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Center for Teaching, Learning, & Outreach (CTLO)
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Teaching Assistant Orientations

At Caltech, all Teaching Assistants (TAs) must complete a TA Orientation program prior to or at the start of their first appointment.

Graduate TAs

First-year graduate students entering Caltech in the Fall fulfill their TA orientation by participating in the Annual Teaching Conference; this is a required part of graduate orientation week whether planning to serve as a TA at Caltech or not, and includes both specific TA-related sessions and choices relevant to professional development more broadly. All incoming graduate students must also complete an online module about teaching-related policies. For the most recent Teaching Conference materials, please visit: /teachingconference. The upcoming academic year's Teaching Conference information will be updated during the summer. If you are a graduate student with questions about TA training, please contact ctlo@caltech.edu.

Undergraduate TAs

Undergraduate TAs must meet three criteria in order to serve as a TA:

  1. Have proper work authorization. Fill out Form I-9 and present proper documentation (passport, social security card, birth certificate, etc.) to HR.
  2. Be in good academic and disciplinary standing. The UG Deans' Office will verify that all TAs are not on academic or disciplinary probation. This verification is needed every term.
  3. Complete online TA training.

New undergraduate TAs must complete a self-contained, asynchronous course in Canvas to fulfill their TA orientation requirement. To complete this training course, new undergraduate TAs should:

  1. Self-enroll at https://caltech.instructure.com/enroll/GH7FRG .
  2. Complete all required modules and earn perfect scores on the two quizzes (multiple attempts allowed) by the following due dates:
  • Fall term: Complete by the end of the day on Wednesday in Week 2.
  • Winter term: Complete by the end of the day on Wednesday in Week 2.
  • Spring term: Complete by the end of the day on Wednesday in Week 2.
  • Those who are appointed as new TAs in Week 2 of classes or later must complete this course within one week (7 days) of their appointment. Options are informed each week when new undergraduate TAs complete their orientation.

The course is estimated to take 1.5-2 hours and does not have to be done all at once. Each week, the CTLO will inform the Registrar's Office, Undergraduate Dean's Office, and Option Admins about new undergraduate TAs who have completed their orientation course.

Please note: Some Caltech Options may require an additional workshop, training, or other programming for new TAs, separate from this institute-wide Canvas course. Please read messages from your Option carefully.

If you have any questions, please contact ctlo@caltech.edu and/or your Option Admin.