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GATAcademy 2021 is a week-long professional development event open to all current and prospective UWindsor graduate assistants (GAs) and teaching assistants (TAs). Offering a series of interactive workshops led by experienced professionals from across the campus, GATAcademy 2021 will feature resources and activities relevant to both new and experienced GAs/TAs. Topics will include using Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, using Blackboard, using Microsoft Teams, best practices in grading and feedback, and a whole lot more! GATAcademy 2021 will be held from August 30th to September 3rd and each day will feature four workshops! Please note: All workshops will be offered online through Blackboard. Remember: Please register for the workshops that interest you. After registration, you will be emailed the link to the virtual classroom

Past offerings

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Monday, August 30, 2021

9:00 AM

So, You're Hired as a GA/TA - Now What?!

Registration for this event is now closed.
Schedule: Monday, August 30, 2021, 09:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Location: Online
Instructors: Katie Hirsch, Cayla Wood

During the workshop, participants will be provided with an introduction to being a GA/TA. Various topics will be covered, including GA/TA responsibilities to anticipate and complete prior to starting your GA or TA appointment, conditions that must be met throughout your appointment, and suggestions for communicating with the course instructor and the students.

After registration, you will be emailed the link to the virtual classroom.

11:00 AM

Dealing with Issues as a GA/TA: Confrontation and De-escalation

Registration for this event is now closed.
Schedule: Monday, August 30, 2021, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Location: Online
Instructors: Natalie Beltrano

Whether engaged in an online or in-person teaching environment, the dynamics must be managed by the Teaching or Graduate Assistant (TA/GA). This interactive workshop will support TAs/GAs to define and identify productive and unproductive conflict that may occur with students. The importance of developing strategies, such as detailing expectations for students, to prevent issues before they occur will be discussed in detail. De-escalation techniques will be reviewed, and case studies will be provided for participants to apply these strategies. We will conclude by considering what to do when things go awry, such as when to involve your supervising Professor as well as how to manage your own emotions and engage in self-care.

After registration, you will be emailed the link to the virtual classroom.

1:00 PM

Using your GA/TAship for Employment and Career Development

Registration for this event is now closed.
Schedule: Monday, August 30, 2021, 01:00 PM – 02:30 PM
Location: Online

Your GA/TAship is a valuable opportunity that provides you with skills and experiences that can help you with your career. In this session, learn about how you can identify and develop these skills and experiences and how you can effectively communicate and market them to potential employers.

After registration, you will be emailed the link to the virtual classroom.

3:00 PM

Mental Health for Student Leaders: Caring for Your Peers and Yourself

Registration for this event is now closed.
Schedule: Monday, August 30, 2021, 03:00 PM – 04:30 PM
Location: Online
Instructors: Katie Chauvin

Designed for student leaders, this presentation covers mental health basics, stigma, resources for support, and simple caring, resilience, stress, and coping skills. Participants will learn strategies for maintaining mental health while balancing their responsibilities.

After registration, you will be emailed the link to the virtual classroom.

Tuesday, August 31, 2021

9:00 AM

Running Effective STEM Labs/Tutorials

Registration for this event is now closed.
Schedule: Tuesday, August 31, 2021, 09:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Location: Online

Leading labs and tutorials online present challenges that can be difficult to maneuver. In addition to the technical difficulties that are often present, it can be tricky to gauge whether your students learn from the presented information. This workshop aims to offer tips and advice for GAs and TAs from a student perspective to ensure students get the most out of their time spent in labs and tutorials. This workshop will include a review of student feedback on techniques implemented in STEM labs and tutorials to see what worked for them and what was less effective.

After registration, you will be emailed the link to the virtual classroom.

11:00 AM

Making the Grade as a GA/TA: Assessment and Feedback

Registration for this event is now closed.
Schedule: Tuesday, August 31, 2021, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Location: Online
Instructors: Linda Coltman, Soula Serra

Grading and providing effective feedback in response to student work is one of the most important GA/TA roles. While supervisors will provide different instructions for how they would like their GA/TA’s to complete these specific responsibilities, there are some common elements of these tasks that all GAs and TAs should have a basic understanding and consideration of. This session will explore subjects such as: What is an Assessment?; Why is it important?; Types of Assessments; Specific Elements of Grading Assessments (the how to dos of online grading and providing feedback); GA/TA’s Role in Assessments; Using Rubrics; Cheating in Student Submissions and What to do?; Effective Feedback – What is it? What does it look like?; Types of Feedback; How to give feedback.

After registration, you will be emailed the link to the virtual classroom.

1:00 PM

Planning Effective Lectures and Tutorials to Enhance Student Engagement

Registration for this event is now closed.
Schedule: Tuesday, August 31, 2021, 01:00 PM – 02:30 PM
Location: Online

Planning lectures and tutorials can be a challenging task. Engaging students in a classroom is even harder. This workshop will offer strategies and techniques needed to plan and deliver effective and engaging lectures that can be used in the classroom as well as in a virtual learning environment. An emphasis will be placed on the use of active learning techniques to enhance student engagement and learning. Additional resources will also be provided to further aid your teaching development.

