The Graduate Teaching Assistant workshop has run annually for over 20 years. It is a one-day event aimed at developing core teaching practice for those who teach as part of their PhDs. The workshops cover relevant aspects of classroom practice in economics such as marking and feedback and incentivising active learning.
New workshops announced for January 2025! See below.
These workshops are fully aligned to the UK Professional Standards Framework and can help delegates who are considering or working towards HEA Associate Fellowship status.
Materials from past events are in the Economics Network Moodle. To get access to materials from events you have attended, ask Martin.
Upcoming workshops
Bookings for this event are welcome from current economics Postgraduate Teaching Assistants based in UK Higher Education institutions. Bookings are free of charge for participants from subscribing departments (tagged as "EN Supporter" or "EN Host Institution" in this list), but £50 per person if your department does not subscribe to the Economics Network.
- Online, 14 January and 16 January 2025 (1pm-2.30pm), attendance at both sessions is required. Book here.
- For other workshop announcements, keep an eye on our e-mail announcements list (sign up at foot of page).
About the workshops
Our workshops complement any generic-based institutional training delegates might receive (and in some institutions exempts attendees from parts of such training) and are facilitated by experienced economics lecturers.
The workshops enable participants to discuss and evaluate the effective teaching of economics in small-group classes, tutorials, seminars and workshops, including:
- managing student expectations
- engaging small groups of students
- marking and feedback
UK Professional Standards Framework
Participants receive a certificate of attendance, mapping the workshop/symposium activities and outcomes to the UK Professional Standards Framework used in institution training for lecturers and postgraduates.
Endorsement
Since September 2016, the Economics Network's workshops have been endorsed by the Royal Economic Society and the Scottish Economic Society.
An independent panel established by the Royal Economic Society "agreed that the programmes are of a high quality and appropriate for the intended purpose of supporting new lecturers and GTAs as they begin their careers as teachers of economics".
The Scottish Economic Society "is pleased to endorse the Economics Network workshops as these have proven to be an invaluable and high quality resource for new lecturers in economics".
The GTA workshop programme is just one of the ways the Economics Network support economics postgraduate teaching assistants.
Feedback from past attendees
Over 200 economists attended our GTA workshops last year. Previous participants' feedback:
"It had made me even more excited about teaching and has given me the confidence to make seminars my own rather than just presenting the information given to me by the department."
"Best workshop I've ever been to!"
"It gave me an idea of what to expect as a teaching assistant, what challenges I will meet and how to tackle them."
"I just want to take the opportunity to thank GTA workshop group for giving me this advice and information before I began a new role in teaching. I felt it gave me an open-minded, fresh perspective towards teaching, which I think is crucial to delivering a teaching service with enthusiasm and professionalism."
Past workshops
2024
- University of Surrey, 5 February
- Online seminar on marking and feedback, 16 May
- University of Manchester, 19 September
- University College London, 2 October
- University of Exeter, 4 October
- Online, 3 October and 10 October
- University of Warwick, 11 October
2023
- Online seminar on marking and feedback, 15 May
- Online, Tuesday 19 and Tuesday 26 September
- University of Strathclyde, 21 September
- University of Manchester, 22 September
- University of Exeter, 2 October
- University of Southampton, 4 October
- Online, 5 October, 1pm-2.30pm
- University of Warwick, 11 October
- University of Nottingham, 11 October
- University College London, 11 October
2022
Online workshops
- Online workshop 1: Small group teaching, 21 September and Marking & feedback, 22 September
- Online workshop 2: Small group teaching, 29 September and Marking & feedback, 30 September
In-person workshops
- University of Strathclyde, 22 September
- University of Manchester, 23 September
- University of Exeter, 26 September (postponed from 19 September)
- London School of Economics, 26 September
- University of York, 30 September
- University of East Anglia, 10 October
- University of Warwick, 11 October
- University College London, 26 October
2021
- Online workshops: 7 September, 30 September, 6 October, 13 October, 14 October, 15 October
- University of Manchester, 1 October
- University College London, 8 October
- University of Warwick, 14 October
2020
