APS111 Needs Teaching Assistants

Engineering Strategies and Practice (ESP) Transition Program
First Year Course

What is ESP?
Engineering Strategies and Practices (ESP) is a set of two exciting courses for all first year engineering students (except Eng. Sci.). The course uses the engineering design process as the context for introducing students to:
· Professional communication skills
· Social impact of technology
· Problem solving
· Independent learning
· Systems thinking
· Team work
This innovative course is designed to foster excitement for engineering through projects that combine creativity and logical methodology. The role of engineering in society, our relationship with the environment, and the potential our work holds for people is a theme in this course. Effective use of written, oral, and graphic professional communication is developed throughout the course sequence.

What are the components of ESP Transition Program?

ESP I – APS111T (Transition Program)
In the Winter term the course has a combination of lectures and tutorials. Students are introduced to the basics of design, professional communication, and team work. A model design project gives the students a chance to begin to grapple with the challenges of engineering design. Research and writing, as engineering activities, are introduced. Students learn how to identify social, human, and environmental factors as frontline design considerations. In the second half of the first term students participate in a technology related seminar, in which they discuss the technical, social, and political issues associated with a particular topic.

Teaching Assistants
We will be hiring 1 teaching assistant for the course this year. This teaching assistant can be from any engineering discipline. He or she should be enthusiastic, have good facilitation skills, and excellent communication skills. A high degree of confidence in the ability to advise on and assess writing is required. Industrial experience, particularly in communication or a supervisory role, is helpful.
In ESP I T, the T.A. supervises a section of 25-30 students during the tutorial sessions which are held on Fridays noon-2 pm. The total appointment will be approximately 60 hrs and will commence January 11, 2010 and end on Friday, April 9, 2010.
In ESP I T, the TA works with the student teams in their tutorial sessions. In this term the student teams develop a conceptual design based on an assigned project. The TA consults with the teams, helps them with the design process, provides counselling on their written work, and marks written assignments.
There are weekly meetings with the instructor staff to discuss how the tutorial went, what is planned for the following week, and discuss any problems that may have arisen.

There will be a TA training meeting prior to the start of the Winter term. The training you receive for this course, and the experience of working in an ESP tutorial section, is an excellent opportunity to improve and practice your professional skills in the areas of facilitation, mentoring, and professional communication.
If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Ms. Vicki Norton at vickin@ecf.utoronto.ca to arrange a brief interview. Please include a brief résumé and information on your availability from beginning of January to the start of the Winter Term so that we can schedule the TA training session. We can also answer any questions you may have or refer you to one of our previous teaching assistants who can tell you about their experience working in the course. The deadline for submitting your application for teaching in the Winter of 2010 is December 22, 2009.

Ms. Vicki Norton, Curriculum & Outreach Assistant
Engineering Strategies & Practice
Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering
vickin@ecf.utoronto.ca