Our goal, simply stated, is to turn out a student who is able to communicate precisely and with excellent accuracy, i.e., a student to whom we can point with pride. Successful language programs require students who are motivated and disciplined and teachers who are well trained to help students succeed. The TA training program we employ is unique in this country. Those students who have not yet earned the M.A. in German are TAs, i.e., teaching apprentices, who learn to teach with an experienced teacher. After several semesters under the mentorship of faculty members and senior graduate instructors, the TA is promoted to AI, assistant instructor.
Assistant instructors teach independently under the supervision of the course coordinator.
AIs can expect to teach as many as a dozen different courses in several language programs that we offer. Breadth of teaching experience is crucial for placing our graduate students in an ever increasingly competitive job market. Since most AIs eventually serve as a mentoring teacher, most graduate students at UT Austin gain valuable experience in teacher training that can be important when seeking appointment later as a faculty member. Graduate students at UT Austin may specialize in applied linguistics and pedagogy at UT Austin. To date, all students who have done so have succeeded in finding a tenure track position at institutions where TA training and language program coordination are taken seriously.