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Doctoral Student TA/TF Training

For doctoral student TA/TFs new to teaching at Penn, CETLI offers a three-day program. This program introduces Penn practices and expectations, offers graduate students the chance to start, or continue, their development as teachers, and prepares TA/TFs to better help their students learn. Experienced TAs and TFs facilitate the program’s small-group workshops. 

Registration for the 2026-2027 academic year will take place in the summer. If you have any questions, please email CETLI.

TA/TF Training for New TAs and TFs

On the Tuesday through Thursday before classes start in August, new TAs and TFs in Arts and Sciences, Design, Nursing, Annenberg, Wharton and Engineering will participate in a three-day set of workshops on teaching and learning. The program includes:

  • A welcoming plenary, including an introduction to your role as a TA/TF, resources to support your students, and relevant Penn policies.
  • Workshops on leading classes and grading in your field.
  • Practice teaching demonstrations.
  • Workshops on teaching practices that enable every student to thrive.
  • Discussions of challenges facing TA/TFs.

Learn About the Workshops

Register for TA/TF Training

If your department or school requires you to attend TA/TF Training, CETLI will contact you in July with registration information. This invitation will contain important information that clarifies which workshops are most appropriate for your discipline. If you aren't sure which workshop is appropriate, email CETLI. 

Apply to be a TA/TF Trainer

Do you enjoy teaching? Would you like to help prepare your peers to enter the classroom next fall?

Every year CETLI asks experienced TAs and TFs to apply to help train new TA/TFs. CETLI needs doctoral students in the humanities, social sciences, sciences, and engineering to lead new TA/TFs in workshops and facilitate teaching demonstrations and small-group discussions of scenarios.

To prepare, trainers will participate in several day-long workshops. Applicants should expect to be available for three full days in May (dates to be determined by trainer schedules) and must be available 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. on August 14 and August 17-20, 2026. Trainers will receive a $1,700 stipend. 

To learn more about the experience of being a TA/TF trainer, read reflections from former trainers on how the experience helped them build confidence, community, and teaching expertise at Penn.

Applications are now closed.

If you have a question, please email Ian Petrie. 

Programs for Grad Students

Resources

Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Innovation