2026 TA Foundations

The CTLT Teaching Assistant (TA) Foundations offers a week of professional development workshops designed to support TAs as their roles evolve. Sessions are open to graduate students and undergraduate TAs.

As a TA, you have a crucial role in helping students to start practicing and understanding your discipline, and seeing themselves as welcome there. In the TA Foundations, we will help you explore the fundamentals of TAing: how to intentionally make a difference through work you will actually be asked to do – marking, labs, and tutorials – and how to begin addressing classroom climate and inclusivity. Whether you are a new or returning TA, these fundamental skills provide core training for your ability to provide genuine and meaningful support for your students, and build a strong foundation for your teaching through your TA experiences.

Please note: Each workshop is offered in both online and in-person formats. The content, learning objectives, and workshop experience are identical in both formats. Please select either the online or in-person version when registering; there is no need to attend both, as they cover the same material.

The TA Institute is open to undergraduate and graduate TAs, as well as graduate students interested in teaching. It is not open to UBC staff or faculty.

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Classroom Climate: TA Training – Online

Online
Series:

The Classroom Climate TA Training is designed to help TAs develop awareness of and skills for engaging responsibly with Indigenous knowledges and topics in the classroom. In this session, TAs will explore strategies to foster supportive, productive, and inclusive classrooms. Informed by the “What I Learned In Class Today” resources, TAs have an opportunity to build their capacity by focusing on land acknowledgments, historical and ongoing relationship building efforts between UBC and Musqueam, and opportunities to practice strategies and skills that support a more thoughtful and inclusive classroom climate.


Upcoming Dates

  • Online
    September 14, 2026
    9:00 am - 11:00 am

Facilitators

  • Daniel Gallardo
    Graduate Student Facilitator, Classroom Climate Equity and Inclusion, CTLT
  • Jessica Schaub
    Graduate Student Facilitator, Classroom Climate Equity and Inclusion, CTLT

Marking for Argument and Interpretation, and Giving Effective Feedback – Online

Online
Series:

This session is designed for TAs who mark qualitative assignments, such as essays, written responses, and other work involving argument, interpretation, and critical analysis. While these types of assignments are particularly common in Arts & Humanities, the session is relevant to TAs across disciplines who assess this kind of qualitative work.


Upcoming Dates

  • Online
    September 14, 2026
    11:30 am - 1:30 pm

Facilitators

Leading Discussions in Tutorials – Online

Online
Series:

This session is designed for TAs who lead tutorials, seminars, or other small-group discussions and want to create engaging, purposeful conversations that support student learning. We will explore how to structure and facilitate discussions that move beyond simply sharing answers, with attention to the role of questioning in encouraging participation, critical thinking, and deeper exploration of ideas.


Upcoming Dates

  • Online
    September 14, 2026
    2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Facilitators

Marking for Argument and Interpretation, and Giving Effective Feedback

In-person
Series:

This session is designed for TAs who mark qualitative assignments, such as essays, written responses, and other work involving argument, interpretation, and critical analysis. While these types of assignments are particularly common in Arts & Humanities, the session is relevant to TAs across disciplines who assess this kind of qualitative work.


Upcoming Dates

  • In-person
    September 15, 2026
    9:00 am - 11:00 am

Facilitators

Leading Discussions in Tutorials

In-person
Series:

This session is designed for TAs who lead tutorials, seminars, or other small-group discussions and want to create engaging, purposeful conversations that support student learning. We will explore how to structure and facilitate discussions that move beyond simply sharing answers, with attention to the role of questioning in encouraging participation, critical thinking, and deeper exploration of ideas.


Upcoming Dates

  • In-person
    September 15, 2026
    11:30 am - 1:30 pm

Facilitators

Classroom Climate: TA Training

In-person
Series:

The Classroom Climate TA Training is designed to help TAs develop awareness of and skills for engaging responsibly with Indigenous knowledges and topics in the classroom. In this session, TAs will explore strategies to foster supportive, productive, and inclusive classrooms. Informed by the “What I Learned In Class Today” resources, TAs have an opportunity to build their capacity by focusing on land acknowledgments, historical and ongoing relationship building efforts between UBC and Musqueam, and opportunities to practice strategies and skills that support a more thoughtful and inclusive classroom climate.


