Emmanuele Jones Mante
MFA in Theatre Arts (directing track) and lecturer, Theatre &…
Teaching Assistant Training (TAT)
Spring TA Training
January 5–7, 2026
Aloha Teaching Assistants!
Welcome to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa! We think you’ll enjoy our offerings for your training. Teaching Assistant Training is mandatory for new TAs. Experienced TAs from several departments will be available throughout the training program.
There is no cost for TA Training.
Topics Include
- Experienced TA panel
- Undergraduate Student Panel on Teaching and Learning
- Rights and Responsibilities of TAs
- Teaching Your Own Class or Lab
- Classroom Management Skills
- Grading and Assessing Student Work
- Professional and Ethical Issues
- Teaching in a Multicultural Environment
- Facilitating Effective Discussions
- Encouraging Active Learning
- UH as a Hawaiian Place of Learning
- Fostering Honest and Productive Relationships
- And more!
All training topics, times, and dates are subject to change.
Information on TA Training
Earn an official UH Mānoa TA Training Digital Badge
Visit our TAT Digital Badge page for more information.
Looking for presentation slides and handouts? View our TA Training Handouts & Resources page.
TA Training is presented by the OFDAS Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE), UHM Graduate Division, and the English Language Institute.
Updated 12/17/25
Spring 2026 TA Training Schedule
Monday, January 5, 2026—International TAs Only
Co-sponsored by the English Language Institute
12:30 pm – 1:00 pm
Kuykendall 106 Events Room
ITA Check-in
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Welcome and Mahalo
Hazel Gedikli, Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE)
Juggling Manapua: How to Balance Study, Work & Life in Hawai‘i
Priscilla Faucette, English Language Institute (ELI)
Session Details
This presentation is designed to help International TAs step confidently into their roles while balancing academic responsibilities, teaching duties, and personal well-being. Participants will gain insight into common challenges such as cultural differences, student expectations, communication concerns, teaching logistics, and time management within the unique rhythms of academic and local life in Hawaiʻi. The session offers practical, culturally grounded strategies for navigating U.S. academic culture, improving communication, setting boundaries, and strengthening teaching skills through preparation, practice, and feedback.
2:00 pm – 2:15 pm
Coffee Break
2:15 pm – 3:15 pm
Mixed Plate: Experienced International TAs Give Advice & Answer Questions
Moderator: Priscilla Faucette, ELI
Akhilesh Tiwari, Shidler College of Business
Seyedmajid Minayhashemi, Travel Industry Management
Session Details
In this interactive session, you’ll hear directly from experienced International Teaching Assistants (ITAs) as they share their journeys, the challenges they faced, the strategies that supported their success, and the lessons they wish they’d known earlier. You’ll also have the opportunity to ask questions and gain insights from peers who have been in your shoes.
3:15 pm – 4:00 pm
International Student Services (ISS) Advisor Q&A Time
Viet Ngo, ISS
Session Details
Join an advisor from the Office of International Student Services (ISS) for an interactive Q&A session! ISS supports your success by guiding students on U.S. immigration regulations, offering programs to ease cross-cultural adjustment, and advocating for international students on campus. Bring your questions about visas, academic policies, or student life, and get practical advice to navigate your experience at UH Mānoa with confidence.
Tuesday, January 6, 2026—All TAs
9:00 am – 9:30 am
Kuykendall 106 Events Room
Check-in
9:30 am – 10:30 am
Welcome
Julienne K. Maeda, Graduate Division
Rochelle Piʻilani Kaaloa, Graduate Division
Becoming a Teacher
Hazel Gedikli, CTE
Session Details
This session invites Teaching Assistants to reflect on the transition from student to teacher and the meaning of their role as educators. Through stories and shared experiences, the presentation explores purpose, impact, and growth in teaching, while highlighting a few key resources to support ongoing development. Participants will leave feeling inspired and more confident in their evolving identity as teachers.
10:30 am – 10:45 am
Transition
10:45 am – 11:45 am
Concurrent Sessions I: On Teaching
Kuykendall 301
Supporting Student Learning in STEM Sections (Teaching a Science Lab)
Chenchen Zhao, Nutritional Sciences
Session Details
This session introduces strategies for supporting student learning in STEM discussion sections and laboratory settings, including facilitating hands-on learning, explaining complex concepts, and managing common lab challenges. Participants will gain practical tools to engage students and support learning effectively in science labs.
Kuykendall 306
Assisting a Professor
Jade Lum, English
Session Details
Learn how to assist a professor in and outside of the classroom as a TA for an in-person class or online class. You will be given tips on how to manage the workload, communicate with students, and substitute for classes if the professor is not available.
Kuykendall 307
Teaching Your Own Class
Peter Bushell, History
Session Details
Prepare for teaching your own course by attending this presentation that overviews the main points and concerns that come with teaching as a primary instructor. You will go over creating a syllabus, classroom engagement, and resources that will help facilitate an effective learning environment. You will hear tips for balancing teaching with your own studies and are encouraged to ask questions about any additional concerns!
11:45 pm – 12:00 pm
Transition
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Kuykendall 106 Events Room
Working Lunch: Managing the Modern Classroom; Academic Freedom & Student Conduct
Wiliama Sanchez, Office of Student Conduct
Teresa Kono, Office of Vice Provost for Academic Excellence
Session Details
This session supports TAs at UH Mānoa in developing effective classroom management strategies while understanding their role within the Student Conduct Code and the principles of academic freedom. Participants will explore how to set clear expectations, address common classroom challenges, and manage student behavior in ways that are fair, consistent, and aligned with UH policy. By the end of the session, TAs will feel more confident in fostering a respectful, inclusive, and productive learning environment.
1:00 pm – 1:15 pm
Transition
1:15 pm – 2:15 pm
Concurrent Sessions II: On Engagement
Kuykendall 306
Assisting Students with Mental Health Concerns: Resources for TAs
Alexander Malik Khaddouma, Counseling and Student Development Center
Session Details
This session equips TAs with strategies and resources to support students experiencing mental health challenges. Participants will learn how to recognize signs of distress, respond appropriately in the classroom, and connect students to campus and community resources, while understanding the boundaries of their role. By the end of the session, TAs will feel more confident in fostering a supportive and safe learning environment.
Kuykendall 307
Accessibility—KOKUA Team
Vanessa Ito, KOKUA
Session Details
This session introduces TAs to the KOKUA Program, UH Mānoa’s office supporting students with disabilities. Participants will learn practical strategies to create accessible and inclusive classrooms, understand their responsibilities in supporting students with diverse learning needs, and explore university resources available to ensure equal access. Emphasizing the spirit of kokua—helping and supporting—TAs will leave equipped to foster a respectful, inclusive, and empowering learning environment for all students.
2:15 pm – 2:30 pm
Transition
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Kuykendall 106 Events Room
Title IX Training
Jessica Kaneshiro, Office of Title IX
Session Details
To ensure that students and members of UH Mānoa do not engage or experience sex discrimination, attend this presentation to consider the consequences and process of making a report. Should students, faculty, or you encounter instances of sex discrimination, knowing the policies of Title IX will be helpful in making sure action is taken and that it will not happen again. Attending this session will count as part of your mandatory Title IX training.
3:30 pm – 3:45 pm
Kuykendall 106 Events Room
CAMP+U and Sensory Room
Manca Sustarsic, Center for Disability Studies
Session Details
CAMP+U, a program supported by the Center for Disability Studies, will have a brief presentation on their work. Some projects that CAMP+U has administered are a five-module course designed to support students for successful postsecondary experiences while addressing their needs, and the creation of campus sensory rooms at UH, benefiting students and faculty.
Wednesday, January 7, 2026—All TAs
9:00 am – 9:30 am
Kuykendall 106 Events Room
Check-in
9:30 am – 10:15 am
Kuykendall 106 Events Room
He Aupuni Palapala Koʻu: Mine is a Kingdom of Literacy
Willy Kauai, Native Hawaiian Student Services
Session Details
This presentation provides an introduction to the Native Hawaiian Student Services (NHSS) to familiarize you with your kuleana in cultivating an environment that fosters Hawaiian identities through cultural, political and historical literacy. The session will walk you through NHSS’s various student learning outcomes as well as highlight the many resources for Hawaiian learning at UH at Mānoa through their programs.
10:15 am – 11:00 am
Break – Updated January 7
11:00 am – 12:30 pm
Kuykendall 106 Events Room
Lunch – Updated January 7
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Kuykendall 301
Lamakū Orientation: Core Tools and Resources for Online Teaching
Matt Parcon, Information Technology Services
Session Details
Learn how Lamakū can support your teaching, regardless of your delivery format. Discover the platform’s core capabilities and explore the support resources available to help you succeed.
1:30 pm
Transition (30 min)
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Concurrent Sessions III: On Resources
Library in a Flash: Business, Humanities & Social Science
Dave Brier, Social Sciences Librarian and Department Chair
Session Details
Explore resources at the UH Mānoa Hamilton Library, including specialized research databases, data and citation support, subject guides, and access to unique archival and contemporary collections. Led by Dave Brier, this session will help TA’s understand how to navigate and apply these tools to support students, enrich course instruction, and strengthen their own research and teaching within broad disciplines of business, humanities, and social sciences.
Library in a Flash: Science & Technology
Hejin Shin & Jonathan Young, Science and Technology Librarians
Session Details
Explore the Science & Technology resources at the UH Mānoa Hamilton Library, including research databases, data and citation support, subject guides, and access to specialized collections. This session will help TA’s understand how to use these tools to support students, enhance instruction, and advance their own work in STEM fields.
3:00 pm
Pau! 👏🏽 TA Training completed.
This program is sponsored by Graduate Division and the English Language Institute.
Scan & Check In
Scan a QR code with your mobile device to check in.
QR codes for faster check-ins will be displayed near entrances of event rooms throughout TA Training. Web links will be available for people who prefer to check in using a web browser, and pen and paper will be available for those without devices.
Look for these Scan & Check in signs through-out TAT.
Mahalo to our Affiliate TAs
Chiyeon Hwang
Doctoral candidate in the Department of East Asian Languages and…
Kapilialoha Bovard
Sociology, Women’s Studies, and Indigenous Research Models; ABD and part-time…
Amali Wedagedara
PhD program in Political Science
Rafael Borges Amaral
PhD student in Music Composition
Jade Lum
PhD student and Graduate Teaching Assistant in English
This program is sponsored by Graduate Division and the English Language Institute.