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 upcoming Teaching Workshops, Conferences, Awards, TA Book Clubs, Recognition programs and more! 

Experienced TAs can apply to become PIE Associates and serve as a mentor for TAs in their own academic department and university-wide.

Category 5 TA Training

PIE’s Category 5 TA Training Deadlines (Category 5 TAs are TAs that assist for a graduate-level course, or co-listed course):

Registration Deadline:

• • • All Category 5 TAs must register to attend this asynchronous Canvas-based training by Monday 8/23/21. The registration link for this Fall 2021 PIE Category 5 TA Training is closed.

Completion Deadline:

• • • Graduate students are highly encouraged to complete this asynchronous Canvas PIE Category 5 TA Training by Friday, 9/3/21, but absolutely MUST complete PIE’s Category 5 TA Training by Wednesday, 9/8/21 (11:59pm) to be appointed in fall 2021 as a Category 5 TA. Any graduate student that does not complete this training by 9/8/21 (11:59pm) will not be allowed to continue to be appointed as a Category 5 TA in fall, 2021. (Note: Category 5 TAs also must have completed day 1 and day 2 of the PIE TA Training – see attached and/or below for details regarding this training)
• The PIE Program will provide this Category 5 TA Training in both spring and fall semesters, but NOT in summer semesters. Please plan accordingly.

PIE Coffee Hour & Teaching Workshop Series - Fall 2021

Save the dates! 

9/01, 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM - Let's Discuss Specifications Grading!

• Registration: https://bit.ly/Reg_SPECGRADE_9-01

9/16, 2:00-3:30 PM - Conflict in the Classroom

• Registration: https://bit.ly/Reg_CONCLASS_9-16

10/05, 12:30-2:00 PM - STEM TA Panel

• Registration: https://bit.ly/Reg_STEM_10-05

10/29, 3:30-5:00 PM - Chilling Teaching Challenges: A Halloween Special (possibly in-person)

• Registration: https://bit.ly/Reg_HALLOWEEN_10-29

11/10, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM - Let's Explore OER!

• Registration: https://bit.ly/Reg_OER_11-10

12/02, 3:30-5:00 PM - Teaching as a Non-Instructor of Record: Your Impact on the Classroom

• Registration: https://bit.ly/Reg_IMPACT_12-02

PIE Summer 2021 (Virtual) Course Design Boot Camp

Interested in working on your course design with instructional design professionals? Come to our (virtual) PIE Summer 2021 Bootcamp!*

In this interactive boot camp series, PIE will feature speakers from the FSU Instructional Systems & Learning Technologies program and the Office of Distance Learning. We will explore core aspects of good course design such as creating realistic learning objectives as your course foundation, setting up crucial Canvas course components, and engaging students with online activities/assessments. Topics will be applicable to face-to-face, hybrid, and fully online courses.

Dates: Tues. May 4, Thurs. May 6, Tues. May 11, Thurs. May 15 (all sessions via Zoom)

Times: 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM for all dates

Registration: http://bit.ly/BootCamp_May2021

*You do not have to attend all sessions in order to be part of this event. You may attend as few or as many as you wish. 

Each Session's Specific Topics are as Follows: 

Tuesday, 5/04: Creating realistic, well-written learning objectives that align with your course (Speaker: Caity Kelly, M.S.).

Thursday, 5/06: Setting up a well-designed Canvas course site and evaluating course quality (Speaker: Caity Kelly, M.S.).

Tuesday, 5/11: Designing/facilitating engaging course activities (Speaker: Dr. Kerry Burner).

