Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) play a significant role in teaching at most US higher education institutions, but they often do not receive training or professional development to help them create positive learning environments and improve their teaching. The Student Experience Project (SEP) has demonstrated that when faculty have the right support, they can improve student experience in the classroom. In a project funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, two SEP institutions, University of Colorado – Denver and the University of New Mexico, piloted a new training program for GTAs adapted from the SEP’s successful framework for faculty communities of practice. What we found demonstrates that GTAs are able to use new practices, etc. etc. Campuses saw other promising changes, such as increase in collaboration, etc.

This toolkit is designed for department chairs, faculty, CTL staff, or other individuals who are interested in designing and facilitating a GTA community of practice centered on improving student experience. In this toolkit, we detail the key components of the GTA training curriculum as well as the departmental structures and support needed to implement this training successfully.