Text Size: Default Text Size Text Size Medium Text Size Large
Block M. Skip to Main Content
University of Minnesota

What's Inside

IT: TALK

What do students learn in IT:TALK?

The course develops three main proficiencies for TA responsibilities:

  • spoken English for classroom interaction
  • discipline-specific teaching skills
  • responsiveness to U.S. classroom cultural expectations

These three skill areas are developed through intensive practice of teaching and English, and analysis of educational cultural differences. Participants critique their own filmed teaching practice, as well as receive feedback from experienced TAs, undergraduate students, and teaching & language specialists. IT: TALK also familiarizes participants with department expectations.

How TA Eligibility is determined?
At the end of IT: TALK, eligibility for a TA assignment is determined by whichever is higher, the SPEAK test score or performance throughout the course which includes a simulated teaching test. Additional coursework is available during the academic year for those students not achieving their desired level of eligibility after IT: TALK.
How do students register for IT: TALK?
Since participating departments require their new international graduate students to attend, there is no need to register. The department provides student names to the program coordinator. Students should let the department know immediately if their plans change and they are unable to attend.
If students can't be here at the start of the program, should they just skip it?

That's up to each department to decide. Students can still gain a lot of valuable preparation for TA positions and get acclimated to the University of Minnesota even if they arrive late. However, the amount of the $400 stipend that the IT Dean's office will reimburse to the department decreases with each missed day. The reimbursement schedule is:

  • First attend on August 3-4 - $400
  • First attend on August 5 - $340
  • First attend on August 6-7 - $300
  • First attend on August 10 - $180
  • Thereafter - No stipend

Stipends are further reduced $60 per day for absences unless students pass at the highest level.

NOTE: Stipends may be subject to U.S. payroll taxes.

When do students receive their stipend?
Each department handles this differently. Some departments pay students soon after they arrive. Others wait until the end of the program. Departments that pay students before August 21 need to recognize that they will be reimbursed by the IT Dean's office based on first attendance and absences, per the schedule above. In other words, they may be reimbursed for less than they pay to students.
What if a student's English is really good? Can they be exempt from the program?

Departments may choose to exempt students from IT: TALK. However, to comply with the University's policy for nonnative English speakers, students whose home language growing up was not English must take the SPEAK Test to be eligible for a TA position.

Before exempting students from the program, remember that IT: TALK is much more than an English language program. There are English classes for those who need them. For highly proficient English speakers, the program emphasizes TA preparation and cultural adjustment. Students learn how to teach US students effectively in the way their department expects. The program also provides an early opportunity to develop friendships within the department and across other IT departments.

How will students have time to take care of settling in - finding housing, doing their document check, and so on - if they are in classes all day?
The program takes this into account and builds in time for taking care of this important business during the first few days.
What if a student has already completed this kind of training and worked as a TA at another North American university?
If the department agrees to consider exempting students from IT: TALK in this situation, the following policy prevails. The student must provide documentation of a score of 45 on the SPEAK administered at the University of Minnesota or the Test of Spoken English. They must also provide documentation of satisfactory completion of their previous course work. Upon verification of this information, the student will perform a 10-minute teaching test to determine eligibility for a TA position at this University of Minnesota. Students in this situation must contact Jeff Lindgren .
Is there on-campus housing available for IT: TALK participants?
Yes. Students can apply for temporary housing through International Student & Scholar Services.

Center for Teaching and Learning