TAP Schedule and Structure

This course runs every semester. For the programme schedule, please log into NTULearn.

Core Module 1 
As a Teaching Assistant (TA), you will play a role in generating interest in a field and supporting students’ learning. Thus, it is important to consider: What is learning? How do we know if someone has truly learnt? Does teaching necessarily leads to learning? In this module, we invite you to examine your experiences as a learner and challenge one another’s assumptions about what is ‘good’ teaching and learning in the context of higher education. Through introducing the concepts of deep and surface learning approaches, we will explore teaching strategies to foster students’ interest in learning and support them in thinking deeply and critically. You will also reflect on how the knowledge and skills of teaching and learning, can support your personal and career motivations.

Core Module 2
As a Teaching Assistant (TA), you may be tasked to conduct a lecture or tutorial, provide consultation to students or mark assignments. No matter the type or length of the interaction and the number of students, it helps to be clear about what we hope students can achieve. One way to do this, is to write our desired ‘Aims and Learning Outcomes’ clearly and using these as a basis for continuous engagement with students. Aims and learning outcomes tell students where they should direct their energies in a course or lesson and encourages students to take responsibility for their learning. In this module, we invite you to consider how we can help students relate to and understand what they will be learning and appreciate the value of the learning. Using the SOLO taxonomy (Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes), we will discuss how learning outcomes of the appropriate cognitive levels support students to adopt deep learning approaches.

Core Module 3
As a Teaching Assistant (TA), you may be asked to help students understand difficult concepts and acquire certain skills. How would you go about it? Would you explain or demonstrate to students, pose them questions, or get them to discuss with one another? How do we know which strategy is effective? In this module, we invite you to consider how you can design learning activities to support students to construct understanding, make connections to their prior knowledge and engage in deeper learning. Every learner is different, and every interaction is unique. You will need to carefully consider various factors to make informed judgments to spark students’ curiosity and engage them in meaning-making. In this module, we will learn how to develop student-centred learning activities aligned to the aims and learning outcomes. We will discuss common challenges in engaging students and formulate strategies to overcome these challenges.

 

Core Module 4 and 5
Now that you have had an opportunity to think through and plan a student-centred lesson, it is time to deliver the lesson in practice. Interactions with students are dynamic and require us to be attentive to how students are responding to the learning activities. We may have to adjust along the way or rethink our initial plans. In this module, we will discuss the criteria used to assess the effectiveness of facilitation skills and provide feedback to one another. Through reflecting on your experience and the feedback given, you may make changes to your learning activities, in preparation for the microteaching assessment.

Core Module 6

Learning how to draft a reflective teaching portfolio holds immense personal and professional value for those involved in academia and industries that require guiding, coaching and facilitating others to learn. This process encourages you to engage in thoughtful self-assessment to identify strengths, areas for improvement, and the impact of what you do. A well-crafted teaching portfolio serves as a powerful tool for career advancement, providing tangible evidence of one's commitment to excellence and continuous improvement. This module supports you to synthesize the material from the earlier core modules in a personally meaningful way and helps prepare you for your portfolio assignment submission.  


Graded Assignment 

The aim of the graded assignment is for you to develop a reflective teaching portfolio to consolidate and reflect upon your learning from Core Modules 1 to 6. You will be invited to develop a portfolio comprising of the following components: 

1. Teaching philosophy or rationale
2. Teaching responsibilities and actions 
3. Evidence of teaching effectiveness 

4. Teaching development activities

You will need to pass the Graded Assignment by achieving at least a ‘Competent’ grade for all criteria listed in the Reflective Teaching Portfolio rubric, available on NTULearn.

 

ELECTIVE MODULE 1: Addressing and Reflecting on Teaching Challenges

This module aims to develop your ability to critically examine your teaching practice. You will consider possible future teaching challenges as a TA, and work in small groups to propose strategies to address these teaching challenges and to enhance your teaching practice. Your group will present your ideas and exchange with TAs from Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) in a virtual forum.

Learning Outcomes - By the end of this module, you would be able to:

  1. Analyse teaching challenges which TA may typically encounter
  2. Discuss possible strategies to address teaching challenges
  3. Propose strategies to critically examine and reflect on teaching practice

 

ELECTIVE MODULE 2: Student-led Seminar (Part 1)

This module aims to develop your ability to engage critically with issues and challenges in teaching and learning within higher education. You will explore fundamental questions, emerging trends and exchange different perspectives on issues and challenges.

Learning Outcomes - By the end of this module, you would be able to:

  1. Identify issues and challenges in teaching and learning, within higher education
  2. Explore the multifaceted nature of these issues and challenges
  3. Exchange different perspectives on these issues and challenges

 

ELECTIVE MODULE 3: Student-led Seminar (Part 2)

This module aims to develop your ability to address a specific issue in teaching and learning within higher education. You will work in small groups to identify and engage with at least 2 relevant research articles and lead a seminar sharing your group’s perspectives and proposal.

Learning Outcomes - By the end of this module, you would be able to:

  1. Critically engage with ideas in teaching and learning within higher education
  2. Propose strategies to address specific issues in teaching and learning
  3. Facilitate a discussion with the aim of deepening understanding on issues