The Program for Instructional Excellence

The Program for Instructional Excellence (PIE), a unit of The Graduate School, strives to enrich the learning experience for undergraduate students at FSU by supporting the teaching efforts of graduate student teaching assistants through its various services. PIE offers professional development programs that create opportunities to foster a sense of collaboration and community among all graduate student teaching assistants, and any graduate student interested in learning best practices in teaching and learning while at FSU.

For more information about PIE, please see our Informational Brochure.  

See below for more information about our Summer 2023 PIE Coffee Hour & Teaching Workshop Series!

Experienced TAs can apply to become PIE Teaching Associates and serve as mentors for TAs in their own academic departments and university-wide.

Apply now for the 2023-2024 PIE Teaching Assistantship program. Applications due Saturday, May 13th at 11:59 PM. 

Come join us for our signature PIE Coffee Hour & Teaching Workshop Series! All are welcome to attend our teaching workshops, which are geared toward fostering professional development in teaching across a wide range of topics. 

Summer 2023 Coffee Hour & Teaching Workshop Series

Managing Your Mental Health as a Teaching Assistant and Graduate Student

Thursday, May 4th

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM

In-Person at HSF 4003

With special guest Julia Storace, MA, LMHC, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, FSU Counseling & Psychological Services

Click here to REgister

Strategies for Engaging Black Men in Leadership Development

Tuesday, June 6th

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM

In-Person at HSF 4003

With special guest Darius Robinson, 2022-2023 PIE Teaching Associate and 2022-2023 John F. Liseno PIE Graduate Award Winner

Click Here to Register

Biannual PIE Teaching Conference - Fall 2023 - Registration Open

OVERALL LOGISTICS FAQS

Who should attend the Biannual PIE Teaching Conference?

• New graduate student TAs – a graduate student CANNOT hold a TA position UNLESS that student satisfies the University-wide TA Standards, so be sure to review these carefully! 
• New graduate students who do not yet hold a TA assignment, but will likely do so in the future
• Returning graduate students who have never attended PIE or a departmental equivalent, but who may teach in the future are also encouraged to attend
• Post Docs who will hold a teaching appointment
• Faculty and staff are also welcome!

Where is the Biannual PIE Teaching Conference offered?

Online - For the Fall 2023, all mandatory training content/assignments are hosted asynchronously through the Canvas Learning Management system. See details below for the due dates of all training assignments and instructions for how to register and self-enroll into the Canvas site. It is imperative that you have FSU credentials (i.e. an FSU ID and password) to access the Canvas site. If you do not have these items, you will need to talk to your department and coordinate with ITS ASAP. PIE does not manage any aspect of FSU ID or other login credentials. 

When is the Biannual PIE Teaching Conference offered? 

The PIE Program will provide the Biannual Teaching Conference and the Category 5 TA Training in both spring and fall semesters, but NOT in summer semesters. Please plan accordingly. See details below for information on the next iteration of the conference. 

For additional FAQs, consult this document. 

Full Instructions for the Fall 2023 Biannual PIE Teaching Conference: 

The event will be held fully online, and all requirements will be provided in a 100% asynchronous format (no required synchronous Zoom sessions).

BE SURE TO CAREFULLY READ & UNDERSTAND ALL TRAINING REQUIREMENTS BELOW!! If you have questions or do not fully understand what training you are required to complete, please contact your academic department. Academic departments may contact the Program for Instructional Excellence at: PIE-Info@fsu.edu. Failure to understand requirements will not count as an acceptable reason for not completing required TA training.

This training satisfies the required graduate student TA policy training, as determined by University-wide TA Standards.

The Fall 2023 Biannual PIE Teaching Conference Canvas site has officially launched. This iteration of the conference (i.e. the mandatory TA training for TA Categories 1-4) will be offered in a 100% asynchronous mandatory training format. Based on post-training feedback from trainees, we will make data-driven decisions on formatting for future iterations of the training. Please see the details below for important content/format updates - please note, the training is only offered during Spring and Fall semesters - not during Summer semesters. 