Thursday, 5/13: Designing/facilitating effective course assessments (Speaker: Dr. Kerry Burner)

See the information below for materials from the summer 2020 boot camp sessions

Week 2: Designing Activities and Assessments to Meet Your Course Objectives

Facilitator: Dr. Vanessa Dennen, Professor of Instructional Systems & Learning Technologies in the Department of Educational Psychology & Learning Systems, FSU

Day 1  (Tues. 7/21/20) Materials

• Week 2 Day 1 Recording of the First Hour
• Week 2 Day 1 PPT Slides in PDF Format
• The Activity Planning Sheet

Day 2  (Thur. 7/23/20) Materials

• Week 2  Day 2 Recording of the First Hour 

Week 1: Creating Realistic Course Objectives & Learning Outcomes & Setting up your Canvas Site 

Facilitator: Caity Kelly, M.S., Instructional Systems and Learning Technologies

Day 1  (Tues. 7/14/20) Materials

• Recording of the First Hour Day 1 
• Day 1 PPT Slides in PDF Format

Day 2  (Thur. 7/16/20) Materials

• Recording of the First Hour Day 2 
• Day 2 PPT Slides in PDF Format

Announcement of Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award Recipients 2020-2021

Click this link to meet the 2021 OTAA recipients. 

CLOSED: PIE Associate Application for the academic year 2021-2022

**The application for the academic year 2021-2022 is now closed. 

Brief Timeline: 

March 22, 2021: PIE Teaching Associate Assistantship Application opens

April 30, 2021, by 11:59 pm: Deadline for the submission of the 2021-2022 application

(Optional)  April 9, 2021, 3 to 4: 30 pm: Graduate Student Networking Event and PIE Associate Informational Session (Via Zoom, registration link will be open soon).  

Download the latest PIE Associate Brochure

Click the following link to get more information: https://pie.fsu.edu/pie-teaching-associate-assistantship

Spring 2021 Reading Group

The Spring 2021 PIE Reading Group is hosting weekly discussions of Edward W. Morris’ Learning the Hard Way: Masculinity, Place, and the Gender Gap in Education this March! This book contains a fascinating research-based analysis of gender, race and class and how each intersect and contribute to the “gender gap” in achievement in education. For three consecutive Fridays in March (3/5, 3/12, 3/19), we will meet via Zoom for guided discussions. Leslie Richardson of the FSU Center for the Advancement of Teaching will begin our discussion of the book’s first three chapters on Friday, March 5th. Director of the FSU Center for Academic Retention & Enhancement, DeOnte Brown, will continue with chapters four through six on Friday, March 12th. Dr. Sabrina L. Dickey, Assistant Professor in the College of Nursing, will complete our discussion of the final three chapters on Friday, March 19th! Please register as soon as possible to receive discussion materials in advance of each session to help guide you in your reading. We hope to see you there!

Sponsor: PIE’s Pedagogy Committee

Dates & times: Fridays, 3/5, 3/12, and 3/19: 10:30 am-noon (Via Zoom) 

Registration: Closed

Interested in becoming a TA? Check out PIE's conference presentation recording on the professional merits of being a TA in graduate school!

https://fsu.zoom.us/rec/share/Tdw8uMOGlcbesjAUwjfP-GFV_kUkHNf1ZyElltFSbuFgvNtajZEiagkLAhlJGH1t.lmnhhDS2HZeoqsnE

In this video, PIE staff and experienced TAs from diverse fields will provide an overview of the TA role such as defining the job, highlighting knowledge/skills/abilities needed for becoming a TA, and the professional merit of taking on this role in graduate school. This recording is taken from the Spring 2021 Florida Undergraduate Research Conference (FURC).

PIE Coffee Hour & Teaching Workshop Series :

PIE workshops are geared toward fostering professional development in teaching across a wide range of topics. All workshops are currently offered virtually via Zoom.

*For information about past workshops and more details/presentation information about upcoming workshops, click here to be taken to our comprehensive workshop page. 

 Note: PIE Coffee Hour & Teaching Workshops are NOT part of the mandatory Biannual PIE Teaching Conference for TAs who need to complete the certification process. 

Biannual PIE Teaching Conference - Fall 2021

WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 18 & 19, 2021*(dates for Zoom sessions only-see details below)

See details and registration information below! Download the conference agenda here.

The event this year will once again be held fully online due to COVID-19 restrictions and concerns. The training will consist of two separate portions:

1.  The first portion of this training will be delivered asynchronously via Canvas, to be completed at one’s own pace by Tuesday, August 17^th at 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time (EST), and 
2. The second portion of this training will be provided via several synchronous Zoom training sessions on Wednesday, August 18^th and Thursday, August 19^th 2021 (see the conference agenda for exact times.)

