Seminar for International Teaching Assistants (SITA)
All International Teaching Assistants (ITAs) at FAU must demonstrate specific standards of language proficiency in order to begin classroom instruction and in order to maintain eligibility for tuition and stipend benefits. The Seminar for International Teaching Assistants (SITA) prepares ITAs to achieve and maintain these standards. SITA is a collaboration between the Graduate College and the Center for Global Engagement through the Intensive English Institute.
SITA prepares international graduate students to teach/assist with the instruction of certain undergraduate courses at FAU. Such preparation includes developing an understanding of the teaching role in American university classrooms, training in English pronunciation and intonation, practicing classroom communication skills, and learning teaching strategies.
All International Teaching Assistants (ITAs) must successfully complete the SITA course.
Registration
All new international TAs must enroll in the SITA course. You are a new International TA if this is the first time you have a GTA position with FAU, regardless of whether this is your first semester at FAU. The course is offered in the fall and spring semesters.
The course is also available to other international GA or graduate students who do not currently have a GTA assignment but plan to seek a position for future semesters.
The Spring 2024 SITA course begins on Monday, January 22, 2024 and ends on Friday, March 15, 2024.
- The American Classroom: this is a self-paced, six-module course
- Pronunciation Training for Comprehensibility: this is a six–module course, with deadlines for short assignments.
You will also be provided with the Blue Canoe app for pronunciation-based activities. At the end of the course, you will have to complete a 10 to 15-minute classroom lesson presentation. The presentation will be completed in person, in front of a faculty panel.
The course will be delivered online via CANVAS. To register for the CANVAS online module, please email Ms. Aviva Katzenell (akatzenell@fau.edu).
As a supplement to the online course, an Intensive English Institute instructor will be available to meet with you in person. Their office is located in DP49, Center for Global Engagement. The meeting times/dates will be updated prior to the start of the SITA course.
SITA Waiver
Some students may be eligible to waive participation in the SITA program, and can make this request by completing the Request to Waive SITA Training. Submit the waiver to Ms. Aviva Katzenell at akatzenell@fau.edu.
Students requesting a waiver require a signature from their department chair. Students must then send the waiver to Aviva Katzenell and schedule an appointment for comprehensibility assessment.
Deadline to submit the SITA waiver for Spring 2024 is Thursday, January 18, 2024.
Eligibility Criteria (you must meet all three criteria below):
1) Language Proficiency (check at least one of the following criteria):
___ iBT TOEFL composite score of 80+ with a minimum score of 26 in the speaking section, OR
___ A minimum score of 7 on the IELTS test, OR
___ Studied and received bachelor’s degree or higher from an institution of higher education with the primary medium of instruction in English
2) Departmental Recommendation:
The academic department chair must sign the SITA Waiver Form to recommend the waiver.
3) Personal Interview:
Upon submitting the waiver request, we will contact you to schedule a brief interview with a SITA program administrator (Ms. Katzenell or her designee). The interview may be conducted virtually via zoom or in-person. If the SITA program administrator determines that an interview is not necessary, you will be notified accordingly.
The SITA program administrator will submit the waiver recommendation to the Graduate College. The SITA program adinistrator will then notify the student and the student's department chair of the final decision.