DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS, OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
This handbook is one of many means to assist you to become a better and more confident teaching assistant. It provides some basic information about matters particular to the OSU physics department, but also contains some guidelines about the art and science of teaching. It is currently posted on the Physics Department website in pdf format at http://www.physics.oregonstate.edu/files/TAhandbook.pdf.
If you are reading this document in electronic form, you should find that links to external url's are active. There are currently no internal links within the document, and unfortunately the page numbers restart from Page 1 in each chapter. However, each chapter is an individual pdf document whose icon you should be able to click on. For example in Adobe Acrobat, each chapter appears as a document in the “bookmarks” section. Future editions will have better navigation features.
Contents:
The Physics Department offers several courses in which graduate students assist the instructor in various teaching roles. There are usually 20 –25 teaching assistants (TAs) depending on which courses are running. The courses listed below are those in which TAs are employed, but each course may not necessarily constitute a complete assignment. The department may also employ graduate students on an hourly basis to assist with grading in upper-division or graduate theory courses.
TAs are appointed term by term, each term consisting of 13 weeks:
Fall: Sep 16 – Dec 15
Winter: Dec 16 – Mar 15
Spring: Mar 16 – June 15
A full-TA appointment in the Physics department is considered a 0.4 FTE appointment, and a half-TA appointment is 0.2 FTE (FTE = full time equivalent ). No student may be employed at greater than 0.49 FTE. A 0.4 FTE appointment requires a maximum commitment of 208 hours per pay period. (See the Coalition of Graduate Employees webpage at http://oregonstate.edu/admin/hr/gradstud/home.html).
Compensation includes a full tuition waiver for TAs with a 0.2 FTE or greater appointment and a stipend. Stipends are paid at the end of each calendar month for the work performed in that calendar month. Note that the first portion of Winter and Spring pay periods are during the break between classes in winter and spring respectively. The University does not recognize these as breaks for employees.
The work load does not fall evenly on a weekly basis. You should spread preparation work out to lower the peak burden. Remember to budget time for midterm and final exam grading in those weeks. Below is an approximate schedule, but adjust for the fact that the 15th of the month (last day of pay period) is not always a Friday (last day of academic term), and that winter break is 2 weeks and spring break is 1 week.
WEEK RESPONSIBILITIES
*Week -1 -
*Week 0 Orientation (Fall)
Week 1 1st week of class (TA meet, no lab/rec, no OH)
Week 2-9 Full swing (lab, rec, OH, TA meet, 2 midterm exams)
Week 10 Dead week (OH, rec, makeup lab, TA meet)
Week 11 Finals (OH, proctor, grade, no lab/rec)
(*Fall term only)
Below is an approximate* time distribution for the average TA in introductory courses:
Activity Per week or per exam Total (hr) Comment
Lab/rec 6-9 54-81 9 lab weeks
OH 2 20 10 OH weeks
Prep 3 27 9 prep weeks Grading/admin 3 27 9 weeks TA meet 1 10 10 class weeks Exam proctor 3 9 3 exams Exam grading 9 27 3 exams Additional tasks 34-7 See below TOTAL 208 * PH201/2/3 lab has 4 sections @ 2hrs/section; PH211/2/3 lab has 3 sections @ 3hr/section. Recitation has 6 sections @ 1 hr /section. One lab week is a makeup lab for which no preparation is required. Answers to some questions:
“Additional tasks” in the above table refers to time spent furthering the instruction in that course. Additional tasks may include training and/or extra preparation time for new TAs, mentoring activities for experienced TAs, curriculum development, or administrative assistance for the instructor. Other classes carry different distributions, and typically employ fewer TAs.
If a TA is no longer a student, that TA may be required to refund the University for overpayment in certain cases. One example is if the TA withdraws from the University for just prior to winter term. Salary may have been paid for the last two weeks of December, but the TA will not take up duty for winter term. The salary would be refunded to the University in that case. A second example is that of a TA who holds a thesis defense in the middle of the term, such that the final copy of the thesis is submitted in the middle of a pay period. The TA's compensation ends on the day the thesis is submitted.
First week …….
Welcome to the OSU Physics Department. We look forward to working with you as you assist in teaching the courses we offer, and we hope that you will enjoy teaching. There’s no better way to learn than to teach, so we’re sure this will be a rewarding experience for you. Here are a few things to get you started.
Most incoming students teach in one of the introductory classes listed below either as a lab TA (supervise laboratory sections) or a recitation TA (lead discussion and problem-solving sessions).
