Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs)

Welcome to Teaching at Purdue for Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs)! The goal of this section is to provide you with essential information and resources that will aid you in orienting yourself as a graduate teaching assistant here at Purdue University. Whether you are working as a teaching assistant for an instructor or teaching your own class, you will need to orient yourself to the various Purdue sites that will help you on your GTA journey.

General Administration – New Purdue Employees

1. Ensure you have a Purdue career account login and password
2. Ensure you have Microsoft multi-factor identification enabled
3. Activate your email – contact Purdue Information Technology (it@purdue.edu or 765-494-4000)
4. You must complete FERPA training to gain access to Brightspace, Purdue’s learning management system (LMS). To complete FERPA certification, go to the FERPA Certification website. For information about FERPA and dos/don’ts around teaching, see the Academic Regulations path
5. Once you’ve completed FERPA training, you can now access Brightspace (more details below on navigating Brightspace)
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Getting Acquainted with Purdue’s Campus as a Graduate Student

1. View/download the Campus map
2. Virtual campus tour video
3. Videos with advice from your graduate student peers on how to navigate graduate school
4. The Graduate School’s website offers a host of relevant information for you, including a list of key contacts that you will find helpful
5. If you have any concerns during your time as a graduate student, please contact the Ombuds Services office, which is a resource for graduate students to raise questions or concerns about any aspect of their graduate experiences, and seek advice/guidance on such matters. Examples of concerns (but not limited to) that Ombuds Services has addressed include conditions associated with graduate staff appointments, relationships with professors, and academic difficulties
6. If a situation is an emergency (requiring immediate police presence and/or medical assistance) please call 9-1-1 for the police, fire department and/or ambulance service to be dispatched to your location
7. For non-emergencies, please call Purdue University Police Department for assistance at (765) 494-8221 or email them at police@purdue.edu. Examples of non-emergencies include, but are not limited to, witnessing a disturbance on campus, bike theft, vandalism, someone driving recklessly. Here is more information on how to report a crime