Small Group Teaching and Lab Demonstration AY24/25

The course is aimed at anyone who is new to teaching i.e. Teaching Assistants, PhD students, Lab Demonstrators etc. The course is pitched at an introductory level, and it is assumed that participants have little to no teaching experience prior to commencement. 

Modules include:  

• An introduction to the role of a small group teacher/lab demonstrator  
• How to facilitate online teaching  
• Using Canvas to engage learners 
• Building a positive learning environment  
• Inclusive teaching  
• Principles of digital accessibility  
• ABC Learning Design  
• Assessment and Feedback  

Course content is reviewed each summer ahead of the new academic year and amended based on feedback from participants/Schools.  

On completion of this course, participants should be able to:  

• Employ various active teaching methods to engage learners 
• Recognise their role in supporting learners by building a positive learning environment 
• Display an awareness of how people learn
• Engage and facilitate learners in self-assessment and peer review 
• Provide constructive feedback and support around assessment
• Support learners in their content knowledge through multi-modal practices 

All participants must attend a Welcome Session on MS Teams at the beginning of the semester. This welcome session is a chance to get to know each other and you will be provided with an overview of the course and a link to access it. 

After this, you can complete the modules on a self-study basis. The course instructor will be interacting with you via discussion forums and announcements. They will also be available to contact via email if you need additional support with the course content. 

There will be a virtual classroom later in the semester which will provide an opportunity to network, ask questions and share your experiences with the group. See dates below. 

The length of time it takes to complete the course will vary as the course contains supplementary additional resources for participants to engage with. As an estimate, the average participant will spend approximately 8 hours in total to go through the core course content and complete the activities.

There are two course intakes per academic year, one per semester. 

Participants are asked to register for the semester 1 cohort by 3rd October. Anyone trying to register after this date will be added to the semester 2 cohort. 

CED will make contact with Schools each August and December with information about the course as well as a link to a Microsoft Form for participants to complete. Schools will then need to inform their new TAs/lab demonstrators and provide them with the link to the MS Form. 

On the MS Form, participants can select their preferred date for the Welcome Session on MS Teams. At the welcome session, the link to the Canvas Course will be shared. 

Dates for the Semester 1 Cohort – AY24/25

Yes, TAs and lab demonstrators need “staff credentials,” normally issued by their School Office and QWork, where they are enrolled with a Canvas TA role in a module in QSIS, automatically creating their staff Canvas account. If they have a staff ID but not a staff Canvas account, they can request one by contacting support@instructure.com, but they must first have a staff ID as Canvas Support does not issue staff IDs or credentials.

This course is aimed mainly for QUB staff, so students are generally not enrolled. Exceptions can be made for students without typical staff accounts, or those with temporary credentials (e.g., QWork) and in these circumstances they may be enrolled using their student Canvas account. Staff credentials should be provided by the School, and students must confirm with their School if they have been given staff credentials. If available, valid staff credentials should always be used by default.

There is no formal assessment for the course, but participation is noted and provided to Schools if they request it. Participation is considered to be:  

1. Attendance at the MS Teams sessions (Welcome Session & Virtual Classroom)
2. Contribution to discussions  
3. Completion of surveys and quizzes  

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

Yes. If participants believe they have completed the course in full (including attending the MS Teams sessions, contributing to the discussions and completing the quizzes/surveys), they can request a certificate of completion for their records. Details on how to request a certificate can be found at the end of the Canvas course.