a welcoming and professional classroom atmosphere
https://clas.uiowa.edu/sites/default/files/1744-2-Student-Assistance-Folder-Printable-pdf.pdf
https://teach.its.uiowa.edu/handbook-teaching-excellence-6th-edition/behavioral-expectations

• The timely and effective grading of student work
https://clas.uiowa.edu/faculty/teaching-policies-resources-grading-system-and-distribution

• Handling academic misconduct. CLAS requires that reports about academic misconduct be submitted using the form found on the link below.
https://clas.uiowa.edu/faculty/teaching-policies-resources-academic-fraud

• Required ACE course evaluations
https://clas.uiowa.edu/faculty/teaching-policies-resources-student-evaluation-teaching

• Resources and Support available through the Center for Teaching
https://teach.uiowa.edu/keep-teaching-iowa
https://teach.its.uiowa.edu/audience/graduate-students-post-docs