Welcome to the Physics and Astronomy Professional Development Program at UBC!
Hello! This is the website for the Physics and Astronomy TA Professional Development (TAPD) program at UBC. Our goal is to provide you, our department’s Teaching Assistants (or future Teaching Assistants), with the necessary instruction, tools, and resources to help you develop as educators. We hope to accomplish this through the various learning opportunities we offer for both new and senior TAs such as the fall training workshop, the mentor program and ongoing course-specific training.
The TAPD program was developed by and is facilitated by graduate students in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Through this program, you will learn to:
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Recognize the different ways that people learn, and be prepared to engage students in these ways.
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Create appropriate introductions for use in the lab or tutorial.
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Develop the ability to diagnose student difficulties and lead them through their learning via questioning.
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Learn to analyze your own teaching, so that your teaching improves over time.
The Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative
The Physics and Astronomy Department has adopted the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative (CWSEI), which means that we are committed to improving the education of our undergraduates through the use of scientifically proven teaching techniques. You, as teaching assistants are the front-line educators in our program, and achieving the goal of improving the education of our undergraduates will be impossible without you.
How to be a TA in the Physics and Astronomy Department?
Everything you need to know about being a TA in the PHAS department can be found under “A Guide to TAing in PHAS”. From how to handle emergencies, to marking advice and lesson planning and more, you can find all of the answers there!