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orientation-announcement

Subject: CS 3100 TA Training Sessions - January 5 & 6 + Weekly Staff Meetings

Hi everyone,

Happy New Year! I hope you had a restful break. We're excited to kick off the semester and get everyone oriented and ready to go.

TL;DR: Please plan to attend one of our two training sessions next week. Zoom links will arrive via calendar invite. Weekly staff meetings begin Thursday, January 9th.

One-Time Training Sessions​

We're holding two identical training sessions to accommodate different schedules:

SessionDateTime
Option 1Monday, January 5th12:00 - 1:00 PM EST
Option 2Tuesday, January 6th4:00 - 5:00 PM EST

You're strongly encouraged to attend one of these sessions. Both sessions will cover the same material, so just pick whichever works best for your schedule. You'll receive a calendar invite with the Zoom link shortly.

Can't make either session? We understand—life happens! We'll share recordings and notes afterwards so you can catch up asynchronously.

Training Agenda​

  1. Introductions — Meet your fellow TAs and instructors
  2. Staff Organization Overview — We'll discuss the high-level roles TAs can take on this semester, including lead positions and specialized responsibilities
  3. Pawtograder Platform Overview — Our course operations software that integrates with:
    • GitHub — You'll get access to our staff repository where we maintain our internal documentation
    • Discord — You'll be added to our server with appropriate roles to view staff-only channels
  4. Platform Demos — Quick walkthrough of:
    • How office hours work in Pawtograder
    • How the discussion board works in Pawtograder

Weekly Staff Meetings​

Starting the following week, we'll have weekly staff meetings on Thursdays from 12:00 - 1:00 PM EST. We are aware that this time will not work for everyone - there was no single time that worked for everyone, so we're trying to find a time that works for most people.

Same expectations apply: attendance is strongly encouraged, and we'll make recordings and notes available for anyone who can't attend a particular week. We will heavily rely on Discord for communication and coordination outside of these all-hands meetings.

Want to Get a Head Start?​

If you have some time before the training and want to explore, you can get set up now:

  1. Log in to Pawtograder and link your GitHub account (if you haven't already)

  2. Access our staff resources (requires linking your GitHub account to Pawtograder):

  3. Connect Pawtograder to Discord:

    • In Pawtograder, click "Course Settings" → "Discord" → "Connect to Discord"
    • Note: This is an alpha feature we're testing—the workflow is a bit clunky right now, but it should work!

This is totally optional before the training—we'll walk through all of this during the session. But if you're eager to explore the staff docs and get connected early, go for it!

After the Training​

Once you've attended a training session, here's what comes next:

  1. Think about roles — Reflect on which specialized roles interest you most. We'll have more details during training, but you can preview our thinking in the staff organization docs once you have access.

  2. HR Onboarding & Scheduling — Connect with Tim, our Academic Coordinator, to complete HR onboarding and set up your office hours schedule.

  3. Get Connected (if you haven't already)

    • Log in to Pawtograder and link your GitHub and Discord accounts
    • Join our Discord server — this is our primary communication channel
    • Access the staff repository on GitHub for internal docs and resources

  4. Communication Preferences — Please use Discord for all staff communication going forward. Only use email if you're having trouble getting onto Discord.

Looking forward to seeing everyone next week!

Warm regards,

Prof. Bell (on behalf of Profs. Spertus, Vesely, Lee, and Shesh)