Stay up to date on the latest matters practical and pedagogical that impact your work as a TA.

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Virtual University: A Chance to Level the Participation Field

By: Rezda Rezal, B.A. Honours Law (concentration in Business Law and minor in Business), Faculty of Public Affairs The onset of the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented shift for Canadian universities to move their courses online. Throughout the year, it has been observed that this virtual learning environment has impacted... More

Monday, June 21, 2021

Brightspace – Summer Edition

Carleton has been using the new Learning Management System (LMS), Brightspace by D2L, for over a month now. As early summer courses start to wrap up, Teaching and Learning Services (TLS) continues to plan for future terms and is available to support you as you navigate the new system. Get to Know Brightspace The... More

Thursday, June 17, 2021

Discord and Google and Slack – Oh my! How Multiple Online Platforms are Contributing to Student Burnout and What Teaching Assistants Can Do to Help

By: Sarah Enouy, Master's Student (Mental Health & Addictions Lab; Dept. of Psychology)   After the switch to online learning because of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers were quick to name, and study, the phenomenon of “Zoom fatigue” (e.g., Fosslien et al.,; Wiederhold, 2020). However, while it is clear that video meetings lead to... More

Friday, June 11, 2021

More Than A Student Number: How Caring and Thoughtful Pedagogies Foster a Sense of Belonging in Online Higher Education during Times of Crisis

By: Parker Nicholls, Master’s Student (Music & Culture)  Students and teachers in higher education have been required to transition from face-to-face learning to online learning because of the COVID-19 pandemic and active quarantine measures. With little time to prepare and properly transition their pedagogies and learning outcomes to the... More

Monday, May 10, 2021

Get Started with Brightspace

Brightspace has officially replaced cuLearn as Carleton’s new Learning Management System (LMS). You can log in at brightspace.carleton.ca using your MC1 credentials to begin exploring the new interface. If you do not yet have Brightspace courses available to you, you can self-enrol in a sample course by visiting the Discover page in... More

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

On Student Success: Making Opportunities to Teach into Opportunities to Dismantle Your Biases

By: Lindsay Dorder, Master's student (Health Sciences) Introduction: “Knowing thyself” Students are all uniquely receiving and interpreting information (1,2). A word or phrase could ultimately have different meaning and emotional attachments for a student (1,2). Therefore, it is of utmost importance that those delivering some form of a lesson... More

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Creating Accessible Laboratory Spaces for Students with Physical Disabilities

By: Eliza Ali, PhD Student (Neuroscience) Science education is becoming more inclusive, however there is still much work that needs to be done when considering students with physical disabilities. The under representation of students with physical disabilities is a systemic issue that starts before enrolling in college or university. In secondary... More

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Utilizing Technologies to Improve Accessibility in the Classroom

By Abdihakim Mao, Masters student (Information Technology) Nowadays, it goes without saying that technology plays an integral part in the everyday lives of students, teaching assistants, and instructors. According to a recent statistic published by EduCause, at least 91% of students own a laptop and a smartphone [1]. Technologies such as... More

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Addressing Traumatic Brain Injury in the Classroom: A Teaching Assistant’s Perspective

By Adam Stone, Phd Student (SLaLS) While Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) can be a source of significant impairment toward learning in the classroom, there are several measures put in place at Carleton University that help accommodate those who face obstacles to their academic success. In practice however, there are several challenges to effectively... More

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Improving Educational Accessibility Using the Universal Design for Learning

By: Nathan Murtha, Phd Student (Physics) Although it is my job to teach as a teaching assistant in the physics department at Carleton University, I have learned a great deal from the time that I’ve spent in front of a classroom and with students. I have had students who excel by working through the... More

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Experiential Learning in the Classroom

By: Edna Tehranzadeh, Health: Science, Technology and Policy, Faculty of Science   Traditionally, learning in the classroom has taken a passive approach. If one were to picture a classroom setting, an image of an instructor standing at the front of the room would come to mind. The professor delivers the course content while students... More

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

The Case for a Universal Design for Learning at Carleton University

By: Margaret Janse Van Rensburg, School of Social Work   The Canadian Human Rights Act (R.S.C. 1985) legislates that all people should have equitable opportunities regardless of ability. It institutes that plans should be made to adapt services, facilities, premises, equipment or operations to meet the needs of persons arising from a... More

Monday, July 22, 2019

Registration for the Fall 2019 Cohort of “Preparing to Teach” Is Now Open!