Upcoming Dates

  • In-person
    September 15, 2026
    2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Facilitators

  • Daniel Gallardo
    Graduate Student Facilitator, Classroom Climate Equity and Inclusion, CTLT
  • Erin Yun
    Senior Educational Consultant, Indigenous Initiatives, CTLT

Marking for Method and Accuracy, and Giving Effective Feedback – Online

Online
Series:

This session is designed for TAs who mark quantitative assignments, such as problem sets, lab reports, and other work involving method, accuracy, and scientific reasoning. While these types of assignments are particularly common in Science and Engineering, the session is relevant to TAs across disciplines who assess this kind of work.


Upcoming Dates

  • Online
    September 16, 2026
    9:00 am - 11:00 am

Facilitators

  • Kabir Bhalla
    Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Michael Smith Laboratories

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: TA Training – Online

Online
Series:

The EDI in TAing session is designed to help TAs build their awareness of power dynamics, equitable and inclusive classroom conduct, and the institutional supports they can utilize in their work with students and instructors. This workshop creates spaces for TAs to explore how power and privilege appear within the learning environment, the policies and guidelines that frame their work, and how best to support students as they navigate ethical dilemmas and potential conflicts.


Upcoming Dates

  • Online
    September 16, 2026
    11:30 am - 1:30 pm

Facilitators

  • Jessica Schaub
    Graduate Student Facilitator, Classroom Climate Equity and Inclusion, CTLT
  • Daniel Gallardo
    Graduate Student Facilitator, Classroom Climate Equity and Inclusion, CTLT

Marking for Method and Accuracy, and Giving Effective Feedback

In-person
Series:

This session is designed for TAs who mark quantitative assignments, such as problem sets, lab reports, and other work involving method, accuracy, and scientific reasoning. While these types of assignments are particularly common in Science and Engineering, the session is relevant to TAs across disciplines who assess this kind of work.


Upcoming Dates

  • In-person
    September 17, 2026
    9:00 am - 11:00 am

Facilitators

  • Kabir Bhalla
    Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Michael Smith Laboratories

Running Labs for TAs: Supporting Student Thinking and Independence

In-person
Series:

This session is designed for TAs who lead laboratory activities and want to support students, not only in completing procedures, but in developing the scientific thinking and behaviours that labs are intended to foster. We will explore the TA’s role at key intervention points, including giving instructions, answering questions, and providing guidance and feedback, and consider when to step in and when to let students work through challenges themselves.


Upcoming Dates

  • In-person
    September 17, 2026
    11:30 am - 1:30 pm

Facilitators

  • Kabir Bhalla
    Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Michael Smith Laboratories

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: TA Training

In-person
Series:

The EDI in TAing session is designed to help TAs build their awareness of power dynamics, equitable and inclusive classroom conduct, and the institutional supports they can utilize in their work with students and instructors. This workshop creates spaces for TAs to explore how power and privilege appear within the learning environment, the policies and guidelines that frame their work, and how best to support students as they navigate ethical dilemmas and potential conflicts.


Upcoming Dates

  • In-person
    September 17, 2026
    2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Facilitators

Running Labs for TAs: Supporting Student Thinking and Independence – Online

Online
Series:

This session is designed for TAs who lead laboratory activities and want to support students, not only in completing procedures, but in developing the scientific thinking and behaviours that labs are intended to foster. We will explore the TA’s role at key intervention points, including giving instructions, answering questions, and providing guidance and feedback, and consider when to step in and when to let students work through challenges themselves.


Upcoming Dates

  • Online
    September 18, 2026
    9:00 am - 11:00 am

Facilitators

  • Kabir Bhalla
    Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Michael Smith Laboratories