Fall 2024 Working Groups
Eva Miszoglad, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), Illinois, USA
Mike O’Neill, Lehigh University, Pennsylvania, USA
Rubric Sharing, held on October 18, 2024, explored the use of public-facing rubrics from several institutions. Being able to compare and contrast rubrics across different institutions was very useful for participants, as we often suffer from ‘tunnel vision’ once acclimated to a particular rubric. One interesting question arose. It was whether ITA rubrics should be used to evaluate both language use and pedagogical performance, or just language use. This question is especially worth considering in light of the implications of equity in unionized versus non-unionized institutions: if ITAs are evaluated for pedagogical purposes, then shouldn’t domestic TAs be as well?
The AI in the ITA Classroom working group,held on November 1, 2024,was a forum for colleagues to share AI features embedded in software programs we use, as well as cutting-edge AI programs yet to be harnessed. Laurie Frazier (UC Berkeley) mentioned how Microsoft PowerPoint includes a Presentation Coach feature which creates a chart of one’s intonation. Other participants mentioned how Zoom AI Companion can analyze the rate of speech and the use of filler words. In terms of newer programs, participants mentioned that the app version of Pi.ai/talk (not the website!) has the ability to role-play a student asking questions. Lastly, Michele Vick (Texas A&M) noted that Gemini (google AI) can give feedback on grammar usage and vocal pitch. All the wonderful resources from this session are on this spreadsheet.
During our Show-and-Tell: Classroom Activities for Boosting Oral Proficiency working group, participants shared a variety of resources and activities that have been successful in developing oral proficiency. Most of us agreed that activities where students respond to personal prompts and communicate about their field to a general audience and where they have a need to express themselves, yields the most favorable results, as do fluency building activities that emphasize repetition. To see a plethora of examples of these activities with prompts, visit our spreadsheet (URL) and try out those recommended on December 6, 2024 by our community.
Eva Miszoglad is a Lecturer and International Programs Coordinator at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), where she has been involved in teaching and mentoring International Teaching Assistants since 2016. She is dedicated to teaching and curriculum development as well as enthusiastic about helping ITAs through research-informed teaching and sharing her own ITA experience. She is also interested in phonology, phonetics, AI in teaching, and study abroad programs.
Mike O’Neill is a Language Specialist and Workshop Coordinator at Lehigh University. Since 2022, he has taught courses for ITAs on topics such as presentation and teaching skills, pronunciation, and academic writing. He is particularly interested in the equitable assessment of ITAs, norming strategies, and facilitating community of practice groups for ITAs.