After registration, you will be emailed the link to the virtual classroom.

3:00 PM

Leading Effective Online Discussions

Registration for this event is now closed.
Schedule: Tuesday, August 31, 2021, 03:00 PM – 04:30 PM
Location: Online
Discussions provide a way for students to process, analyze, and synthesize information and course material. Through a synchronous and asynchronous online environment, discussions allow the student to exchange ideas while encouraging critical thinking, exploration, and reflection. Close attention to planning and facilitation on the part of the GA/TA is essential to providing discussions that further learning and reflection of course material. Special attention will be given to planning and preparation, with respect to course material, GA/TA presence, delivery strategies (both synchronous and asynchronous), as well as advancing discussions beyond surface context.

After registration, you will be emailed the link to the virtual classroom.

Wednesday, September 1, 2021

9:00 AM

Using Teams (to Add Value to Your GAship)

Registration for this event is now closed.
Schedule: Wednesday, September 01, 2021, 09:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Location: Online
Instructors: Craig Brown, Bodek Frak

In the workshop “Using Teams (to Add Value to Your GAship)” you will learn about the main features and functions of Teams – chat, virtual meetings and collaborating within Teams using posts, files and collaborating on documents, as well as an overview of Class Teams which are connected to a Blackboard course site. We will cover how to send a Teams meeting invite, how to modify Teams meeting settings to fit the purpose of your virtual sessions as well as introduce the Teams webinar function, allowing you to use Teams for professional looking presentations, webinars and virtual conferences.

After registration, you will be emailed the link to the virtual classroom.

11:00 AM

Supporting Teaching and Learning in the Blackboard Environment: Tips for GAs and TAs

Registration for this event is now closed.
Schedule: Wednesday, September 01, 2021, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Location: Online
Instructors: Ronak Doowd, Eric Jonathan , Lidia Kojic

This session will provide an overview of key Blackboard tools and topics for GAs and TAs in the online environment. Our focus will be on communicating with students (announcements, discussion board), and grading the different types of assessments found on Blackboard (tests, assignments, and discussion boards) in addition to using the Grade Centre and related features. For optimum experience, you should be using Google Chrome for this session.

After registration, you will be emailed the link to the virtual classroom.

1:00 PM

Using the Virtual Classroom (Blackboard Collaborate Ultra)

Registration for this event is now closed.
Schedule: Wednesday, September 01, 2021, 01:00 PM – 02:30 PM
Location: Online
Instructors: Mark Lubrick

Do you need to record a lecture/webinar? Do you need to meet with students online (as a group or privately)? The virtual classroom (formally called Blackboard Collaborate Ultra) can handle this and more. Best of all, it is available in every Blackboard site or can be set up outside of Blackboard and is free for faculty, staff, GAs, TAs, and students to use.This workshop will attempt to demonstrate everything you need to know to use the virtual classroom.

After registration, you will be emailed the link to the virtual classroom.

3:00 PM

Being a GA/TA in a Hy-flex Course: What Does it Mean and What Can You Do?

Registration for this event is now closed.
Schedule: Wednesday, September 01, 2021, 03:00 PM – 04:30 PM
Location: Online

Have you been assigned to a hy-flex course? This session will describe what Hy-flex means, the knowledge pillars it is built upon, as well as how hy-flex will work at University of Windsor this Fall. We will explore what's different about the hy-flex teaching environment, what your instructor might expect of you and how you can best support them. An overview of the equipment/technology used will be provided as well as a description of the additional supports that will be in place (e.g. extra IT support, hy-flex in-class TAs etc.). Finally, there will be the opportunity to discuss and ask questions of instructors and students who have seen the hy-flex classrooms in action over this summer.

After registration, you will be emailed the link to the virtual classroom.

Thursday, September 2, 2021

9:00 AM

General EDI-Focused Considerations for GAs/TAs

Registration for this event is now closed.
Schedule: Thursday, September 02, 2021, 09:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Location: Online
Instructors: Michael Godfrey

The words equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are commonly used, but their definitions and applications are often poorly understood. In this workshop, we will clearly define the various facets of EDI and discuss its role in creating respectful, responsive, and just learning environments. Participants will be provided the opportunity to engage in interactive activities to improve their confidence in implementing EDI principles. Upon completion of this workshop, GAs and TAs will have a better understanding of how to engage, teach, and assess students in an equitable manner, and, ultimately, enhance students’ sense of belonging.

After registration, you will be emailed the link to the virtual classroom.

11:00 AM

(Re)Framing Anti-Racism and Anti-Black Racism Pedagogies: Practices and Scholarship

Registration for this event is now closed.
Schedule: Thursday, September 02, 2021, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Location: Online
Instructors: Marium Tolson-Murtty

It is essential to recognize that one cannot achieve a level of awareness or “wokeness” by simply reading one book on white fragility or watching a couple of trending Youtube videos. A one-size-fits-all expeditious approach does not exist to achieve the necessary skills required to implement anti-racism pedagogy into one's research efforts and teaching. Although these resources can be helpful, more often than not, they do not delve deep into the insidious nature of racism, anti-Black racism and systems of oppression, especially in the post-secondary education system. This workshop will introduce the fundamentals of the colonialist framework by which the Canadian education system was built, how these anti-racist ideologies manifested, and its many iterations for hundreds of years.

