Arriving in a new country and learning a new language isn’t easy.

And if you are expected to begin teaching a class within days of your arrival, the adjustment could be greater.

This scenario is a familiar one to many international teaching assistants who arrive at MSU during the summer before they begin teaching courses.

To help with their training process, several programs developed by MSU have been updated to accommodate growing numbers of TAs involved.

“TAs have a really important responsibility, and when they get good training and good attention from the faculty, they can do a good job,” said William Rittenberg, coordinator of the International Teaching Assistant Program.

All international TAs at MSU are required to attend a university-sponsored training workshop before classes start to learn rules and regulations on campus.

While the length of this orientation was extended to three weeks two years ago, the Teaching Assistant Summer English Program was also added for more in-depth language training. The program began in summer of 1998 and has continued every summer since.

The five-week session allows TAs to work with instructors for four hours every day, and an English proficiency exam must be passed before teaching is allowed.

“It’s a much gentler beginning to have TAs getting settled the month before classes start,” Rittenberg said. “Many of them who wouldn’t normally clear the requirement are able to clear it. Better orientation allows so that they’re available to teach right away, which represents economical savings at the university. I think that’s a fairly major change.”

Although only TAs who teach in the mathematics, chemistry and statistics and probability departments are involved in the program, Rittenberg said the involvement of other university departments would be beneficial.

“It’s really valuable to have international students and graduate students in many ways,” he said. “Even if we didn’t think of it as valuable, we absolutely would have to recruit international students in order to maintain a system of graduate education and teaching.”

Lisa Dillingham, an administrative assistant in the Department of Chemistry’s graduate office, said the English training program has been a useful resource, aside from the regular orientation session.

“The orientation that the university offers is a group of all international TAs on campus, but (the English program) is one-on-one with an instructor,” she said.

“We feel it provides more definite and precise training for the students.”

Only seven students participated during the first summer the program was offered, but it has grown to have 50 students last summer, with the majority able to teach this fall.

TAs who do not pass the English proficiency exam can also benefit from the Technology Enhanced Accent Modification program.

“TEAM is a computer-based program that helps international students to evaluate their own speaking patterns and sounds,” said Barbara Steidle, assistant provost for undergraduate education. “And by the various displays on the computer, they can look and see how they might be more effective in their pronunciation.”

Chemistry graduate student Zhen Xu participated in the English training program last summer and now teaches an organic chemistry course. He said his students have been happy with his teaching ability in the class.

“Sometimes they cannot understand what I’m saying,” he said. “But they are quite patient. Most of my students are very friendly.”