TA Orientation 2026 Schedule of Events

This opening session offers welcoming and encouraging remarks focusing on the important roles that ITAs play at Syracuse University.

This session welcomes new international teaching assistants to Syracuse and introduces the Center for International Services (CIS) as their primary resource for immigration support. We'll cover the essentials of maintaining F-1 and J-1 status, key compliance considerations tied to working as a TA, and important upcoming changes to immigration regulations that students should be aware of this fall. TAs will leave knowing how to stay in good standing and how to reach CIS whenever questions come up.

Presenter: Annie Dievendorf, Interim Associate Director

ITAs will meet together in small groups. There will be time for introductions, conversation, and questions.

Leaders: Teaching Mentors

As an international graduate student, it can be difficult to adjust to a new culture and your new TA role. As a graduate student and TA, this session will help you adjust to the US classroom setting and facilitate a seamless transfer by giving you an overview of expectations and differences, and how to turn these into opportunities that will benefit you and your students.

Presenters: Teaching Mentors: Calistus Simiyu & Mary Oluoch

Lunch will be provided for all orientation participants. Please remember to bring your meal voucher.
(see Meals note on page 3).

It is difficult to know what to do and what to avoid to succeed as a first time TA, especially when you are also new to a place and a culture. This friendly, practical session provide you with helpful tips on how to teach at Syracuse University, communicate effectively, build professional relationships with colleagues, and lay a strong foundation for your future.

Presenters: Teaching Mentors: Antonio Freiles, Louise Zhang,& Gargi De

This session provides an overview of how to succeed as an international TA. By sharing common challenges and personal experiences, presenters will explore expectations as an ITA and student as well as opportunities that ITAs can utilize. We will also address ITAs’ questions and concerns.

Panelists: Teaching Mentors: Antonio Freiles, Sena Gokkus, Gabriel Ulbricht Ferreira, Amona Major, & Tori-Ann Haywood

ITAs will meet together in small groups for the microteaching exercise - a practice teaching exercise. The five-minute presentation that you prepared prior to your arrival at TA Orientation will be recorded and critiqued in a constructive and supportive manner by your Teaching Mentor and small group.

Leaders: Teaching Mentors

This opening session is intended to welcome all new TAs to Syracuse University through a discussion of your importance on this campus and a brief overview of the importance and goals of the orientation.

Presenters: Peter Vanable, Associate Provost for Graduate Studies & Dean of the Graduate School & TA Orientation Staff

ITAs and domestic TAs will meet together in small groups. There will be time for conversation and questions.

Leaders: Teaching Mentors

To be successful in one's studies as well as teaching responsibilities at Syracuse University, it is essential for Teaching Assistants to be familiar with the university’s academic integrity policies. These policies vary widely among different educational institutions, so this session is designed to introduce you to what academic integrity entails at Syracuse University. Through discussion based on real-life cases, we will demonstrate various examples of academic integrity violations -- including many that students and TAs often overlook. We will discuss practical tips on how to manage violations when they occur as well as information about helpful resources.

Presenters: Kate Marzan & Ashley Jimenez
Academic Integrity Development Office
Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE)

Small Group #s 1-15 will attend the Inclusive Teaching through Universal Design session from 11:30-12:25 p.m. and will break for Lunch from 12:35-1:30 p.m.

Small Group #s 16-30 will break for Lunch from 11:30- 12:25 p.m. and will attend the Inclusive Teaching through Universal Design session from 12:35-1:30 p.m.

Lunch Options
Ernie Davis, Sadler, Brockway, and Graham Halls
Lunch will be provided for all orientation participants. Please remember to bring your meal voucher (see Meals note on page 3).

Inclusive Teaching through Universal Design - LSB 001
In this session, participants will explore how the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) help Teaching Assistants (TAs) and instructors create an inclusive learning space for all students. We will address the concept of intersectionality and how different relational identities affect students and TAs in the classroom. Thinking about access gives us a way to think about developing instructional outcomes, materials, assignments, and classroom experiences while centering students’ diverse strengths and needs. Participants will actively engage with these principles and walk away with strategies to incorporate multiple models of engagement, representation, and expression into their teaching. The session will also address TAs’ access needs as students and teachers.