Registration for the Fall 2019 cohort of our Preparing to Teach (PTT) certificate program is now open! PTT is a blended program specifically designed to help PhD candidates prepare for the teaching components of a career in academia. This 10-week program, which consists of weekly 2-3 hour meetings plus a significant weekly online component,... More

Monday, July 23, 2018

Registration for the Fall 2018 Cohort of the EDC’s “Preparing to Teach” Certificate Program is Now Open!

Registration for the Fall 2018 cohort of our Preparing to Teach (PTT) certificate program is now open! PTT is a blended program specifically designed to help PhD candidates prepare for the teaching components of a career in academia. This 10-week program, which consists of weekly 2-3 hour meetings plus a significant weekly online component,... More

Wednesday, July 4, 2018

Become a TA for the EDC!

Deadline Has Been Extended! The EDC is looking to hire a Teaching Assistant (130 hours / term) in a service role for the Fall 2018 and Winter 2019 terms. The position will involve providing support for the EDC’s TA-related initiatives, including TA Training and the TA Mentor Program. The candidate will help the EDC to... More

Friday, May 4, 2018

Announcing the EDC’s 2017-2018 Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award Recipients and Honourable Mentions

The EDC is pleased to announce the five outstanding Teaching Assistants (TAs) who have been named recipients of the 2017-2018 Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award. The awards celebrate the support TAs give to the undergraduate programs in their disciplines, their roles in establishing a positive learning environment, and their work in... More

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Celebrating Carleton’s Outstanding TAs

Congratulations to all of the Teaching Assistants (TAs) who were nominated for the EDC’s Outstanding TA Awards and many departmental TA awards. We received more than 450 nominations for approximately 230 unique nominees this year, highlighting the amazing accomplishments of Carleton’s TAs. The awards celebrate the TAs’ dedication to... More

Thursday, April 5, 2018

Blog: Motivating Students through Online Engagement

By: Uriel Marantz, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs There are two common perspectives on what it means to be a teaching assistant (TA). The first point of view – “doing the bare minimum” – stipulates that TAs are solely responsible for doing what they get paid to do: running tutorials, grading essays and... More

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Blog: Get Ahead of the Game – Effective Implementation of Game-Based Learning to Boost Motivation in the French Department’s Support Services

By: Nicolas Corbeil, Department of French As a TA in the French department's support services, my colleagues and I have a unique role in students' language learning. We offer written and oral support to students that comprises part of their grades. We have the opportunity to interact with students in a classroom setting only... More

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Blog: Perspectives on Student Success – At the Student, Along the Path, At the Educator

By: Sarah Walton, Department of Biology Educators must work with their students to highlight how they will motivate and engage each other to achieve academic success. Students want to apply expertise to a career of choice, whereas educators must promote a socially and intellectually stimulating environment so their students can apply and connect... More

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Blog: TAs and Student Motivation & Engagement

By: Emma McLarens, Institute of Cognitive Science In a time when five years of secondary education (Grade 13) no longer exists and it seems like an undergraduate degree is the minimum education requirement to apply for any job, adolescents are entering university without always knowing what they want or are interested in studying. This... More

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Blog: Engaging Students Through Group Work — Making the Boring Stuff, Not so Boring

By: Jesse Lewis, Norman Paterson School of Public Policy and Administration By the time they reach university, students have long since identified their interests and how to integrate those interests into their work. When given the option of choosing a topic for an academic paper, or a research assignment, or a thesis, students understand... More

Friday, February 2, 2018

Blog: Facilitating Intrinsic Motivation for Disengaged Students — Knowing Our Audience and Challenging Our Students

By: Michelle MacQueen, Department of Music There are strong links between motivation, autonomy, and competence (Ryan & Deci 2000a, 2000b). However, a motivated, autonomous, and competent learning experience cannot occur if students do not feel engaged in the learning materials. Motivation for students can be divided into two categories: (1)... More

Friday, December 22, 2017

Winter 2018 TA Workshop Schedule Now Available!