In order to access training content, you must self-enroll into the Canvas site through the link you received in the official launch email OR via the self-enrollment link. The Canvas site has not yet gone live but the link will be published on this page upon launch.

FALL 2023 BIANNUAL PIE TEACHING CONFERENCE

YOU MAY NOW REGISTER FOR THE FALL 2023 BIANNUAL PIE TEACHING CONFERENCE VIA THIS LINK: HTTPS://FSU.QUALTRICS.COM/JFE/FORM/SV_397Y2WXZYXSWMFC

Day 1 of the conference covers policies and practices essential for all TAs & Teaching Postdocs.

Day 1 training REQUIRES completion of asynchronous quantitative and qualitative assignments within the Canvas site clearly marked as DAY 1 requirements (due 11:59 PM, 8/21/23). The Canvas site will be open by mid-July so that trainees can begin working on the training assignments far in advance of the due date, if desired. 

Day 2 of the conference focuses on topics especially helpful if your TA or Postdoc assignment includes providing the primary instruction for the course..

Day 2 training REQUIRES completion of asynchronous quantitative and qualitative assignments within the Canvas site clearly marked as DAY 2 requirements (due 11:59 PM, 8/21/23). The Canvas site will be open by mid-July so that trainees can begin working on the training assignments far in advance of the due date, if desired. 

If you are unsure if you are required to complete both days, please contact your academic department. However anyone at FSU is welcome to complete all of the training sessions. 

Please save this webpage and check it regularly for updates. Once the Canvas site is ready for launch (update: launch has occurred; see the self-enrollment link posted higher up in the instructions), an announcement will be sent to the registration list, which will contain a self-enrollment link. If trainees register after this initial announcement email, they will be able to find the self-enrollment link for the training Canvas site within the registration form as well as posted on PIE website (PIE.FSU.edu). It is each trainee’s responsibility to verify their training requirements for their specific position within their department, register for the training, regularly monitor their email for important training announcements, and enroll themselves into the Canvas site via the self-enrollment link once it has become available.

NOTE: This training is not the same as the PIE Category 5 TA training, which is for graduate students who will be appointed as a "Category 5" TA and assisting with faculty-supervised grading (and/or limited supervised teaching) in graduate-level courses. Consult with your department to determine if you need to complete this Biannual PIE Teaching Conference training, the Category 5 TA training, or both Category 5 AND the Biannual PIE Teaching Conference Day 1 and Day 2 training sessions. The Category 5 TA Training is hosted within a separate registration process/Canvas site.  

It is the registrants' responsibility to regularly monitor the email address that the registrant has provided in the registration survey for updates and details sent from PIE. Please use your FSU email address for all PIE training purposes.

In order to meet the rigor required by the university-wide TA Standards established by the FSU Faculty Senate, this training includes thorough content as well as qualitative and quantitative assessments, some of which require manual grading by PIE staff. Late work and makeups are not permitted. We encourage you to begin this training far in advance of the posted deadline to ensure you are able to access all content with no issues and complete all requirements by the firm deadline. 

Failing to complete the university-wide training requirements for your specific TA role could result in the loss of your TA position, per FSU policy. 

SYNCHRONOUS ZOOM SESSIONS (OPTIONAL)

The Fall 2023 Biannual PIE Teaching Conference will offer synchronous Zoom sessions some time after the mandatory asynchronous assignment deadline of 8/21/23 (exact Zoom sessions date TBA). These sessions are completely optional and do not count for any mandatory TA training credit. They are an opportunity to learn more crucial teaching skills and interact with live experts, who will present on a variety of topics pertaining to teaching policy and innovative teaching practices. These sessions are a fantastic, free professional development opportunity to learn more about teaching and network with other scholars.

Fall 2023 Category 5 TA Training - Registration Open

OVERALL LOGISTICS FAQS

What is a Category 5 TA? 

