Teaching Assistant Orientation | Center For Teaching Excellence | SIU

Hello new SALUKI! We are excited to welcome you to SIU.

This page will help you begin your transition to the SIU experience as a graduate teaching assistant (GTA). On this page, you will find useful links to general onboarding activities and useful links to Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) resources to smoothly guide you into your teaching support role.

Begin by watching this video from Dr. Craig Engstrom, Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence, and REGISTERING for SPARK Week Updates and Reminders.

GETTING STARTED at SIU as a GTA is easy as 1-2-3. Here are three soft onboarding activities you can begin doing today so you are ready to assist your instructor with teaching their courses at SIU (e.g., grading, monitoring discussion boards) or leading your own course.

To complete many of these activities, you will need to get an SIU Dawg Tag and SIU email.

Learn About SIU’s Learning Management System (LMS)

SIUC is a D2L/Brightspace campus. If you’re familiar with D2L, you already know why we love it so much. If you’re coming from a Moodle, Blackboard, Canvas, etc. campus, we are here to assist you with your transition. You can get started today by doing the following:

Bookmark and Review CTE/OIT D2L Knowledge Base

Review the various EdTech options available to SIU instructors 

Register for and Complete D2L/Brightspace Instructor Guided Training [does not require SIU email; download PDF instructions]

 Upskill Your Teaching Skills

Complete CTE’s asynchronous D2L instructor training [requires SIU email/access to D2L; download instructions]

SIU is committed to the highest standards of accessibility for ALL courses, not just when students request disability support. Always design for online! 1) Read more about accessibility @ SIU; 2) Complete our Award-Winning The Great Escape Course on Accessibility [requires access to D2L]; 3) Download Disability Support Services Checklist

 Download Agenda and Register for CTE’s SPARK Week Activities

SPARK is a week of Support, Professional development, Advancement, Resources, and Knowledge for ALL new and returning faculty.

Take advantage of our wide range of fun, in-person, live, and online workshops, tours, drop-ins, consultations, and more.

Spark your knowledge, ignite your potential!

• Ask Your Graduate Director What’s Required. Every program is different. You may have an Orientation Schedule that is very different from CTE’s Spark Week.
• SIU is a DIY institution. What this means is that the CTE offers trainings, workshops, and support; however, instructors are responsible for building courses, integrating technology, and complying with accessibility standards. We will give you the tools for success—such as 24/7 LMS support through D2L—but you will want to take advantage of the resources on this page as soon as possible to ensure a smooth transition to SIU.
• Most questions, including questions about your teaching assignments, will be best answered by your School Director.
• If you are having trouble accessing SIU systems, contact SalukiTech.
• Early access to D2L (aka MyCourses). Unfortunately, we are unable to give you access to D2L for training before you have an official ID. In addition, we cannot give you access to your specific course shells for development in D2L until you’re officially listed as the instructor of record, or we receive written approval from your program director. To obtain any form of access to D2L (MyCourses) you will need a DAWG ID and SIU email before we can give you access to our LMS. You can claim your network ID by clicking here.

CHECK OUT SPARK WEEK ACTIVITIES