SEMINAR DESCRIPTION
Every August, in conjunction with the Rutgers-Newark Graduate School, PALS offers an eight-day seminar for International Graduate Students Assistants (IGSAs).
During the seminar, IGSAs receive pedagogical, cultural, and linguistic training as well as abundant opportunities to observe and practice essential skills needed for teaching students in American universities.
The seminar is divided into two separate daily training sessions:
- Morning Session
Centers on teaching and pedagogical practices common to American culture and educational institutions
- Afternoon Session
Centers on linguistic skills training—primarily strategies for effective oral and written communication needed by IGSAs
At the end of the seminar, the IGSAs take examinations in which their speaking, listening, and writing skills are assessed. Following the assessment, each IGSA is given a teaching and course recommendation.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of the seminar, the students should be able to perform the following taks:
- Compare and contrast the American learning experience with that of their native culture
- Articulate strategies for learning and interacting with American students and faculty in an academic context
- Understand how to deliver a comprehensible presentation
- Understand how to lead a classroom discussion
- Understand plagiarism and how to avoid it
- Explain the role of non-verbal cues in communication
- Understand various tasks facing IGSAs and discuss strategies to accomplish these tasks