TACS

Teaching Assistant Certification Series (TACS)

• Overview

  

  Your graduate program will be giving you excellent training in your discipline. If you plan to include teaching at some point in your career, it will also be helpful to take some training in pedagogy (the study of teaching methods and student learning). The basic premise of pedagogy training is that teaching should be understood like any other academic enterprise: evidence-based. Ideally, training will allow you to take a step back, evaluate your own preconceptions of teaching, and shape your approach in the classroom based on the best available empirical data on how students actually learn. Workshop topics will vary, but will generally show you how to: manage “challenging” students in the classroom and incorporate pedagogical research into the classroom, and develop a statement of teaching philosophy.

  The Graduate School hosts Teaching Assistant Certification Series (TACS) for any graduate student interested in a future career involving teaching, especially those considering becoming future faculty. This program does not involve additional formal coursework or tuition.

• Requirements

  The Graduate & Professional School hosts the Teaching Assistant Certification Series (TACS) for any graduate student interested in a future career involving teaching, especially those considering becoming future faculty. This program does not involve additional formal coursework or tuition.

  To earn a TACS certificate, students must complete the following within one academic year:

  1. To earn a certificate students must first register for GUIA. When you register for GUIA, you will be added to a GUIA Blackboard organization. All communication about fulfilling TACS requirement will take place through the GUIA Blackboard organization.

  This is a mandatory first step for any graduate student interested in earning TACS certificate. GUIA workshops are offered in the beginning of every fall and spring semester.

  Interested graduate students must participate in at least six of the TACS-approved workshops offered during GUIA; the following 4 are mandatory FERPA, Title IX, SHSU Online, and Classroom Management.

  1. Contact Dr. Falguni Mukherjee (fsm002@shsu.edu) by September 12 (fall semester) or January 30 (spring semester) to start working on their statement of teaching philosophy.
  2. Have an Engaging Classroom Observation (ECO)  of their teaching and receive formative feedback. Requests must be submitted 3 weeks in advance.

  *Note that workshops are open to all students as professional development, even if not enrolled in the TACS program.

• Graduate/Undergraduate Instructor Academy (GUIA)

  More information here: shsu.edu/centers/academic-success-center/GUIA/