Job Training

Information for Teaching Assistants

Job training requirements and options for students and post-doctoral fellows working as Teaching Assistants at the University of Toronto.

Information for Course Instructors

Job training requirements and options for graduate students or post-doctoral fellows working as a Course Instructor at the University of Toronto.

Information for Departments

Information regarding the job training responsibility of departments hiring TAs and CIs and the supports offered by the TATP

Job Training Information for TAs

If you are a student or post-doctoral fellow working as a teaching assistant for the first time and you are a member of CUPE 3902 Unit 1, you are eligible to receive 4 hours of paid job training from your hiring department. Typically these hours will be included in your distribution of hours outlined on the Description of Duties and Allocation of Hours (DDAH) form. For subsequent appointments of 30 hours or more, you may request additional training of up to 4 hours for each appointment. You must submit additional training requests to your hiring department and it is at the discretion of your hiring department to approve your requests. If your department does not have a specialized department-specific session, you can, at your department’s approval, attend 4-hours of training offered by our office. In addition to the options below, you may, with departmental approval attend any TATP sessions for job training, but this must be discussed with your course instructor prior to attending a session.

Departments may develop and deliver the entire 4 hours of training themselves, some or all first appointment training may be provided by the TATP. Please contact your hiring department for guidance on how you will receive your 4 hours of paid training.

TATP Job Training Options

Job Training Information for Course Instructors

If you are a graduate student or post-doctoral fellow working as a Course Instructor at the University of Toronto for the first time and you are a member of CUPE 3902 Unit 1, you are eligible to receive 6 hours of paid job training. It is the responsibility of the hiring department to provide and pay you for participating in such training. The 6 hours will be paid on top of your course stipend at the SGS II hourly rate. For subsequent appointments, you may request additional training of up to 4 hours for each appointment. For subsequent appointments of 30 hours or more, you may request additional training of up to 4 hours for each appointment.

Departments may develop and deliver the entire 6 hours of training themselves, some or all first appointment training may be provided by the TATP. Please contact your hiring department for guidance on how you will receive your 6 hours of paid training.

TATP Job Training Options

The TATP runs a Course Instructor Training Camp in August, December and April each year. This program consists of 5 asynchronous modules and 2 synchronous sessions for a total of 6 hours of training. The December 2023 CI Training Camp will be running on December 14th, 2023. Registration Opening Soon.

Additional Paid Training for CIs
As per the 2021-23 Collective Agreement, in addition to the first appointment training for TAs and CIs, the University shall provide 2 hours of work-related paid training per academic year in which they hold at least one teaching appointment.

Departments should communicate to their CIs about this training entitlement. CIs are not required to participate in this training. The 2 additional hours of paid training are completely optional. Training in the following subject areas will be considered work-related training for all appointments:

  • Pedagogy and inclusive pedagogy
  • Anti-oppression and anti-racism
  • Intercultural competency
  • Accommodations and crisis referrals

In addition, the following training will be considered work-related for teaching appointments that require remote delivery:

  • Online technology
  • Online course design and management

CIs may, with departmental approval, participate in any relevant TATP professional development sessions for this additional paid training. Additional paid training may be offered by other offices across the institution. 

Job training Information for Departments

At the University of Toronto, students working as teaching assistants, teaching laboratory assistants, graders, and course instructors are represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Local 3902, Unit 1. Depending on the nature of the teaching appointment (teaching assistantship or course instructorship), graduate students receive first-contract training to support their pedagogical development. It is the responsibility of the hiring department to provide job training. However, the Teaching Assistants’ Training Program (TATP) offers several services to support departments in meeting this mandate.

Teaching Assistant Training Requirements

As per the 2021-2023 Collective Agreement between CUPE 3902 Unit 1 and the University of Toronto, first-time Teaching Assistants shall receive 4 hours of paid job training. TAs can request additional training, up to 4 hours, for each subsequent appointment. As of September 1, 2014, all TAs who are asked to lead tutorials are required to receive training that focuses on a particular tutorial category.

Click here for more information…

Course Instructor Training Requirements

As per the 2021-2023 Collective Agreement between CUPE 3902 Unit 1 and the University of Toronto, first-time Course Instructors are entitled to 6 hours of paid job training. CIs shall be paid for their participation in such training at the SGS II rate by the hiring department in addition to their regular contract stipend.

 

Click here for more information…

Job Training for Teaching Assistants

Instructors who have been assigned TAs should contact the appropriate designate in their division/department to determine the process for categorizing tutorials and identifying TA training. In most cases, this contact will either be an Associate Chair Undergraduate or Graduate, or a faculty or staff member charged with overseeing TA contracts in the division/department.

At the University of Toronto, the term “tutorial” is used to identify interactive and participatory sessions primarily led by TAs. During tutorials, TAs are responsible for gauging student understanding and providing formative feedback, in line with assessment structures and guidelines set by the Course Instructor.

These categories include:

  • Discussion-Based Tutorials
  • Review Q&A Tutorials
  • Laboratories/Practices
  • Skill Development Tutorials:
    • Critical Reading and Reflection
    • Supporting Student Writing
    • Problem Sets

In cases of tutorials with 100+ students, TAs are also entitled to training on how to scale their learning activities for larger groups (see the Thresholds for Additional TA Training table in Appendix D of the Report of the Joint Working Group on Undergraduate Tutorials)

Training Options for TAs

Training by Departments: Departments can develop and deliver the entire 4-hours of mandatory TA training.
Training Partnership: Departments can develop a portion of the 4 hours of mandatory training, then refer TAs to the TATP for the remaining hours of required training.
Training by TATP: Departments can refer TAs to the TATP for all four hours of their mandatory TA training.

TATP Training Options

Job Training for Course Instructors

Course Instructors are eligible to attend training as soon as they have a contract to teach from their hiring department (which, in some cases, may be prior to the beginning of the term in which they are teaching). Hiring departments have several options for making paid training available to first-time CIs. These options include:

  • Training by Departments: Development of all training materials and delivery of the training is handles by the hiring department. TATP and CTSI staff are available to consult on the content and method of delivery of such training.
  • Training Partnership: Departments can provide some components of the 6 hours of training, then refer CIs to the TATP to attend our regular workshop series to complete the remaining hours of paid training.
  • Training by TATP: First time CIs may attend the TATP’s Course Instructor Training camp to receive all 6 hours of paid training. The CI training camp takes place in August, December and April. Additionally, with departmental approval, CIs may attend the TATP’s regular workshop series for paid training.
Back to Top