Presenters: Teaching Mentors: Camryn O’Conner, Jasmin Bowers, Shameen Fatima, Tor-Ann Haywood, Neda Abdolrahimi, & Temitope Akinode

Concurrent Sessions 1
Please review the following session descriptions and select one session to attend from 1:40 to 2:30 p.m., a different one from 2:40 to 3:30 p.m., and a third session to attend from 3:40 to 4:30 p.m.

Motivating Students
LSB 001

How do I motivate students in the post-pandemic era of GenAI? It's a question every TA asks that often leads to one of the most complex and rewarding challenges we face. What starts as a straightforward task can quickly demand careful consideration and new strategies. This session is a practical and grounded discussion of what it means to model engagement and motivate students in a classroom or lab setting. It looks broadly at key pedagogical approaches to student motivation, reflecting on how students become active participants, and even collaborators, in their own learning. The presenters share their own experiences motivating students in different contexts, offer concrete tips, and answer any questions you have about this crucial topic.

Presenters: Teaching Mentors: Sarah Appedu, Rein Desbiens & Nathalie Uwamahoro

Dealing with Dispute
Carn 122

Tension, misunderstandings, disagreements, and arguments in the classroom are inevitable. As a TA you’ll likely face situations that push your comfort zone. How do you manage a heated conversation? How do you set and maintain boundaries? How do you teach to encourage students from different backgrounds to work as a group and engage in respectful and constructive dialogue? This session will focus on strategies for engaging, and disengaging from, conflict both in and beyond the classroom. We encourage you to attend as we explore common challenges and share practical tips to help you navigate them effectively.
Presenter: Teaching Mentors: Gabriel Ulbricht Ferreira, Antonio Freiles
& Sena Gokkus

The Classroom as Community
Lyman 132

This session sets out to help you think critically about what makes for a successful classroom experience for your students (and you) and how to build the classroom as a community before, during, and after class. For each stage, we begin with goals and principles, followed by specific techniques and activities that can be implemented. Beyond sharing the “how,” the session also includes activities to help new TAs experience what a sense of community in the classroom feels like. These activities are built around understanding community as opposed to isolation, and the conscious and intentional act of building one in classrooms.

Presenters: Teaching Mentors: Grace Levine, Lauren Ashby & Rebekah Wallis

Creating a Teaching Persona
Link 160

Developing your “teaching persona” in an intentional, strategic manner is important. In this workshop, we will explore effective strategies and practical techniques to create a dynamic and adaptable persona that resonates with your students. We will underline challenges TAs may experience and suggest how those will affect, or are affected by, your teaching persona. Whether you are just starting your teaching journey or have years of experience, this session offers valuable insights into how to flexibly adapt your existing strategy or create a new one.

Presenters: Teaching Mentors: Aidee Leon Lua, William Robert

Setting the Stage-What to do on your First Day/Week
LSB 105

Do you recall your first day of class as a college student? There was an instructor, a presentation, and maybe an icebreaker. Now, the roles have reversed, and here you are; it's your first day of class, and you are the instructor. If you're feeling anxious about your first day and unsure about what to do, this session is for you! In this session, we will provide a broad overview of how to prepare and have a successful first day and week. We will cover icebreakers, prep work before your first day, an example "run of show," and other valuable insight to help your first day and week run smoothly.

Presenters: Teaching Mentors: Maggie Murphy, Titus Kisakye & Gideon Banson

TAs and their partners/families are welcome to attend this social gathering. Refreshments will be served (please bring a valid picture ID if you wish to drink any alcoholic beverages). A dedicated trolley will run back and forth between the College Place bus stop and the Inn Complete from 4:45 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (as needed)

TAs and their partners/families are welcome to attend this social gathering. Refreshments will be served (please bring a valid picture ID if you wish to drink any alcoholic beverages). A dedicated trolley will run from the College Place bus stop and the Inn Complete between 4:45 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. (as needed).