PH 201: INTRODUCTORY PHYSICS (Algebra based) Instructor: Christopher Coffin, WGR 283, 737-1697, coffinc@physics.oregonstate.edu First TA meeting: Friday, September 26, 2008, 11-12, Yunker Library
PH 211: INTRODUCTORY PHYSICS (Calculus based) Instructor: Prof. Dedra Demaree, WGR 373, 737-1713, demareed@physics.oregonstate.edu First TA meeting: Friday, September 26, 2008, 11-12, WGR 305
PH 212: INTRODUCTORY PHYSICS (Calculus based) Instructor: David Bannon, WGR 411, 737-8962, bannond@physics.oregonstate.edu First TA meeting: Friday, September 26, 2008, 11-12, WGR 377
PH104: DESCRIPTIVE ASTRONOMY Instructor: Jim Ketter, WGR 315, 737-1712, ketterj@physics.oregonstate.edu First TA meeting: Friday, September 26, 2008, 11-12, WGR 206
PH205: SOLAR SYSTEM ASTRONOMY Not offered Obtain information to prepare for your first lab/rec (which will be in second full week of classes) by doing the following ……
Pro-fes-sion-al-ism n.
You're beginning your career as a professional teacher and scientist, and it's a good idea to think seriously about yourself as a representative of your profession rather than yourself as an individual, a friend, a sibling, or a student. You are employed by the department and the university to teach students, to further their knowledge, to help them develop intellectual skills. You have a responsibility to work very hard to do this well and to constantly improve your own knowledge to do it even better. You have this responsibility towards each and every student in your class.
Honesty and integrity: Above all, you must be scrupulously honest in all matters, and your motives must be beyond question. Expect the same from your students.
Trust: Students must be able to trust you absolutely at all times and under any circumstances. Among other things, you should never share any information about a student without express permission, unless that information is being passed to a fellow professional with a legitimate professional interest in the student.
Fairness: Give all students every opportunity to learn and succeed. This may mean different treatment for students with different preparation, or different skills or deficiencies, but it is never based on personal, gender, racial, or ethnic considerations. In other words, it is only the characteristics relating to the profession that enter into different treatments, and even these different treatments have a common goal: maximizing the opportunities for students and increasing their knowledge and analytical abilities. Personal biases can be subtle. We must always examine and re-examine our professional conduct.
Respect: Students expect to be treated with respect, and in turn, they will respect you. You should never humiliate a student, and even telling students they are wrong is something you should do carefully and gently. Building knowledge is a delicate process, and the resulting edifice is often fragile. You can destroy confidence very easily without intending to. Very often, a student's “wrong” answer is evidence of an interesting thought process that it is your job to analyze and reconstruct.
Reliability: Students have a right to expect that you will do the things you are expected to do in a timely fashion. This means you must always be well prepared, arrive on time, complete grading and other assignments on time, and you must be always fully engaged in your teaching duties during the assigned times.
Judgment: We formulate rules and laws to help us act in the right way, but written rules don't cover every circumstance. We're human, we change, and unforeseen situations arise that we need do deal with. Exercise good judgment, bearing in mind that you are setting precedent. Seek advice, be reasonable, polite, honest, fair, reliable, and respectful.
The above are very general principles. Below are some specifics that guide you within this particular context:
In the introductory courses, the lab equipment, student responsibilities and TA responsibilities vary greatly. In some labs, the students take the measurements, analyze and record the data by hand, while in others computers acquire, analyze and store the data. The latter are called MBL (Microcomputer-Based Laboratories). In some cases, the students are required to read the lab instructions and part of the textbook, and complete a pre-lab assignment before the lab begins. If they don't, then they aren't allowed to do the lab. In others, the students are required only to read the lab instructions and part of the textbook. In some courses, the TAs must check the students' work several times during the lab, and once at the end. The students can't continue the lab procedures until they have had their work checked. In others the TAs only check the students' work after they have completed the lab, unless they explicitly ask to have their work checked earlier. In the Modern Physics lab, the students may even be working on different experiments.
A typical lab:
The TAs are also responsible for guiding the students through the laboratory exercises, explaining how to use the equipment, pointing out dangers and pitfalls, making sure that the students learn as much as possible. The Socratic Method helps students learn the most. It involves asking directed questions instead of giving answers. This is a very subtle skill, and takes lots of practice.
For example, suppose a student has a circuit with two identical light bulbs in series with one another and in parallel with a third identical one, all in parallel with a big battery. The student asks which bulb will glow most brightly. Instead of answering directly, ask the student how much current will flow through each light bulb. If the student claims that current is being used up, then switch to an analogy with a water pump and three waterfalls, and ask the student if the water gets used up as it falls.
It is important to get the students to identify their misconceptions. If you simply tell the students the correct answers, they will think that they understand, and then proceed to make the same mistakes all over again. It's OK to leave students to ponder over a point while you assist other students, but be sure to return to resume the discussion, or you will leave them feeling abandoned and frustrated.
Sometimes everyone seems to have the same problem. In this case, politely interrupt the class and discuss the problem with everyone at once. This will save time for everyone.
You may begin each lab with a short introduction followed by a discussion where the students ask questions.