The Biannual PIE Teaching Conference includes sessions that provide graduate students (and all participants) with teaching policy training requirements as stated in the current University-wide TA Standards along with best practices in grading, communicating with students, encouraging active learning and critical thinking, creating inclusive and equitable learning environments, and technology usage. By the end of this training, participants will be able to explain and have procedures in place to address University policy issues related to the Academic Honor Policy, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Discrimination-Sexual Harassment-Retaliation. Participants will also be equipped with strategies to help navigate use of Canvas features essential to their role as a TA, communicate effectively with students, and provide productive, inclusive and equitable student feedback.

Who should attend?

• New graduate student TAs – a graduate student CANNOT hold a TA position UNLESS he or she 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
• Faculty and staff are also welcome!

Where: Online (consisting of two portions: one portion of the training is provided asynchronously via Canvas, and the other portion of this training is provided synchronously via Zoom)

When: Portion 1. Canvas site asynchronous trainings: to be completed at own pace by Tuesday, August 17, 2021 at 11:59pm EST

Portion 2. Synchronous Zoom Trainings:

• Wednesday & Thursday, August 18 & 19, 2021 (*Zoom training sessions on each day are distinct, i.e., Thursday is not a “repeat” of Wednesday)
  • Wednesday 8/18/21, 9-11:30am & 2-3:30pm EST - all sessions required (several synchronous Zoom training sessions will be provided on this day)
  • Thursday 8/19/21, 9am-12:30pm EST - all sessions required (several synchronous Zoom training sessions will be provided on this day)

 You may now register for the Fall 2021 training here: https://fsu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_ePSLDVmfTDcixVA

Transitioning To Online Courses

As FSU transitions all courses to online format for the remainder of the Spring 2020, PIE will provide you with ongoing support, and links to resources that will assist you with this transition. Please visit our "resources" page for continuous updates.

Please also visit the FSU Office of Distance Learning (ODL) website for a wealth of information, including a step-by-step guide,  trainings, and other resources to assist in this process: odl.fsu.edu.

*Visit the PIE Program’s new Canvas organizational site that serves to provide all FSU TAs the opportunity to find peer community and support while all face-to-face courses are moved to an online format for the remainder of the spring 2020 semester, and into at least a portion of the summer. Resources include:

1. Virtual office hours: TAs can connect via Zoom to PIE Teaching Associate TAs from a variety of disciplines to discuss challenges, brainstorm ideas, share tips, and receive referrals to additional resources to assist in the online teaching transition. See the vast schedule of “Peer Office Hours” on the site.

2. Video tutorials, discipline specific online teaching tips, and links to a variety of resources available at FSU and beyond, are also located on this site.

Please join - any TA can self-enroll in this Canvas site via this URL: https://canvas.fsu.edu/enroll/JB4D8K

• Practical resource for moving your face-to-face course online: https://vanessadennen.com/teaching-online-during-covid-19/  Dr. Vanessa Dennen, Professor of Instructional Systems & Learning Technologies, FSU
  • Dr. Dennen welcomes requests to add additional topics, please contact here here: vdennen@fsu.edu

Resources from the Office of Distance Learning/PIE Emergency Online Training Proactive Training Course:

• Online Instructor Role Job Aid: Online Course Design Job Aid (2).docx
• Office of Distance Learning Emergency Resource Link: https://odl.fsu.edu/emergency-instruction
• Expanded Online Tool List for Teaching/Learning: online tools list.docx
• Help with Zoom:
  • Zoom Quick Start Guide (for colleague meetings): FSU Zoom Quick Start Guide.docx
  • General Zoom Help: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us
  • Using Zoom through Canvas: https://support.canvas.fsu.edu/kb/article/1451-zoom-overview/
• Instructional Video on Canvas Discussion Boards: https://youtu.be/pBYjqi4aYcQ
• Discipline-Specific Assistance:
  • Resources for Labs/Recitations: Online Options for Labs and Math_0.docx
  • Psychology:  virtual labs: https://opl.apa.org/   psychology-related online activities, http://topix.teachpsych.org/w/page/19980993/FrontPage

Check our "resources" page section frequently for continuing updated resources