Both faculty and TAs from every discipline are invited to attend meetings, which occur four or five times per year. Meetings begin with one or more speakers on a topic of general interest. Speakers have been selected from a wide variety of academic fields, with pairings of speakers from different disciplines. Each meeting is designed to move from a brief opening presentation to discussion of specific issues among participants. The atmosphere for Alliance meetings is designed to foster discussion.
Meetings occur in a room with round tables, where participants can focus on small group exchange.
Refreshments are served. Meetings are 75 minutes long, a compromise between the need for development and the realities of a teacher s schedule. Some departments and programs have awards for TAs as well, notably Political Science and Chemistry. Intensive departmental colloquia and advising have been offered with federal support in Political Science, English, and Mathematical Sciences. Each department has a faculty coordinator and a Head TA to improve teaching.