Seminar for International Teaching Assistants
As part of our commitment to excellence in teaching, Florida Atlantic University has established a minimum level of English language and teaching proficiency by which all international graduate students may work as graduate teaching assistants. In order to assure that these standards are upheld, the Graduate College in conjunction with the Department of Teaching and Learning has established the Seminar for International Teaching Assistants (SITA).
SITA is a multi-purpose program designed to prepare international graduate students to teach undergraduate students at FAU. Such preparation includes developing an understanding of the teaching role in American university classrooms, providing training in English pronunciation and intonation, practicing classroom communication skills and instructional strategies, and assisting students during the first semester of teaching at FAU.
Dates and Times
The SITA program takes place the week before fall semester classes commence. There are nine additional sessions offered throughout the fall semester for a subset of teaching assistants requiring additional language and teaching development.
All international teaching assistants are required to successfully pass a panel review prior to beginning their teaching assignments.
SITA Program Schedule - FALL, 2009
- Deadline to submit waiver (Form 13) to the Department of Teaching and Learning (ED 355) – August 10, 2009
- Panel for students requesting waiver – August 14 and 15, 2009
- Five week intensive SITA seminar
- Panel for students concluding seminar
- Extended SITA seminar
- 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
- Room TBA
- 9/5/09, 9/12/09, 9/26/09, 10/3/09, 10/10/09, 10/24/09, 10/31/09, 11/7/09, 11/14/09
- Final certification panel – 11/14/09
Teaching Eligibility and Participation
All international teaching assistants are required to pass a panel review by giving a ten-minute lecture presentation (see details below).
Students who are eligible to waive the SITA program (must meet requirements listed on SITA Waiver form) will have the opportunity to pass this panel review prior to the start of the SITA program.
The first week of the course is mandatory for all international teaching assistants who have not previously received a waiver and passed the required panel review. (Existing FAU international graduate teaching assistants are exempt from fulfilling this requirement.)
Students who score below 61 on the iBT TOEFL (or equivalent), under 55 on the SPEAK test, or under 65 on the Phone Pass oral proficiency will be required to attend both the initial week of SITA training, and the extended SITA program, which meets for nine additional sessions throughout the fall semester. (All other ITA's not passing the panel review during the initial week of training will be required to attend the nine week session as well.)
SITA requires a genuine commitment from the graduate student both to participate and to be successful. Students are expected to be punctual and attend all sessions. Any student whose attendance, participation, or performance falls below minimum standards may be dropped from the program.
Panel Review Details
Every international teaching assistant must be deemed "ready to teach" by a panel of reviewers prior to beginning an assignment. This panel consists of the following individuals: a faculty member from the candidate's department (if available), an ESL rater, a faculty member from an unrelated department, a faculty member with teaching expertise, and an undergraduate student. Each candidate will be required to present a 10-minute lesson on a topic assigned by their department. Candidates who demonstrate spoken English proficiency and the ability to present their topic in a clear and organized fashion will be judged ready for a teaching assignment throughout their tenure as graduate students at FAU.
SITA candidates who do not pass the panel review will be unable to hold a teaching assignment; however, they will not lose financial assistance for the period of time it was offered in the original offer letter. These students are encouraged to take further English language lessons so that they may take the SITA program again at its next offering.
The type of assignment each SITA graduate receives is determined by the individual department or academic unit. Common assignments include tutor, laboratory assistant, and recitation leader. In some cases, SITA graduates are given full responsibility for a class. Each department exercises its own judgment about content readiness and sets its own standards for performance.
