The Graduate Teaching Assistant Program (GTAP) is compulsory for all students who are expected to teach or to have any student contact. This includes all GAs, including full-package GAs (sometimes called “GTAs”) and salary-only GAs. Students only need to successfully complete the GTAP certification course once. GTAP Orientation is required of all first-time GAs at GW. It is offered online and must be completed in the week prior to the start of term. There is no summer GTAP orientation.
OGSAF register students in UNIV 0250 (GTAP). This is a 1 credit course that has no cost to the student and does not count towards any CCAS graduate program degree requirements.
The Office of Graduate Student Assistantships and Fellowships (OGSAF) sets clear deadlines regarding GTAP enrollment. If departments are late in hiring, they will need to find a student who has already completed GTAP or go without GA support.
GAs whose first language is not English must also participate in an Oral English Proficiency Screening (OEPS) with a clinician in the Speech and Hearing Clinic. Students who fail the Oral Presentation may not have student contact and may be limited to duties with no student contact, such as grading. OGSAF will work with the student to provide a retesting option for OEPS at the end of term.
Students who do not successfully complete GTAP are prohibited from continuing as GAs.
