To comply with Texas Legislature, the Intensive English Language Institute (IELI) of the University of North Texas evaluates and trains UNT’s teaching assistants (TA) and teaching fellows (TF). This TA/TF Training Program has been offered since 1988. Specialized training is available for international students who want to be a TA/TF. Read the details below or contact IELI at 1-940-565-2003.
Program Goals
The International Teaching Assistant and Teaching Fellow Program has 4 main goals for the trainees:
- Develop confidence while teaching
- Become acculturated to the US classroom environment
- Develop skills for presenting and interacting
- Improve English speaking skills
Program Steps
TA/TF Trainees progress through 4 steps:
- Evaluation: Before the beginning of each semester, TA/TF trainees complete an evaluation of their English oral proficiency coordinated and conducted by IELI Director or the ITA Program Coordinator. The evaluation for TAs consists of a 15-minute oral interview to assess oral proficiency; the evaluation for TFs who will have full teaching responsibilities consists of an oral interview followed by a 10-minute teaching demonstration.
- Placement: The TA/TF trainee will receive information on English language training or other requirements. The training and requirements may vary due to their evaluation results.
- Training: The TA/TF trainee participates in workshops to improve teaching skills and/or pronunciation.
- Final Evaluation: At the completion of training at the end of the semester, another evaluation is given to determine future teaching assignments.
ITA Training Program Overview
Trainees enrolled in the TA/TF training participate in a 10 week program to develop teaching skills. Throughout this program, the TAs/TFs in training lead in a UNT classroom setting. TAs/TFs learn to:
- engage the class with lectures/activities
- provide clear instructions
- interact with students