Teaching Assistant Guide

  1. Responsibilities and Expectations of the Department
    1. Duties Expected of a Teaching Assistant
      The Department will provide a clear statement of the duties expected of Teaching Assistants.
    2. Training
      The Department will provide an initial Teaching Assistant Training Program and will encourage continuous improvement of teaching through supervision by Faculty and participation in appropriate College and Campus programs.
    3. Assignment of Workload
      An appropriate workload will be assigned to each Teaching Assistant by the Chair of the Department of Geology before the start of the semester. For TAs assigned to teach GEOL 110 or GEOL 120, the specific sections will be assigned by the coordinating Professor or Senior Teaching Assistant after individual class schedules are available.
    4. Supervision
      Teaching Assistants are supervised by the individual Professor responsible for a class, the Professor or Senior Teaching Assistant responsible for the coordination of GEOL 110 sections, or the coordinating Professor for the discussion sections associated with GEOL 120. The Supervisor will be named in the letter from the Chair of the Department of Geology assigning workload.
    5. Course Content
      Although the content of its courses is the Department's responsibility, on a semester-by-semester basis this responsibility is delegated to individual Faculty.
    6. Evaluation
      The Department requires student evaluation of teaching, encourages the use of peer-review/Faculty review of class performance and will provide appropriate opportunities for improvement of teaching in response to deficiencies identified through evaluation.
    7. Dealing With Problems
      1. Issues or disputes that cannot be resolved between the class or an individual student and the Teaching Assistant should be referred to the Supervisor. If the issue or dispute cannot be resolved by the Supervisor, then it should be referred to the Chair of the Department.
      2. Issues or disputes between the Teaching Assistant and the Supervisor should be referred to the Chair of the Department.
  2. Responsibilities and Expectations of Faculty
    1. Duties
      Duties assigned by Faculty to Teaching Assistants must relate to course content.
    2. Training
      Although it is not the responsibility of Faculty to provide teacher training, it is the responsibility of Faculty to provide appropriate guidance and advice, and to assist the Teaching Assistant in the process of learning to be a superior teacher.
    3. Assignment of Workload
      See 1.3 above.
    4. Supervision
      It is the responsibility of Faculty to provide adequate supervision of Teaching Assistants.
    5. Course Content
      Although on a semester-by-semester basis the course content is the responsibility of the Faculty, the Supervisor and Teaching Assistant have a shared responsibility to ensure a high-quality educational experience for students in the class.
      1. Normally, the syllabus and general content of weekly class meetings will be agreed at a meeting between the Professor and the Teaching Assistant(s) BEFORE the start of the semester.
      2. For GEOL 110, the syllabus and general content of each laboratory class will be agreed at a meeting between the Professors teaching GEOL 100, the Professor or Senior Teaching Assistant responsible for coordination of the GEOL 110 sections and the assigned Teaching Assistants BEFORE the start of the semester. It is the responsibility of the coordinating Professor or Senior Teaching Assistant meeting with the Teaching Assistants each week to ensure a common content of fundamental knowledge week by week and a high-quality educational experience for students in each section of GEOL 110.
      3. For GEOL 120, the syllabus and general content of each discussion topic will be agreed at a meeting between the Professors teaching GEOL 120 and the assigned Teaching Assistants BEFORE the start of the semester. It is the responsibility of the Professors meeting with the Teaching Assistants each week to ensure a common content of fundamental knowledge week by week and a high-quality educational experience for students in each discussion section of GEOL 120. For consistency in any one semester, overall supervision of the Teaching Assistants and resolution of disputes between Teaching Assistants and students are the responsibility of the coordinating Professor.
    6. Evaluation
      It is the responsibility of the Professor to review class performance by a Teaching Assistant if requested, and to provide appropriate feedback.
    7. Dealing With Problems
      1. Issues or disputes that cannot be resolved between the class or an individual student and the Teaching Assistant should be referred to the Supervisor. If the issue or dispute cannot be resolved by the Supervisor, then it should be referred to the Chair of the Department.
      2. Issues or disputes between the Teaching Assistant and the Supervisor should be referred to the Chair of the Department.
  3. Responsibilities and Expectations of Teaching Assistants
    1. Duties
      A Teaching Assistantship involves an average of 20 hours/week divided between classroom time, preparation, grading, office hours and other tasks related to the course assignment. From time to time a Teaching Assistant may be asked to help the Department in other ways (e.g., proctoring exams for large classes). Teaching Assistants are assigned to courses with the principal responsibility of teaching; normally they are not expected to undertake work unrelated to delivery of the assigned courses.
    2. Training
      1. The Department of Geology requires new Teaching Assistants to attend the Campus-Wide TA Orientation and to attend the one-day Department of Geology Teaching Assistant Training Program and Graduate Program Policy Review.
      2. The Department of Geology expects Teaching Assistants to meet regularly with the Professor responsible for the class in which the TA is providing assistance. For the TAs teaching GEOL 110 or GEOL 120, attendance at the weekly meetings of the TA group with the coordinator is mandatory. Issues of pedagogy as they relate to the delivery of Geology classes should be discussed at these meetings.
      3. The Department of Geology encourages Teaching Assistants to attend appropriate seminars offered by the Center for Teaching Excellence.
    3. Assignment of Workload
      See 1.3 above.
    4. Supervision
      See 1.4 above.
    5. Course Content
      See 2.5 above.
    6. Evaluation
      1. The Department of Geology requires Teaching Assistants to use the standard College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences Evaluation Form for class participants.
      2. The Department of Geology encourages Teaching Assistants to use peer review and Faculty review of class performance.
    7. Dealing With Problems
      1. Issues or disputes that cannot be resolved between the class or an individual student and the Teaching Assistant should be referred to the Supervisor. If the issue or dispute cannot be resolved by the Supervisor, then it should be referred to the Chair of the Department.
      2. Issues or disputes between the Teaching Assistant and the Supervisor should be referred to the Chair of the Department.