The School of Undergraduate Studies welcomes you to our First-Year Experience team.
As a Signature Course Teaching Assistant, you play a vital role in one of the most innovative university-wide core curriculum programs in the country. You will gain valuable training and experience in interdisciplinary teaching while helping to guide and mentor young people at the very beginning of their college careers.
While each Signature Course is unique in scope and content, all are designed around the core Signature Course objectives of helping first-year students explore their major and career options and preparing them to get the most out of their time at UT Austin. Thus, in every Signature Course discussion section, freshmen will have the opportunity to hone their writing and speaking skills, and practice gathering, selecting, and utilizing information from outside the classroom.
Signature Course (SC) Teaching Assistants (TA) will:
- Be currently-enrolled graduate students at The University of Texas at Austin
- Attend SC TA Orientation each semester they are serving as a SC TA
- Enroll and participate in GRS 097: Fundamentals for TAs during their first semester serving as a SC TA
- Administer mid-semester and end-of-semester student feedback surveys
The School of Undergraduate Studies offers a number of resources to help you plan and execute successful and engaging discussion sections. For more information on SC Essential Elements, campus resources, and contact information, please check out our Signature Course Faculty Resource page.
TA Resources
- View the presentation slides from the fall 2021 Signature Course TA Orientation
- Download the Mindfulness Connections and Mindfulness Moments resource guides
- Watch the “Guide on the Side” presentation from Matthew Russell in the Faculty Innovation Center to learn teaching philosophies, advice, and strategies.