Physics TA Training Session TA Orientation Meeting Spring

Physics TA Training Session Becoming a Better Teacher Ask professors and experienced TAs for advice. Dont be afraid to take a class or two in the education department. –I highly recommend 07P:217 Seminar in College Teaching taught by Mitch Kelley. The Office of Graduate Teaching Excellence: – 2

Physics TA Training Session Event Announcement "Teaching-Training opportunities for physics and astronomy graduate students" –3:30 Tuesday Feb 11 in 309 VAN – Lisa Kelly, Associate Director, Center for Teaching All graduate students (whether currently teaching or not) are encouraged to attend. 3

Physics TA Training Session Lab Computers All lab computers are now on the Active Directory system –Students log in using Hawk ID Campus IT is still working on getting all of our software and templates installed and working properly. 4

Physics TA Training Session Rules, Rules, and More Rules… The University of Iowa is a large institution made up of many different colleges. –The larger and more complex the organization, the larger the number of policies. –There is a University of Iowa Operations Manual (Its massive), but most colleges have their own particular policies as well. –In particular, I will focus on physics lab policies. Why should we be aware of and follow these policies? –They protect the students. –Following the polices protects instructors (That means you!) in the case of lawsuits. If you dont follow University or departmental policies, you and/or the University could be found liable. 5

Physics TA Training Session Useful Links College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: – University of Iowa Operations Manual: – Office of Equal Opportunity & Diversity: – Laboratory Policies for Physics TAs: – Laboratory Policies.docxhttp://www2.physics.uiowa.edu/~amoeller/TA_Materials/Physics Laboratory Policies.docx This Presentation: – psxhttp://www2.physics.uiowa.edu/~amoeller/TA_Materials/TA_Training_Fall2014.p psx 6

Physics TA Training Session Physics Lab Policies Attendance at the TA training session at the beginning of the semester is mandatory. a copy of your lab syllabus to anthony- –Include the title of the lab manual and the lab schedule. Friday afternoon lab meetings (meetings for a few courses may be on other days) are mandatory. –These meetings are important for both new and experienced TAs. Substantial changes are sometimes made to labs that experienced TAs have taught in the past. –Discuss problems with previous weeks lab. 7

Physics TA Training Session Lab Policies, Cont. You must do the lab and fill out the lab report. –They are due in the holder outside of VAN 203 on Mondays at 10:00 am. If you have done the lab yourself, you are much better prepared to teach that lab. –I will be grading your lab reports on a 10 point scale. The results will be given to Aaron at the end of the semester. –Fall 2013 scores slipped a little. Analysis questions If you dont turn in your report, you get a 0! 8

Physics TA Training Session Lab Policies, Cont. Turn in lab cards at the end of each semester. –You must fill out a lab card for each student which contains their name and grades for each lab. Blank lab cards are available in 203. Turn in completed lab cards to 203 at the end of the semester. 9

Physics TA Training Session Lab Policies, Cont. Lab Group Sizes – VAN 262 is now set up for groups of 3. –Optimal group size for other rooms is still 2. Dont read the newspaper or use a laptop computer, cell phone, MP3 player, etc. during lab. –Walk around the room instead. Students will ask you questions if you make yourself available. 10

Physics TA Training Session 11 BE ON TIME!

Physics TA Training Session Lab Policies, Cont. Being on time does not mean arriving at the scheduled lab time. Being on time means arriving early enough to START the lab at the scheduled lab time. –Be present and have the lab unlocked 5-10 minutes before lab is scheduled to start. 12

Physics TA Training Session Lab Policies, Cont. Instead of having the students turn the lab report in at the front of the room, have them leave the report at their bench. –Makes assigning cleanup points easier. Avoid letting lab go longer than the allotted 2 hrs. 50 min. Please lock the door when you leave lab. 13

Physics TA Training Session Emergencies Fire Alarm: Exit the building. Use the stairs, not the elevator. Tornado Siren: Take students to basement hallway. Avoid windows. Minor Injuries: Use first aid kit in the room. Report incident to me. Major Injuries: Call 911, use the first aid kit if applicable. Contact me as soon as possible (Tending to injured student should be priority). Unruly Student: Ask student to leave. If that doesnt work, depending on the perceived level of threat to you or other students, contact me or University of Iowa Department of Public Safety. Contact numbers in case of emergency: –Emergency: 911 –University of Iowa Department of Public Safety ( Non-Emergency): –Anthony Moeller (Laboratory Coordinator): Office: Cell: (Call, DO NOT text) –Professor Mary Hall Reno (Physics Department Chair): –Environmental Health & Safety: