Small Group Teaching and Lab Demonstration

This course is designed for those new to teaching, including Teaching Assistants, PhD researchers, and Lab Demonstrators. It is pitched at an introductory level and assumes minimal or no prior teaching experience.

The course offers an overview of key foundational areas in learning and teaching. Modules include:

• The role of the small group teacher or lab demonstrator
• Facilitating online learning
• Using Canvas to engage students
• Building a positive learning environment
• Inclusive teaching practices
• Principles of digital accessibility
• Learning design
• Assessment and feedback  

On completion of the course, participants will be able to:

• Apply a range of active teaching methods to engage students
• Foster a positive learning environment that supports student success
• Demonstrate an understanding of how students learn
• Facilitate self-assessment and peer review activities
• Provide constructive feedback and assessment support
• Use multimodal approaches to support content understanding

The course is delivered entirely via the Canvas VLE on a self-paced, self-study basis, offering maximum flexibility for participants. Communication and guidance will be provided through discussion forums and announcements, with the course instructor available for additional support via email.

The time required to complete the course will vary depending on the level of engagement with the supplementary materials. On average, participants can expect to spend approximately 7 hours completing the core content and activities. However, it is possible to progress through the course more quickly if needed.

CED contacts Schools in August to provide information about the course, including a link to the short registration form. Schools are responsible for sharing this link with new Teaching Assistants and Lab Demonstrators.

Once registration is complete, CED will follow up with participants by sharing a pre-recorded welcome video (to be viewed prior to starting the course) and a self-enrolment course link.

TAs and Lab Demonstrators  typically require staff ID credentials to access this course. These are normally issued by the School and, where available, should be used as default.

Participants who have not been issued with staff credentials, should check with their School to confirm whether they will be.  Note that staff credentials are typically provided via QWork when the participant is enrolled in a Canvas TA role through QSIS,  automatically generating a staff Canvas account.

• If staff credentials can be provided, they should be used to access the course. 
• If staff credentials will not be issued by the School, the participant should use their Canvas student credentials instead as an alternative.

Any problems with self-enrolment can be directed to ced@qub.ac.uk. 

Yes. Simply email ced@qub.ac.uk and you will be provided with the self-enrol link to the current version of the course. 

There is no formal assessment for this course. However, participation is recorded, as Schools may request confirmation of completion.

To be considered as having completed the course, participants must engage with at least 80% of the required activities, including discussions, surveys, and quizzes.

Schools can email ced@qub.ac.uk to request a spreadsheet of completion status towards the end of the semester. 

Participants who believe they have completed the course in full (including completion of at least 80% of the activities) may request a certificate of completion for their records.

Instructions on how to request a certificate are provided at the end of the Canvas course.