Orientations and Networking
For Graduate Students: New TA Orientation
Welcome, New TA! Congratulations on your appointment as a new Teaching Assistant (TA) at Rutgers University.
For new TAs at Rutgers-New Brunswick, TIIP hosts online TA orientation programs which you can view at your convenience, along with an onsite orientation in late August. The orientation will help prepare you for your new role as a TA, offer some tips for making your classroom time effective and rewarding, and discuss strategies for dealing with common challenges you can expect to encounter as a TA. Our goal is to prepare you to start your course on that first day with confidence.
Virtual New TA Orientation
Our online New TA orientation consists of a series of modules that cover evidence-based teaching practices, course management skills, and important information regarding benefits, legal issues, and other campus resources. All newly appointed TAs are strongly recommended to view the New TA Orientation. This includes domestic and international students, as well as first-year students who will be TAing for the first time and returning students who have not yet been TAs prior to the upcoming year.
The Graduate Student Coordinator Team will email new TAs instructions for accessing the New TA Orientation Canvas site in early August. Please note that you will need to have activated your NetID to view this orientation.
Virtual International TA Orientation
Many new TAs are also new to the United States. To help ease your adjustment into teaching in the U.S., TIIP provides an accompanying International TA Orientation Canvas site. This orientation introduces participants to the cultural issues involved in teaching at a U.S. university. Discussions are presented by experienced international TAs. All new TAs who are non-U.S. citizens are strongly recommended to view the International TA Orientation. Please note, this is not a substitute for the New TA Orientation, but a supplement specifically for international TAs.
The Graduate Student Coordinator Team will email new international TAs instructions for accessing the International TA Orientation Canvas site in early August. Please note that you will need to have activated your NetID to view this orientation.
Onsite New TA Orientation
In addition to the virtual orientation sites, TIIP will host an onsite orientation in late August. All new TAs are invited to attend. The goals of having this live orientation include a forum in which new TAs can ask questions, hear from TAs from a variety of disciplines, learn more about their specific TA role (grader, lab TA, recitation TA, instructor of record, etc.), and to build community by meeting fellow graduate students across departments. Click here to register for the onsite orientation on Tuesday August 26th, 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM EDT.
Register for Onsite Orientation
Please check your inbox for the registration email from GradTeaching@rutgers.edu. If you have questions about your TA appointment in general (department requirements, course assignments, etc.), please contact your graduate program administrator.
If you are a faculty or staff member and wish to view the online orientation Canvas sites (New TA & International TA), please submit your NetID, name, and title to GradTeaching@rutgers.edu, and we will provide you with access to the orientation page(s).
For Postdocs: Teaching Support and Networking
Are you a postdoctoral scholar at Rutgers-New Brunswick currently teaching or interested in engaging in teaching development? Welcome! TIIP is here to support your teaching development journey. Whether you’re leading a course, guest lecturing, or exploring future faculty careers, we offer a range of programs and resources to help you grow as an educator. From workshops and seminars to one-on-one consultations, we aim to provide opportunities tailored to the teaching needs of postdocs.
In addition to our teaching-focused offerings, we encourage you to explore broader campus resources designed to support your professional and career advancement. We work closely with the Office of Postdoctoral Advancement (OPA) and other key partners to connect you with advising and networking opportunities that align with your academic and career goals. To get started, we recommend that you connect with the following units: