1. Establishing a Good Working Relationship with Faculty
Heather Mattie
January 22, 2018
TA Orientation workshop

2. Foundation
Every good relationship requires a solid foundation and regular maintenance
It is essential to think about and discuss your respective roles
A general framing of your relationship
A detailed breakdown of each person’s roles and responsibilities with regard to the students and each other

3. Framing Your Relationship: Roles
Teaching assistant
professor
Senior Learner
Little experience as a teacher or researcher
Basic abilities (operating in survival mode)
Colleague-in-training
Some experience as a teacher or researcher
Ready to think of new ways to teach or do research
Junior Colleague
Significant experience as a teacher or researcher
Ready to make his/her/their own decisions
Manager
“Do the task my way and check back with me”
Expectations should be as clear and detailed as possible
Role Model
Think about the problem, generate options, and let’s discuss potential outcomes
Mentor
You make the decision. Let me know if I can be of help to you. I’m interested in the outcome

4. Reflection What stage of development are you in?
What role would you like your professor to adopt?
Note that this might not be adjustable
What might happen if you two aren’t on the same page?
How would you tell your professor that you would like more guidance or more independence?

5. Clarifying Expectations
You are hired to complete specific teaching-related tasks for a finite number of paid hours
You are not required to do absolutely anything your professor asks with no regard to the nature of the task or the amount of time it takes to complete
You should meet (early!) with your professor to build a detailed breakdown of your duties
What
Who
How
How often

6. Task
Questions to Ask
Meetings
When? Where?
Office Hours
Lab Materials
Who prepares?
If TA prepares, should they have it checked by the professor or other TAs?
Should they be posted online? When/where? By who?
Should they be printed out for students before the lab session?
What if a TA is unable to cover all of the material in lab?
What if a student asks a question I don’t know the answer to?
Homework and Exams
Grading rubric? Who prepares?
How are grades recorded?
If a student has an issue with the due date or grade, who should they go to?
Should the assignment/solutions be posted online? When/where? By who?
How often is homework assigned?
When should TAs have the grading done by?
Are there students with accommodations TAs should be aware of?
Student Issues
When should a TA handle a problem themselves, and when should they refer the student to the head TA or professor?
Availability
If a TA has questions or concerns, should they the professor?
What is the preferred type of communication?

7. Reflection
What would you do if your professor asks you to work extra hours during a certain week and you have your own papers to write or exams to study for?
What tasks are you good at and would like to continue doing?
What tasks require improvement?
What is my overall goal for my own development ?

8. Maintenance

9. Maintenance

10. Maintenance

11. Maintenance

12. Communication

13. Communication Communication should be frequent and open
If regular meetings haven’t been set up, suggest that they be or stop by your professor’s office or send them an with any updates, questions or concerns you may have
Open communication can be difficult, but it’s necessary
Staying silent can allow problems to escalate
Give yourselves permission to make mistakes

14. Reflection
Reasons you might not communicate openly with your professor?
Reasons your professor might not communicate openly with you?

15. Being Proactive
Keep track of tasks you complete and how long it takes to complete them
Keep track of particular situations that have been interesting or challenging
With the students
With teaching/leading a lab
Ask your professor to do an informal mid-semester evaluation for your own benefit
What you are doing well
What you could improve
Shows that you are committed to your professional development

16. Reflection How would you like them to give this feedback?
What parts of your TA duties would you like to get your professor’s feedback on?
How would you like them to give this feedback?
In-person
Survey

17. References
[1] Nyquist, Jody D. & Donald H. Wulff. (1996). Working Effectively with Graduate Assistants. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications.
[2] Arbach, Marla. (2010). Professor and Teaching Assistant: Building a Good Relationship. Center for University Teaching, University of Ottawa.