TAOR 2025 Brightspace, drop-ins available for new grad TAs

The Center for Instructional Excellence (CIE) is offering a self-paced Teaching Assistant Orientation (TAOR) via Brightspace and several drop-in consultation days/times for graduate students new to teaching this fall at Purdue’s locations in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. 

The TAOR 2025 Brightspace is a self-paced, asynchronous curriculum. Modules will provide graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) with guidance on creating effective student-centered learning environments, operationalizing their roles as GTAs, navigating their teaching context, and professional development resources and opportunities available to them at Purdue. There is no certificate of completion associated with TAOR, but access to it will continue through the 2025-2026 academic year. 

GTAs interested in obtaining access to the TAOR 2025 Brightspace may contact their undergraduate coordinator or email CIE@Purdue.edu with the following information: Last name; First name; Career account username (from the Purdue directory); and Purdue email. 

Onsite and virtual drop-in consultations will be available on the following schedule to all Fall 2025 graduate teaching assistants. These are optional opportunities for GTAs to ask questions and get advice as they prepare for their first teaching experiences at Purdue. CIE staff will be available to address questions about delivering content, facilitating discussions or labs, grading and providing feedback, etc. Other representatives from Innovative Learning will be on-hand to answer questions about the Brightspace learning management system and other educational technologies. No registration is needed. 

Onsite optional drop-in sessions: 

  • Tues., Aug. 19, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Stewart Center 278, West Lafayette 
  • Fri., Aug. 22, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Stewart Center 278, West Lafayette 
  • Tues., Aug. 19, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., ET Lobby, Indianapolis
  • Wed., Aug. 20, 2-4 p.m., ET Lobby, Indianapolis

Virtual optional drop-in sessions: 

  • Tues., Aug. 19, 1-2 p.m., virtually via Teams 
  • Wed., Aug. 20, 1-2 p.m., virtually via Teams 

CIE is a member of Innovative Learning, Purdue’s hub approach to connect instructional teams to the resources they need to engage students, develop courses in any instructional modality, and enhance learning across the University. Other Innovative Learning members include Libraries and the School of Information Studies and Purdue University Online.