UCAN Competency Analysis, Workshops Aim to Train Better TAs

Based on the latest results of UCAN competency tests done by Soochow’s teaching assistants (TAs), the Learning Resources Division, Teaching and Learning Center arranged  training sessions titled ”What kind of TA do you want to be” on April 8^th and 9^th and another workshop titled ”Designing your teaching with games” on May 20^th, hoping to enhance TAs’ abilities in managing their classes and in assisting teachers and students.

Since a 2018 study revealed a positive correlation between TA’s common competency and their teaching efficacy, the University has been asking all TAs to fill out the UCAN (University Career and Competency Assessment Network) common competency diagnostic test at the end of each semester to find out which kinds of common competencies of TAs need to be strengthened.

The results of TAs’ UCAN test by the end of the first semester of the 108^th academic year showed that among the eight competencies (communication, continuous learning, interpersonal interaction, teamwork, problem solving, innovation, work responsibility and discipline, information technology), the TAs’ average scores in two competencies were relatively low: innovation and continuous learning.

According to the definitions by the UCAN common competency test, the competency of innovation is the ability “to actively propose new ideas and implement them into work with limited resources and outside current work patterns,” while the competency of continuous learning is regarded as the ability “to understand the importance of developing one’s capabilities, to explore, plan, and effectively manage such capabilities, and to maintain the ambition for continuous personal growth.” This explained why the school administration conducted trainings on these two common competencies for the TAs, and looked forward to positive results on them.