Texas A&M University Graduate and Professional School

TATEP at Texas A&M University


Texas A&M University’s talented Graduate Teaching Assistants (TAs) are a major strength of our university and contribute to achieving the strategic goal of excellence in graduate education. As such, equipping TAs with the skills and resources they need to excel in their teaching positions is a top priority.

Purpose of TATEP

TATEP exists to support graduate teaching assistants and ensure they meet Texas A&M’s high standards of excellence in teaching. Key objectives include improving undergraduate teaching, enhancing the classroom experiences of Graduate Teaching Assistants (TA), and responding to the need for more systematic preparation and evaluation of TAs.

 

University-Level TA Training

New TAs’ attendance at the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) Teaching Assistant Institute (TAI) is mandatory. TAs whose first teaching assignment is for the new academic year and TAs who have not previously completed TA training are required to attend the TAI. TAI is offered every year at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters and is required for new TAs who serve as graduate teaching assistants, recitation leaders, laboratory instructors, and/or full responsibility lecturers. This one-day training program also includes ethical and legal responsibilities information and provides new TAs with the opportunity to clarify, question, apply and organize knowledge comprising foundational principles in teaching and learning.

 

Discipline-Specific TA Training

Discipline-specific training for new TAs will be provided at the college/ department level. The nature of this training, while varying widely across different disciplines, will complement university-level training and will address the unique and specific needs of graduate students serving as TAs within their disciplines. Discipline-specific training will expose new TAs to the specific patterns of behavior, systematic methods, classroom management, and/or instructional practices associated with successful teaching within their disciplines.

 

Reporting TA Training Compliance

Departments or programs will provide a yearly report to their Graduate Operations Council (GOC) Dean stating evidence of their compliance with the University-Level TA Training and Discipline-Specific TA Training tenets for new TAs. Departmental users of the TATEP system will have access to the Departmental Report Template. Departments will share the number and percentage of TAs in compliance with the completion of the TAI, the format, learning outcomes, and duration of the discipline-specific training, and include evaluation and feedback practices to help TAs improve in their role. 

Using the departments/programs reports, the GOC Deans will provide a college-level report of compliance to the Graduate and Professional School.

TA Evaluation

Each academic department employing TAs shall develop an appropriate set of procedures and evaluation instruments to employ in monitoring the performance of TAs each semester. Departments will share their evaluation and feedback process in their departmental reports each year.

University Mandated Teaching Assistant Institute Waivers and Exemptions

Departments wishing to offer training through their department-level TA training programs can request a Teaching Assistant Institute Departmental Waiver for the university-mandated Teaching Assistant Institute by submitting the following information to the Center for Teaching Excellence:

  • A syllabus outlining the departmental training program for new TAs
  • Copies of training materials for their new TAs.
The waiver only applies to the TAI mandate. Depending on the thoroughness of the departments curriculum, some departments are exempt from all components of the TAI, whereas others are exempt from all components except the Online Preparation Training (outlining FERPA and other TAMU policies) and Title IX Training during the TAI. (Exempt departments are responsible to show the Title IX video created by Department of Civil Rights & Equity Investigations the Department of Civil Rights & Equity Investigations or secure a university approved facilitator for a formal presentation. Departments can check their exemption status by viewing the “Waived Component” column on the TAI Waivers page of the Center for Teaching Excellence website. In holding a waiver, departments are still required to post/log their TAs in the TATEP System. They are also still required to engage in all other components of TATEP such as annual report submission to GPS, and presumably TA assessment and evaluation.