TA Fellows Program

  • Overview
  • Applying
  • Benefits

Overview

The Teaching Assistant Fellows (TAF) Program provides extensive professional training for outstanding Northwestern TAs. Participants are selected each spring in a competitive process that looks at demonstrated excellence and creativity in teaching. See a list of present and past TA Fellows.

Structure

Summer
TAFs work individually and together to:
  • Attend training
  • Master key learning theory principles
  • Develop advanced teaching techniques and communication skills
  • Design workshops for the fall New TA Conference
  • Receive feedback on workshops and practice delivery
Fall
At the New TA Conference:
  • Facilitate a discipline-specific workshop
  • Lead one concurrent session on a teaching topic of his/her interest
  • Receive feedback from workshop participants

Contact
E-mail us or call 847-467-2338.

2009-2010 Application

Important Dates

Applications Due Monday, April 19, 2010
Interviews Monday, April 19 - Friday, April 30, 2010
2010 TAFs Announced Monday, May 10, 2010
2010 Training (required) Monday, June 14, 10:00-5:00pm
Wednesday, June 16, 1:00-5:00pm
Monday, August 16, 1:00-5:00pm
Wednesday, August 18, 1:00-5:00pm
New TA Conference (required) TBA (September 2010)

Benefits

  • Receive instructional design training and experience
  • Develop advanced teaching skills
  • Become more familiar with research on learning and teaching in higher education
  • Can request a teaching letter of support from the Center
  • Enhance their teaching portfolios for the academic job market
  • May become Teaching Consultants

Comments from Past TAFs

I met TA Fellows from other disciplines who wanted to learn more about teaching. It was great to meet so many people who took teaching seriously who wanted to improve their teaching methods.
- TA Fellow, Industrial Engineering & Management Sciences

[The TAF Program] has enabled me to focus sustained time and attention on my teaching...I have already seen my own teaching improve, as I was able to apply some of what we read and talked about in my current course.
 - TA Fellow, Communication Studies

I found my participation in the program a tremendous opportunity to get hands-on, well-guided experience in workshop design and teacher training. The readings and workshop preparation sessions gave me a new framework in which to reevaluate my experiences as a TA and to strategize for future teaching.
 - TA Fellow, Performance Studies