The Teaching Commons hosted its second annual Supporting Teaching At York (STAY) Symposium on May 2 at the Keele campus. Designed to celebrate the efforts and the achievements of teaching assistants (TAs) who have completed the Senior Teaching Assistant (STA) Program, the symposium was a forum for York University’s TAs to showcase their dedication and contributions to enhancing and enriching student learning.
Some 90 participants were welcomed by Celia Popovic, director of the Teaching Commons and Karen Krasny, associate dean, academic affairs in the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
“The day was a tremendous success with many new and experienced TAs engaging with one another to develop their teaching practice for the benefit of York students,” says Popovic.
The STAY Symposium has also become the place to recognize TAs who have participated in programming offered by the Teaching Commons as the closing plenary of the STAY Symposium is really an awards ceremony. The 2013-2014 cohort of TAs who completed or are in the process of completing the TA Certificate in Teaching (TACT) course were recognized for their dedication to teaching and learning at York. “Record of Completion” certificates were presented to TAs who attended at least six events hosted by the Teaching Commons and the Senior Teaching Assistants themselves were presented with certificates to recognize their contribution to the symposium.
This year was particularly special since this cohort will be the first senior TA group in the Teaching Commons’ young history to have completed the TA Certificate in Teaching (TACT)—the program’s pre-requisite course. “It is the ultimate vision of the Teaching Commons to bring together like-minded individuals who are interested in exploring and sharing teaching and learning innovation across York University,” says Popovic.
To learn more about the many available programs, stop by the Teaching Commons office space located in Room 1050, Technology Enhanced Learning Building, or e-mail teaching@yorku.ca. Information is also available on the Teaching Commons website.