1 Teaching Assistant Orientation Sponsored by: Center for Instructional Excellence (CIE) Committee for the Education of Teaching Assistants (CETA) Before.

1

Teaching Assistant OrientationTeaching Assistant Orientation

Sponsored by:Sponsored by:

Center for Instructional Excellence (CIE)Center for Instructional Excellence (CIE)

Committee for the Education of Teaching Assistants (CETA)Committee for the Education of Teaching Assistants (CETA)

Before We Get Started …• Sign in on computers• Take lime green survey form out of packet• Complete Pre-Survey side of the form

Facilitators

• Name–Department

2

3

Managing Teaching Managing Teaching Assistant ResponsibilitiesAssistant Responsibilities

4

Goal:To efficiently and effectively manage the different roles and responsibilities you may face as a Teaching Assistant.

Objectives:1. List strategies for creating and maintaining effective

relationships with students and Faculty Supervisors.

2. Identify strategies for handling/minimizing disruptive classroom behavior.

3. Discuss the advantages and limitations of communicating with students via email.

4. Identify appropriate policies and successful strategies for facilitating effective communication with students via email.

5. Describe successful strategies for answering student questions during office hours.

6. Identify successful strategies for grading student assignments.

5

Objectives:1. List strategies for creating and maintaining effective

relationships with students and Faculty Supervisors.

2. Identify strategies for handling/minimizing disruptive classroom behavior.

3. Discuss the advantages and limitations of communicating with students via email.

4. Identify appropriate policies and successful strategies for facilitating effective communication with students via email.

5. Describe successful strategies for answering student questions during office hours.

6. Identify successful strategies for grading student assignments.

6

Tips for Establishing & Maintaining Relationship with Faculty Supervisor• At the beginning

– Discuss responsibilities and expectations– Share your class schedule and other

commitments

• Communicate regularly

• Unsure of something? – Ask

• Report and document disruptive, threatening, and disrespectful student behavior 7

Tips for Establishing & Maintaining Relationship with Faculty Supervisor• Be a liaison between your students and

your Faculty Supervisor– Toward the Faculty Supervisor

• Share student criticisms

– Toward the Students• Offer students rationales • Offer students constructive suggestions

– Support a positive course environment• Refrain from joining in criticisms

8

Objectives:1. List strategies for creating and maintaining effective

relationships with students and Faculty Supervisors.

2. Identify strategies for handling/minimizing disruptive classroom behavior.

3. Discuss the advantages and limitations of communicating with students via email.

4. Identify appropriate policies and successful strategies for facilitating effective communication with students via email.

5. Describe successful strategies for answering student questions during office hours.

6. Identify successful strategies for grading student assignments.

9

10

What are disruptive classroom behaviors?

Introducing…

Tom Turpin

Professor of Entomology

“The Bug Man”

Video

11

Disruptive Classroom Behaviors• Arriving late

• Eating in class

• Talking in class

• Tending to personal needs

• Making inappropriate comments

• Engaging in activities not related to class

• Sleeping

• Leaving early

Questions

A. Arriving late / leaving early

B. In lab, frustration with experiment leads a team to start moving around and asking other teams for their results

C. Engaging in activities not related to lab or class

1. In what way(s) is this behavior disruptive to learning in the lab?

2. How would you handle this problem if it happened in your lab?

3. How can this problem be prevented?

12

Disruptive Behaviors

13

Tips for Handling Disruptive Behavior

• Prevention is key– Decide what is disruptive to you and

inform your class, orally and in writing

• Enforce rules that you establish

• Handle problems in least severe way possible first

Objectives:1. List strategies for creating and maintaining effective

relationships with students and Faculty Supervisors.

2. Identify strategies for handling/minimizing disruptive classroom behavior.

3. Discuss the advantages and limitations of communicating with students via email.

4. Identify appropriate policies and successful strategies for facilitating effective communication with students via email.

5. Describe successful strategies for answering student questions during office hours.

6. Identify successful strategies for grading student assignments.

14

15

Tips for Managing Email

1. Respond as quickly as possible.

2. Ask students to include the course # in the subject line.

3. Explicitly communicate expectations about email contact to students.

4. Save all email contacts.

16

Tips for Managing Email (cont…)

5. If a student emails you in anger,a) assess reason

b) wait to respond

c) stay professional

d) meet with the student

Objectives:1. List strategies for creating and maintaining effective

relationships with students and Faculty Supervisors.

2. Identify strategies for handling/minimizing disruptive classroom behavior.

3. Discuss the advantages and limitations of communicating with students via email.

4. Identify appropriate policies and successful strategies for facilitating effective communication with students via email.

5. Describe successful strategies for answering student questions during office hours.

6. Identify successful strategies for grading student assignments.

17

Office Hours

• “Give a person a fish…”

• Ask them questions

• Lead them towards the answer

• There isn’t always 1 correct way to get to the answer– Have them explain how they got where

they are18

Objectives:1. List strategies for creating and maintaining effective

relationships with students and Faculty Supervisors.

2. Identify strategies for handling/minimizing disruptive classroom behavior.

3. Discuss the advantages and limitations of communicating with students via email.

4. Identify appropriate policies and successful strategies for facilitating effective communication with students via email.

5. Describe successful strategies for answering student questions during office hours.

6. Identify successful strategies for grading student assignments.

19

20

Tips for Grading

1. Maintain an accurate and up-to-date record of all student grades

2. Tell students how much a question/ assignment/exam is worth

3. Clarify policies regarding partial credit, late submissions and re-grades

21

Tips for Grading (cont…)

4. Develop a grading rubric

5. Discuss rubrics with fellow TAs if more than one TA does the grading

6. Provide timely and sufficient feedback on assignments/exams

7. Know the policies regarding student privacy rights

Before We Conclude

• Complete Post-Survey items 5-7 on lime green survey form

22