- Online workshops: Open sessions (for GTAs and Early Career Lecturers) Sessions for GTAs
- Modular programme run online during September and October during the pandemic
- University of Bristol, 13 January
2019
- Royal Holloway University, 16 January (Programme) (Resources are in Moodle)
- King's College London, 19 September
- University of Manchester, 20 September
- University of Essex, 30 September
- University of Oxford, 3 October
- University College London, 4 October
- University of York, 4 October
- University of Nottingham, 9 October
- University of Glasgow, 6 December
2018
- University of Bristol, 10 January
- University of Leeds, 18 September
- University of Edinburgh, 19 September
- University of Bristol, 20 September
- University of Manchester, 21 September (Programme) (Resources are in Moodle)
- University of Exeter, 25 September
- University of Oxford, 27 September
- University College London, 1 October
- Lancaster University, 10 October (Resources are in Moodle)
- University of East Anglia, 10 October
- University of Nottingham, 10 October (Resources are in Moodle)
- University of Warwick, 12 October
2017
- University of Bristol, 19 September
- University of Manchester, 22 September
- University of Exeter, 26 September
- University of Surrey, 26 September
- University of Oxford, 27 September
- University of Nottingham, 4 October
- University College London, 6 October (Programme)
- University of Warwick, 11 October
- Newcastle University, 11 October
2016
- Heriot-Watt University, 23 September
- Royal Holloway, University of London, 23 September
- University of Leicester, 28 September (Programme)
- University of Oxford, 29 September
- University of York, 29 September
- University of Manchester, 30 September
- University of Exeter, 30 September
- University College London, 4 October
- University of East Anglia, 5 October
- University of Nottingham, 12 October
- University of Warwick, 14 October
2015
- University of Exeter, 21 September
- Cardiff University, 22 September
- University of Nottingham, 30 September
- University of Oxford, 2 October (Programme)
- University College London, 2 October
- University of Essex, 8 October (Programme)
- University of Manchester, 9 October (Programme)
- University of Warwick, 9 October (Programme)
- University of Glasgow, 23 October
2014
- Cardiff University, 22 September
- University of Exeter, 24 September
- University of Manchester, 24 September
- University of Newcastle, 26 September
- Royal Holloway University of London, 26 September
- University of Sheffield, 30 September
- University College London, 1 October
- University of Nottingham, 1 October
- University of Oxford, 3 October
- University of Birmingham, 7 October
- University of East Anglia, 9 October
- Glasgow Caledonian University, 14 November
2013
- Queen Mary University of London, 18 September
- University of Exeter, 24 September
- University of Manchester, 26 September
- Cardiff University, 30 September
- Royal Holloway University of London, 30 September
- University of Nottingham, 2 October
- University College London, 2 October
- University of York, 2 October
- University of Bristol, 3 October
- University of Oxford, 4 October
- Lancaster University, 4 October
- University of Warwick, 9 October
- University of Essex, 9 October
2012
- University of Sussex, 17 September
- University of Bristol, 20 September
- Cardiff University, 26 September
- University of Oxford, 28 September
- Loughborough University, 28 September
- University of Birmingham, 1 October
- University College London, 3 October
- University of Nottingham, 3 October
- University of Essex, 3 October
- London School of Economics, 3 October
- Lancaster University, 5 October
- University of East Anglia, 8 October
- University of Exeter, 17 October
- University of Glasgow, 24 October
2011 participant
2011
- University of Cardiff, 23 September
- London School of Economics, 28 September
- University of East Anglia, 28 September
- University of Essex, 30 September
- University College London, 3 October
- University of Nottingham, 5 October
- University of Sheffield, 6 October
- University of Glasgow, 7 October
- University of York, 12 October
- University of Sussex, 19 October
- University of Bristol, 21 October
2010
- University of Cardiff, 24 September
- London School of Economics, 27 September
- University of East Anglia, 29 September
- University of Sheffield, 7 October
- University of Edinburgh, 7 October
- Lancaster University, 8 October
2009
English workshops sponsored by the Royal Economic Society.
Scottish workshops sponsored by the Scottish Economic Society.
- University of East Anglia, 18 November
- Edinburgh Napier University, 10 October
- University of Sheffield, 7 October
- London School of Economics, 25 September
2008
- Strathclyde Business School, 24 October
- London School of Economics, 26 September
- Lancaster University, 16 June
2007
- London School of Economics, 25 September
2006
- Nottingham Trent University, 22 September