Letter from the ITAIS Community Organizers

Eva Miszoglad, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), Illinois, USA
Mike O’Neill, Lehigh University, Pennsylvania, USA

We had 3 working groups in Fall 2024: Rubric Sharing explored the use of public-facing rubrics, delving into their criteria and addressing common challenges and potential improvements. AI in the ITA Classroom highlighted tools like speech-to-text apps and AI translators, focusing on how they can support students' self-directed learning and enhance spontaneous speaking skills. Finally, Show-and-Tell: Classroom Activities for Boosting Oral Proficiency featured a collaborative exchange of successful activities designed to improve oral proficiency in ITA courses. These sessions offered valuable insights and practical strategies for advancing ITA teaching practices.

We have plans for even more sessions in Spring 2025! We have several webinars coming up such as AI in Pronunciation teaching and additional working groups on Rater Training, Feedback Strategies on Speech, and Using Speech Samples.

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, and is enthusiastic about helping ITAs through research-informed teaching and her own experience being an ITA. 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 International Teaching Assistants 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.