Category 5 TAs are graduate students whose TA appointment includes assisting with instructor-supervised grading and/or limited faculty-supervised teaching for a graduate-level course or co-listed course. 

Is the Category 5 TA training the same thing as the Biannual PIE Teaching Conference?

NO - these are two completely separate trainings. These trainings have separate registration forms and separate Canvas sites. The Biannual PIE Teaching Conference covers training required for TA Categories 1-4 while the Category 5 TA training is specifically focused on training required for Category 5 TAs .   

Do Category 5 TAs need to complete the Biannual PIE Teaching Conference?

YES - the Biannual PIE Teaching Conference is a necessary prerequisite to the Category 5 TA Training. The trainee must have completed the Biannual PIE Teaching Conference (BOTH Days 1 and 2) either in a previous semester OR they must complete the Biannual PIE Teaching Conference Day 1 and Day 2 the same semester they complete the Category 5 TA Training. If a trainee completes the Category 5 TA training but does NOT complete the Biannual PIE Teaching Conference, they will not be able to occupy a Category 5 TA position. 

Where is the Category 5 TA Training offered?

Online - the Category 5  TA Training is hosted entirely asynchronously through the Canvas Learning Management System. All assignments are available through the Category 5 TA Canvas site, which is a separate Canvas site from the Biannual PIE Teaching Conference. See the full instructions below for exact instructions and due dates.  It is imperative that you have FSU credentials (i.e. an FSU ID and password) to access the Canvas site. If you do not have these items, you will need to talk to your department and coordinate with ITS ASAP. PIE does not manage any aspect of FSU ID or other login credentials. 

When is the Category 5 TA Training offered?

The PIE Program will provide the Biannual Teaching Conference and the Category 5 TA Training in both spring and fall semesters, but NOT in summer semesters. Please plan accordingly. See details below for information on the next iteration of the conference. 

I previously successfully completed PIE’s Biannual Teaching Conference and/or Category 5 TA Training, do I need to complete it again? 

No. Once an FSU graduate student has successfully completed one of these PIE TA trainings they do not need to do so again.

Full Instructions for the Fall 2023 Category 5 Ta Training

Save this webpage and check it regularly for updates. Once the Canvas site is ready for launch, an announcement will be sent to the registration list, which will contain a self-enrollment link. If trainees register after this initial announcement email, they will be able to find the self-enrollment link for the training Canvas site within the registration form as well as posted on the PIE website (PIE.FSU.edu). It is each trainee’s responsibility to verify their training requirements for their specific position within their department, register for the training, regularly monitor their email for important training announcements, and enroll themselves into the Canvas site via the self-enrollment link once it has become available.

The Category 5 TA Training consists of content modules, quizzes, and write-up assignments. All assignments for the Category 5 TA Training are due via Canvas by a firm deadline of 11:59 PM, August 22, 2023. Please note that this is not the same set of assignments/deadline as the Biannual PIE Teaching Conference. 

You may now register for the Fall 2023 Category 5 TA Training via this link: https://fsu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bdfxfyrWDxuQi8K

It is the registrants' responsibility to regularly monitor the email address that the registrant provided in the registration survey for updates and details sent from PIE. Please use your FSU email address for all PIE training purposes.

In order to meet the rigor required by the university-wide TA Standards established by the FSU Faculty Senate, the Category 5 TA  training includes thorough content as well as qualitative and quantitative assessments, some of which require manual grading by PIE staff. Late work and makeups are not permitted. We encourage you to begin this training far in advance of the posted deadline to ensure you are able to access all content with no issues and complete all requirements by the firm deadline. 

Any graduate student that has not successfully completed the PIE Category 5 TA Training and/or the Biannual PIE Teaching Conference Day 1 and Day 2 (or a pre-approved department equivalent training) prerequisite will not be allowed to be appointed as a Category 5 TA.

In order to access training content, you must self-enroll into the Canvas site through the link you received in the official launch email OR via the self-enrollment link below if you misplaced the launch email. The self-enrollment link will be available when the training launches by mid-July.