The EDC’s Winter 2018 schedule for TA Training workshops is now available, and registration for all sessions is open on Carleton Central. The final programme for the EDC’s Fall TA Training Day (Saturday, January 20th, 10am-4pm, 3rd floor of Richcraft Hall) is also available on our website, and registration via Carleton Central for all TA... More

Monday, December 18, 2017

Registration for the Winter 2018 TA Training Day Is Now Open!

The full programme for the EDC's Winter 2018 TA Training Day is now available here, and registration for all sessions is now open on Carleton Central. TA Training Day is on Saturday, January 20th, 10am-4pm, and it consists of two sets of concurrent workshops (eight in total) and two keynote addresses from award-winning faculty members.... More

Friday, October 27, 2017

Nominate a Teaching Assistant for a 2017-2018 Outstanding TA Award!

If you’ve been taught by or worked with a great TA this year (Fall 2017 – Winter 2018), why not take a few minutes to acknowledge their hard work by nominating them for an Outstanding TA Award? On top of the various awards that many departments offer, the EDC also offers up to five university-wide award per... More

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

EDC Wraps Up Another Successful TA Training Day!

The EDC’s Fall 2017 TA Training Day event on September 23 saw approximately 400 TAs take part in 11 unique training sessions aimed at their personal and professional development. We were especially privileged to hear keynote addresses from award-winning faculty members Dr. Veronic Bezaire (Department of Chemistry / Food Sciences) and Dr. Nduka... More

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

New Workshop Added to TA Training Day Schedule!

Stuck on a waiting list for a session on TA Training Day? The EDC has you covered! We have just added a new (EDC-credited) workshop to the TA Training Day schedule. You can find the details about the day (including the full program) here, and you can register for the session on Carleton... More

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Registration for the Fall 2017 TA Training Day Is Now Open!

The full programme for the EDC's Fall 2017 TA Training Day is now available here, and registration for all sessions is now open on Carleton Central. TA Training Day is on Saturday, September 23rd, 10am-4pm, and it consists of two sets of concurrent workshops (nine in total) and two keynote addresses from award-winning faculty members.... More

Thursday, August 31, 2017

Fall 2017 TA Workshop Schedule Now Available!

The EDC's Fall 2017 schedule for TA Training workshops is now available, and registration for all sessions is also open on Carleton Central. The final programme for the EDC's Fall TA Training Day (Saturday, September 23rd, 10am-4pm, 2nd floor Tory Building and 1st floor Azrieli Theatre) will be available shortly, and registration via Carleton... More

Thursday, July 27, 2017

Registration for the Fall 2017 Cohort of the EDC’s “Preparing to Teach” Certificate Program is Now Open!

Registration for the Fall 2017 cohort of our Preparing to Teach (PTT) certificate program is now open! PTT is a blended program specifically designed to help PhD candidates prepare for the teaching components of a career in academia. This 10-week program, which consists of weekly 2-3 hour meetings plus a significant weekly online component,... More

Monday, June 12, 2017

Become a TA for the EDC!

The EDC is looking to hire a Teaching Assistant (130 hours / term) in a service role for the Fall 2018 and Winter 2019 terms. The position will involve providing support for the EDC’s TA-related initiatives, including TA Training and the TA Mentor Program. The candidate will help the EDC to fulfill its obligation to... More

Thursday, May 4, 2017

Carleton’s Outstanding TA Award recipients honoured at luncheon

  On April 20, 2017, the recipients of the Outstanding TA Awards for 2016-17 were honoured at an awards luncheon at Baker's. In attendance were the award recipients: Justin Berquist (Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering), Matthew Conte (Pauline Jewett Institute of Women's and Gender Studies), Melissa Conte (Department of... More

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Blog: Supporting Students with ADHD and Performance Anxiety

By: Lucas Jerusalimiec As teaching assistants (TAs), many of us have experience in assisting students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). These students are often highly engaged in tutorials and demonstrate intelligence during class discussions. Those who are in the upper years of their undergraduate degrees are most likely aware... More

Friday, March 31, 2017

Announcing the EDC’s 2017-2018 Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award Recipients and Honourable Mentions

The EDC is pleased to announce the five outstanding Teaching Assistants (TAs) who have been named recipients of the 2017-2018 Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award. The awards celebrate the support TAs give to the undergraduate programs in their disciplines, their roles in establishing a positive learning environment, and their work in... More

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