Students experiencing emotional and/or personal distress present in numerous manners and will seek assistance from various resources, including Teaching Assistants. The purpose of this session is to help participants more readily identify students who are experiencing emotional/personal distress and to provide participants with the knowledge and skills needed to more effectively respond to these students. Campus resources, including the Office of Student Assistance and Barnes Center at the Arch-Counseling, will be discussed.

Presenters: Mitch Sartin, Assistant Director of Counseling and Shelley Crawford, Associate Director of Student Outreach & Support

Generative AI is rapidly changing the landscape of higher education, creating both opportunities and challenges for graduate teaching assistants. This session provides practical guidance on how TAs can responsibly use AI to support teaching, communication, feedback, lesson preparation, and student learning while maintaining academic integrity and professional standards. Through real-world scenarios and interactive discussions, participants will explore common AI-related questions that arise in the classroom and develop strategies for exercising sound judgment in an AI-enabled learning environment. Attendees will leave with a practical framework and actionable tools they can apply immediately in their teaching roles.

Presenters: Doug Yung, Teaching Professor; Director, Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Program; Core Faculty, Renée Crown Honors Program; ASEE Campus Representative; Meredith Professor Faculty Fellow; Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering

Concurrent Sessions 2
Please review the following session descriptions and select one session to attend from 11:05 to 11:55 a.m. and a different session to attend from 12:05 to 12:55 p.m.

Creating a Successful Work/Life Balance
LSB 105

This session will focus on strategies to develop a healthy work-life balance as a graduate student, Teaching Assistant, researcher, and practicing human being. We will discuss and work through real-life scenarios and learn about practical strategies you can implement at any point during your years at Syracuse University and (hopefully) beyond.

Presenters: Teaching Mentors: Tori-Ann Haywood, Eleanor Czajkowski & Neda Abdolrahimi

Assessments, Grading, and Rubrics – Demystified!
Link 160

Grading doesn’t have to be a guessing game and assessments shouldn’t feel like a mystery. In this session, we’ll walk you through the ins and outs of designing fair, meaningful assignments, grading with clarity and consistency, and creating rubrics that are both easy for students to understand and manageable for you. You'll learn how to provide feedback that actually helps, manage your grading time, and minimize the risk of student complaints like, “My TA is unfair!”

Presenters: Teaching Mentors: Gargi De, Louise Zhuang, & Wusirige

Teaching Controversial Topics
Lyman 132

College teaching often involves addressing topics and debates that evoke strong emotions and reactions like race, gender, immigration, religion, and evolution. While these conversations can be uncomfortable in some classroom settings, they are essential for fostering critical thinking and preparing students to engage thoughtfully with the complexities of the real world. In this session, presenters will share their experiences and strategies for teaching controversial topics. Using practical examples and possible classroom scenarios, they will explore how to sustain respectful dialogue, navigate challenging dynamics, and support students from diverse backgrounds, perspectives, affiliations, and orientations.

Presenters: Teaching Mentors: Camryn O’Conner, Jasmin Bowers & Wentao Ding

Teaching in the Age of AI: A Practical Guide for Graduate TAs—Follow-Up Session
A follow up to the Large Group Session for those interested in diving deeper into the world of AI in the classroom.
LSB 001 

Generative AI is rapidly changing the landscape of higher education, creating both opportunities and challenges for graduate teaching assistants. This session provides practical guidance on how TAs can responsibly use AI to support teaching, communication, feedback, lesson preparation, and student learning while maintaining academic integrity and professional standards. Through real-world scenarios and interactive discussions, participants will explore common AI-related questions that arise in the classroom and develop strategies for exercising sound judgment in an AI-enabled learning environment. Attendees will leave with a practical framework and actionable tools they can apply immediately in their teaching roles.

Presenters: Doug Yung, Ph.D.
Teaching Mentors: Yanbei Chen & Sarah Appedu

Lunch will be provided for all orientation participants. Please remember to bring your meal coupon.

TAs will meet together in small groups for the microteaching exercise - a practice teaching exercise. The five-minute presentation that you prepared prior to your arrival at TA Orientation will be recorded and critiqued in a constructive and supportive manner by your Teaching Mentor and small group.|

Leaders: Teaching Mentors