Coordinating TAs for Marking Instructional Support Group School of CS, University of Waterloo

2 Graduate Student’s Perspective on TA Duties A single TA unit is an average 5 hours work per week TA duties are assigned to students as a means of providing monetary support; there is no “application” process Graduate students often take courses with their own assignments and projects Many grad students have families TA duties are not the student’s only commitment TA duties are not necessarily the highest priority

3 Outcomes Familiarity with course material Familiarity with learning objectives, delivery schedule Meetings, exam-related duties Deadlines Accessibility/contact Absences - illness, conferences

4 Problem-Solving - obtain other contact info (besides ) at the beginning of the term - hold regular meetings - send reminders for upcoming meetings - inform TAs about deadlines and examination dates as early as possible - ask about any planned conferences or assignments Make all expectations of the TAs clear at the beginning of the term. (e.g. TAs to read daily; to confirm receipt if necessary; average 5 hours per week) What can you do if it happens anyway? You are unable to find the TA; TA doesn’t show up for a meeting or a lab.

5 Problem-Solving cont’d - emphasize effects on students - set early deadlines - send reminder What can you do if it happens anyway? Assignments are not returned on time.

6 Problem-Solving cont’d - hold marking meetings - make sure TAs understand marking schemes - mark a few papers before the meeting What can you do if it happens anyway? TA does a poor job of marking. (For example, TA marks an answer as right when not sure about its correctness so doesn’t have to justify the marking to the students.)

7 Problem-Solving cont’d - Ask TA to keep track of hours spent (usually works out at the end) - If regularly over, maybe adjust the work load (bring it to your ISC’s attention if necessary) - Try to assign questions based on known TA strengths, weaknesses, and experience TA complains of work-load. What can you do?

8 Problem-Solving cont’d - start marking in the marking meeting - let all TAs know marking scheme clarifications - divide workload by questions instead of by students TA’s marking is inconsistent.

9 Top Ten Tips for TA Management 1.Communicate all expectations clearly and regularly. 2.Give lots of warning about marking meetings and deadlines, proctoring dates. 3.Send reminders about meetings, exam proctoring or marking. 4.Set consistent and reasonable deadlines for returning marked papers. 5.Provide, if possible, a schedule at the beginning of the term that shows how the 80 hours of work will be spread over the term. 6.Keep notes of work done by the TAs so that you can contribute to the evaluations for the TAs at the end of the term. 7.Encourage TAs to communicate any problems with the marking scheme to you as soon as possible so that any clarifications can be passed on to everyone. 8.Solicit individual feedback from TAs especially those who don’t ask questions. 9.Keep in mind that TAs are graduate students whose first priority is their graduate work. 10.Bring any problems with the TAs to the attention of your ISC so he/she can follow up on it.

10 Sample TA Evaluation Form *Rating Category Industriousness Reliability & Responsibility Ability to Assist Students Preparation (before labs, etc.) Knowledge of Material Punctuality (lab attendance, returning marked papers, etc.) English Language Fluency Overall Rating * 6 = Excellent; 5 = Very Good; 4 = Good; 3 = Poor; 2 = Unacceptable; 1 = Insufficient Opportunity to Observe Remarks:

11 Thank you!