The Teaching Assistant Consultant (TAC) Program
The Teaching Assistant Consultant (TAC) Program promotes and facilitates professional development programming for graduate student instructors and postdoctoral scholars.
Goals of the TAC Program include:
- Improving undergraduate education at UC Davis by working closely with graduate student instructors to strengthen teaching practices and enhance learning for all students.
- Supporting the professional growth of UC Davis Teaching Assistants (TAs), Associate Instructors (AIs) and postdoctoral scholars.
- Engaging TACs in a community of practice that provides meaningful growth experiences that, in turn, increase capacity and support for the broader campus teaching and learning community at UC Davis.
- Encouraging dialogue and collaboration among the TACs to broaden perspectives about the purposes and practices of higher education beyond individual disciplines and approaches.
- Promoting the development of TACs as instructors, consultants, and leaders in their teaching and learning communities.
TACs provide the following services to graduate student instructors and postdoctoral scholars:
- Workshops to enhance teaching effectiveness and improve student learning;
- One-on-one consultations, ranging from general consultations to discuss teaching and learning to Mid-Quarter Inquiries (MQIs). Regardless of the consultation type, one-on-one consultations provide a space for discussing teaching and learning with an experienced peer instructor in a confidential setting.
Apply to be part of the TAC Program
What are the benefits of the program?
- Ongoing learning and professional development
- Paid compensation
- Valuable experiences for a career in college teaching, educational development, and other career paths focused on teaching and learning
Who can apply?
Applicants must be enrolled as a graduate student (master’s or doctoral level) all three quarters of the program (Fall 2023, Winter 2024, and Spring 2024) and should also be available during September 2023 for professional development and facilitation of the campus-wide TA orientation (September 25 & 26). Applicants should have at least three quarters of TA experience at any institution and be able to invest approximately seven hours per week in the program throughout this period.
Information Sessions on Zoom:
- Thursday, April 6th at 1:00-1:30 PM (https://tinyurl.com/TAC-Info-1)
- Monday, April 10th at 9:00-9:30 AM (https://tinyurl.com/TAC-Info-2)
- 2021 - 2022 TACs
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- Name
- Department
- Alicia Bencomo Garcia
- Education
- Gwen Chodur
- Nutritional Biology
- Shelley Dykstra
- Spanish and Portuguese
- Nina Fontana
- Ecology
- Liz Giardina
- English
- Beshara Kehdi
- Cultural Studies
- Hannah Nelson
- Population Biology
- Mayra Nunez Martinez
- Education
- Sasha Pesci
- Geography
- Connor Rosenblatt
- Environmental Science and Policy
- Michelle Rossi (TAC Coordinator)
- Sociology
- Peter Torres
- Linguistics
- Daisy Underhill
- Philosophy
- Jasmine Wade
- Cultural Studies
- 2020 - 2021 TACs
-
- Name
- Department
- Nazanin Akrami
- Agricultural & Environmental Chemistry
- Gwen Chodur
- Nutritional Biology
- Samantha Contreras
- Graduate School of Management
- Shelley Dykstra
- Spanish and Portuguese
- Slande Erole (TAC Coordinator)
- Political Science
- Victoria Farrar
- Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior
- Nina Fontana
- Ecology
- Alicia Garcia
- Education
- Liz Giardina
- English
- Laura Hernandez-Bassal
- Civil & Environmental Engineering
- Julia Houk
- Education
- Hannah Nelson
- Population Biology
- Michelle Rossi
- Sociology
- Peter Torres
- Linguistics
- Jenny Wagner
- Public Health Sciences
- Jessica Zlotnicki
- Geography
- 2019 - 2020 TACs
-
Name Department James Allen Chemical Engineering Justin Carone Sociology Edward Conley Materials Science and Engineering Slande Erole Political Science Nina Fontana Ecology Alicia Garcia Education Hannah Nelson Population Biology Rachel Nickens (TAC Coordinator) Sociology Miguel Novoa History Carlyn Peterson Animal Science Michelle Rossi Sociology Peter Torres Linguistics Justin Virrey Graduate School of Management Jessica Zlotnicki Geography - 2018 - 2019 TACs
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Name Department Arik Davidyan Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Physiology Slande Erole Political Science Sam Fleischer Mathematics Giulia Gall Anthropology McCage Griffiths Political Science Alice Martinic Nutritional Biology Chris Miller Animal Science Rachel Nickens Sociology Miguel Novoa History Carlyn Peterson Animal Science Pablo Robles-Garcia Spanish & Portuguese Derek Rury Economics Sergio Sanchez Education Sarah Silverman (TAC Coordinator) Department of Entomology - 2017 - 2018 TACs
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Name Department Jenny Colmenero English Sam Fleischer Mathematics McCage Griffiths Political Science Sreenidhi Krishnamoorthy Mechanical Engineering Alice Martinic Nutritional Biology Chris Miller Animal Science Lina Reznicek-Parrado Spanish (Linguistics) Laurel Richardson History Marisella Rodriquez (TAC Coordinator) Political Science Derek Rury Economics Sergio Sanchez Education Sarah Silverman Department of Entomology Victoria White Comparative Literature - 2016 - 2017 TACs
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Name Department Lindsay Baltus (TAC Coordinator) English Jenny Colmenero English Joya Cooley Chemistry Eric Jensen Spanish & Portuguese Sreenidhi Krishnamoorthy Mechanical Engineering Shan (Zoe) Lin History Laurel Richardson History Marisella Rodriquez Political Science Sergio Sanchez Education Sarah Silverman Department of Entomology Victoria White Comparative Literature DJ Worley Native American Studies - 2015 - 2016 TACs
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Name Department Lindsay Baltus English Christy Cahill (TAC Coordinator) Political Science Joya Cooley Chemistry Emily Edris Communications Eric Jensen Spanish & Portuguese Jae Wook Jung Economics Amanda Modell Cultural Studies Laurel Richardson History Watumesa Tan Microbiology Dan Villarreal Linguistics DJ Worley Native American Studies - 2014 - 2015 TACs
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Name Department Jamiella Brooks (TAC Coordinator) French Christy Cahill Political Science Emily Edris Communications Jae Wook Jung Economics Amanda Modell Cultural Studies Angadh Nanjangud Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering Tom O’Donnell History Tracy Quan Spanish & Portuguese Tim Shelton Chemistry Susan Talcott Anthropology