After registration, you will be emailed the link to the virtual classroom.

1:00 PM

Connecting Best Practices for Teaching Linguistically-Diverse International Students

Registration for this event is now closed.
Schedule: Thursday, September 02, 2021, 01:00 PM – 02:30 PM
Location: Online

In this session, you will learn about some of the best practices for teaching linguistically-diverse international students and how they connect with international student satisfaction, including the outcomes of a recent study conducted at the University. A student panel of current UWindsor international students will discuss their preferred teaching practices. Participants will leave with a concept map that shows how best practices for teaching linguistically-diverse international students connect with international student satisfaction.

After registration, you will be emailed the link to the virtual classroom.

3:00 PM

Decolonizing Practices for Pedagogy

Registration for this event is now closed.
Schedule: Thursday, September 02, 2021, 03:00 PM – 04:30 PM
Location: Online
Instructors: Andrea Sullivan-Clarke

Indigenous knowledge stands in contrast to Western conceptions of knowing in virtue of the normative features that originate from the relationships that frame Indigenous ways of being in the world. Given this difference, instructors wishing to use inclusive (decolonial, indigenous) methods of teaching should take this difference into consideration when forming best practices of pedagogy. An interesting result of indigenizing pedagogy is that it has applications for the non-indigenous student and course as well. Participants will leave this session having explored various readings and teaching methods.

After registration, you will be emailed the link to the virtual classroom.

Friday, September 3, 2021

9:00 AM

So, You're Hired as a GA/TA - Now What?!

Registration for this event is now closed.
Schedule: Friday, September 03, 2021, 09:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Location: Online
Instructors: Katie Hirsch, Cayla Wood

During the workshop, participants will be provided with an introduction to being a GA/TA. Various topics will be covered, including GA/TA responsibilities to anticipate and complete prior to starting your GA or TA appointment, conditions that must be met throughout your appointment, and suggestions for communicating with the course instructor and the students.

After registration, you will be emailed the link to the virtual classroom.

11:00 AM

Using Teams (to Add Value to Your GAship)

Registration for this event is now closed.
Schedule: Friday, September 03, 2021, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Location: Online
Instructors: Bodek Frak

In the workshop “Using Teams (to Add Value to Your GAship)” you will learn about the main features and functions of Teams – chat, virtual meetings and collaborating within Teams using posts, files and collaborating on documents, as well as an overview of Class Teams which are connected to a Blackboard course site. We will cover how to send a Teams meeting invite, how to modify Teams meeting settings to fit the purpose of your virtual sessions as well as introduce the Teams webinar function, allowing you to use Teams for professional looking presentations, webinars and virtual conferences.

After registration, you will be emailed the link to the virtual classroom.

1:00 PM

Using the Virtual Classroom (Blackboard Collaborate Ultra)

Registration for this event is now closed.
Schedule: Friday, September 03, 2021, 01:00 PM – 02:30 PM
Location: Online
Instructors: Mark Lubrick

Do you need to record a lecture/webinar? Do you need to meet with students online (as a group or privately)? The virtual classroom (formally called Blackboard Collaborate Ultra) can handle this and more. Best of all, it is available in every Blackboard site or can be set up outside of Blackboard and is free for faculty, staff, GAs, TAs, and students to use.This workshop will attempt to demonstrate everything you need to know to use the virtual classroom.

After registration, you will be emailed the link to the virtual classroom.

3:00 PM

Supporting Teaching and Learning in the Blackboard Environment: Tips for GAs and TAs

Registration for this event is now closed.
Schedule: Friday, September 03, 2021, 03:00 PM – 04:30 PM
Location: Online
Instructors: Ronak Doowd, Eric Jonathan , Lidia Kojic

This session will provide an overview of key Blackboard tools and topics for GAs and TAs in the online environment. Our focus will be on communicating with students (announcements, discussion board), and grading the different types of assessments found on Blackboard (tests, assignments, and discussion boards) in addition to using the Grade Centre and related features. For optimum experience, you should be using Google Chrome for this session.

After registration, you will be emailed the link to the virtual classroom.

Tuesday, September 7, 2021

Supporting Teaching and Learning in the Blackboard Environment: Tips for GAs and TAs

Registration for this event is now closed.
Schedule: Tuesday, September 07, 2021, 06:00 PM – 07:30 PM
Location: Online synchronous session using Blackboard Collaborate

This session will provide an overview of key Blackboard tools and topics for GAs and TAs in the online environment. Our focus will be on communicating with students (announcements, discussion board), and grading the different types of assessments found on Blackboard (tests, assignments, and discussion boards) in addition to using the Grade Centre and related features. For optimum experience, you should be using Google Chrome for this session.

After registration, you will be emailed the link to the virtual classroom.