AY 2022 TA Seminar for Faculty (February 13 and 14, 2023)

At the CTL, we hold an annual TA seminar for all faculty members.

The seminar for AY 2022 took place on February 13 and 14. CTL’s Special Needs Support Services explained matters that should be kept in mind regarding reasonable accommodations and support for students with disabilities in terms of TA work. In addition, to provide an example of good practice in making use of TAs, we asked Prof. Osamu Arakaki from the Department of Politics and International Studies to give a talk.

In the seminar, Special Needs Support Services discussed the management of personal information and reasonable accommodations for students requiring accommodations. We are also planning to inform TAs of these matters.

In the second half of the seminar, we heard from Prof. Arakaki. For two of his courses, “Advanced Studies in Legal Science” and “Humanity and Peace,” he hired a TA who conducts research in the fields of Biology and Epidemiology. The two courses were rated highly by students, with comments including “I was able to gain a new perspective,” “My interests broadened,” and “I was able to experience a fusion of different fields that went beyond anything I could have imagined.” Thus, we asked Prof. Arakaki to describe what he had hoped to achieve through hiring the TA and what the effects were, and to talk about the activities that he asked the TA to perform with reference to specific examples.

TA Seminar for Faculty

[Date and Time, Language] Monday, February 13, 2023, 13:00–13:20, Japanese

Tuesday, February 14, 2023, 13:00–13:20, English

[Format] Online (Zoom)

[Contents]

• Opening remarks (CTL Director)
• Announcements from Special Needs Support Services (SNSS)
• Case study: Making use of TAs (Prof. Osamu Arakaki, Department of Politics and International Studies)
• Q&A and discussion

[Number of live participants] 70 (Attendance at this seminar was mandatory for all faculty members, and those who were absent were required to watch a recording of the seminar.)