Small Group Teaching and Lab Demonstration AY24/25

The course is tailored for individuals new to teaching, including Teaching Assistants, PhD students, and Lab Demonstrators. It is pitched at an introductory level, assuming little to no prior teaching experience.

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   

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. 

Subsequently, modules can be completed on a self-study basis. The course instructor will engage with participants via discussion forums and announcements and will be available for additional support through email.

The time required to complete the course varies, as it includes supplementary resources for participants to engage with. On average, participants may spend approximately 8 hours in total to go through the core content and complete the activities.

There are two intakes per academic year, one per semester. Participants are asked to register for the Semester 2 cohort by Friday 21st February 2025. Late registrants will be added to the Semester 1 cohort of AY25/26. 

CED contacts Schools each August and December with course information and a link to a Microsoft Form for registration. Schools then inform their new TAs/lab demonstrators and provide them with the form link. On the form, participants can select their preferred date for the Welcome Session on Microsoft Teams. The Canvas Course link will be shared during the Welcome Session.

Welcome Session dates for the Semester 2 Cohort – AY24/25: 

• Friday 17th January 1-2pm 
• Monday 3rd February 1-2pm 
• Friday 28th February 1-2pm 

TAs and Lab Demonstrators typically need “staff ID credentials” to access this course. Staff credentials are generally provided by the School. If available, staff credentials should always be used by default.

If you haven't been issued with staff credentials yet, please do the following before attending the Welcome Session: 

1. Check with your School to see if you can be issued with staff credentials (Issued through QWork, where you are enrolled with a Canvas TA role in a module in QSIS, automatically creating your staff Canvas account). 
2. If you can get staff credentials, use these to access the Canvas course. 
3. If you are not going to be given staff credentials, it may be possible to use your Canvas student credentials. Email ced@qub.ac.uk to check. 

Yes, you can take the course again. Email ced@qub.ac.uk and ask ask to be provided with self-access to the course. 

If you have already done the course in a previous year, you don't have to attend the Welcome Session. 

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 session (Welcome Session)
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 session, 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.