Archives: TA Blog

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

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

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

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