ITA Institute Completion and Follow-Up
Eligibility to Teach
To be considered for a teaching assignment by their departments, ITA candidates must be considered "ready to teach" by a panel consisting of a faculty member from the candidate's department, an ESL rater, a faculty person from an unrelated department, a faculty person with teaching expertise, and an undergraduate student. Candidates present a 10-minute lesson on a topic assigned by their departments. Candidates who demonstrate spoken English proficiency and the ability to present their topic in a clear and organized fashion are judged ready for a teaching assignment. Although Institute graduates are not guaranteed a student contact assignment, approximately 80 percent of the students who are recommended receive assignments during the following year.
ITA candidates who are judged not ready for a teaching assignment are encouraged to take further spoken language lessons or to get tutoring assistance through the university's Programs in English as a Second Language (PIESL) office.
Departments determine the type of assignment an ITA receives. Common assignments include grader, tutor, laboratory assistant, and recitation leader. In some cases, ITAs are given full responsibility for a class. Each department exercises its own judgment about content readiness and sets its own standards for performance in the classroom.
ITA Follow-Up
The Office of Graduate Studies provides detailed follow-up for all Institute participants who receive classroom-teaching assignments at the conclusion of the Institute (summer and fall). Follow-up activities include classroom observation, diagnostic and developmental consultation, and student surveys. Departments may contact the Office of Graduate Studies to schedule follow-up consultation visits and one-on-one consulting with new TAs.
