Annual TA Training

Incoming Graduate Students:

We look forward to your participation in the 2026 TA Training on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2026! 

September 23, 2026, 8:30 am - 4:00 pm, in person. Check-in begins at 8:15 am in the big tent. Come early for breakfast at 8:30 am. The first session begins at 9 am.

Information and plans will also be shared with incoming graduate students via email.

Please note that the TA Training sessions are a required component of Graduate Orientation and will prepare you to be a TA at Caltech. Additionally, it is a valuable professional development activity because it addresses aspects of teaching, mentoring, and communication that are broadly applicable to your graduate career. All incoming graduate students should plan to participate in the full-day TA Training, whether or not they plan to be a TA.

2026 First-Year TA Training has two required components:

1) Complete the online TA Orientation module *before* the start of the Teaching Conference:

All incoming graduate students will have access to this Canvas module beginning on September 2, 2026.

This course covers Caltech's teaching policies and introduces you to important concepts and strategies for effective teaching.

2) Attend in-person TA Training on September 23rd, 8:15 am - 4:00 pm PDT

Check-in for the Teaching Conference will open at 8:15 am PDT. The full schedule will be posted in the online TA Orientation module and emailed to incoming graduate students.

Graduate Students, Second-Year and above:

The CTLO will hold a refresher course on the afternoon of Thursday, September 17, for all returning graduate students who will be TAs in 2024-2025.

More Resources for Teaching Assistants and Graduate Students Interested in Teaching

Check out the following:

• 2023-24 TA Short Guide to Key Resources: a handy guide to academic and non-academic resources to keep nearby while you are TA'ing
• Canvas Resources Website: A repository of helpful tips and recommendations for using Canvas.
• TA Handbook: an official guide to TA'ing at Caltech.
• Caltech Future Faculty and Mentors (CFAM): Find out more about CFAM, a graduate student-led initiative dedicated to improving Caltech graduate students and post-docs' teaching skills.
• CFAM Certificate Programs: Find out more about the CFAM Certificate of Interest in University Teaching and the CFAM Certificate of Practice in University Teaching.
• E110 Principles of University Teaching and Learning in STEM:  This graduate course examines the research on university-level STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) teaching and learning.  
• CTLO K-12 Outreach Approach: An explanation of CTLO's educational outreach approach and priorities, including who our community partners are and how outreach benefits the Caltech community.
• CTLO K-12 Outreach Programs: A list of educational outreach programs conducted by CTLO with local K-12 partners that Caltech graduate students may participate in.
• CTLO Outreach Resources: How to develop, fund, and implement outreach programs.
• Caltech Educational Outreach YouTube Channel: Mentored high school summer research presentations, elementary classroom lessons, and video STEM demonstrations from CTLO Outreach participants.
• Outreach Interest form: Let CTLO's Outreach team know what your outreach interests are, and sign up to receive our monthly outreach newsletter.