Preparation and general guidance:
Prepare adequately for each lab. Work through the lab yourself, preferably with the other TAs. Make sure you know how the equipment works and where the potential problems are. Arrive a few minutes before each lab is scheduled to begin. Return the student's work at the beginning of each lab. Write legibly on the board and speak loudly and clearly so that everyone can hear. Create a syllabus and distribute copies at the beginning of the first lab. Learn the names of your students as quickly as possible.
Evaluation of the students' performances varies with the course and instructor. Be sure your instructor has made grading policies clear to you. Be absolutely certain of the policy before your first lab, as you might be grilled on the minutest details of the grading scheme.
Feedback:
The course instructors would appreciate it very much if you would tell them how the labs could be improved. Let them know what works and what doesn't. Providing feedback in a written form works best.
TA: “Any questions?”
Student in front row: “Yeah, problem 10.”
Long silence. 5 students sit with pens poised ready to copy down TA's words of wisdom. 25 look out of the window because they've already done number 10. TA launches into 15-minute explanation.
If you can accomplish scenario #1, great! Don't allow #2 to happen. For most, there's a middle ground that keeps the students interested and serves them well. Many of you will be natural teachers; but you will all have to work hard at it. You are a vital part of the students' learning experience. Students often don't have enough time to absorb the principles that the lecture introduces before the next topic comes along. The lectures usually don't cover any but the simplest problems, so the students are horrified when the homework seems hard, even though they've “understood” the lecture. You have to help by reassuring them that they're not stupid (they aren't; they just think they are). You have to help them distill this knowledge.
In general, you shouldn't try to rederive formulae, or try to summarize what was learned in lecture, unless the students specifically request clarification. It's more beneficial to get some practice using the concepts. Pose conceptual questions that are not of the conventional “problem” type. For example, a conventional “problem” is to find the range of a projectile with initial velocity v and angle theta. To get students thinking, ask them to argue whether or not the range on the moon is different from the range on the earth given the same initial conditions. Some might want to obtain a formula and see how g enters; others might argue that the time to go up and down on the moon is longer because the acceleration is smaller, therefore the range is longer for the same horizontal velocity; yet others might just “feel” that it should be longer on the moon (maybe they've played golf at high altitude!). Your job is to pull out all these valid approaches and make sure that the students understand the physics.
Many texts divide their assignments into “problems” and “questions”. Use both. Often you'll find a “question” that the students can discuss qualitatively relating to a numeric “problem”. How to encourage participation:
Your sections may be relatively large - 30 students, but this is at least smaller than the lecture.
How to keep it interesting:
How to start to be an effective TA:
How are you doing?
Ask experienced TAs if you can sit in on a section or two just to see how it goes. We have some very good teachers among the grad students. Ask the professor to critique your section early on the quarter. He or she will do so later in the quarter, anyway. Some feedback early on will be useful.
Administration:
You have to evaluate the students' performances. This varies with the course and instructor. If you cannot objectively judge a student's performance, for whatever reason, please request that the student or you be reassigned.
The recitations in the PH211/2/3 sequence are graded P/N, and constitute a separate course. Attendance is usually the major criterion, along with two or three 5 to 10-minute quizzes during the term.
The recitations in the PH201/2/3 sequence are part of the course. Different instructors have different policies and you must know what they are. BE VERY SPECIFIC AT THE BEGINNING about what constitutes a passing grade, and stick to it.
Keep good records. It often happens that a student questions grades a term or so later. You will be given a class list - use it as a grade register. Your signature on student work is a good way of verifying later that it was actually done.
Office hours offer the opportunity for perhaps the nicest form of interaction with students: one-on-one with students who are interested and eager to learn (mostly one-on-one, although one often has a group of students, especially if you gain a reputation as a good TA!). Many of the points discussed with respect to the lab and recitations (see accompanying sections) can be applied to interactions with students in your office hours.
How to be effective:
“Well, there's this dog with some mass m and the dog's walking on a boat in the water …. and you're supposed to find …. what ARE you supposed to find?”
This is good. Most of the time, simply identifying WHAT they're supposed to find helps students enormously. Don't help yet. Ask pleasantly, “How did you approach the problem?” If the response is, “Well, I couldn't do it”, ask what the first step might be, and let the student take you through the problem. Save the students from terrible blind alleys, but let them pursue courses that you know will be unproductive for a while. You'll learn something about how they think, and teach them the valuable lesson about how to discover they're in such an alley, and how to get out of it.
Once the students are suitably enlightened (“Gee, I really understand this now - you're much better than Prof. X - why can't YOU teach the lecture?”), take a moment to be happy about the job you've done, defend Prof. X if you're so inclined (No one ever understands fully the first time round!), but most important: tell the students to go home and explain the problem to someone else, or to see if they can redo the problem, without looking at the question (except for details like numbers) OR their solutions.
Many students are disillusioned that they can't figure it out on their own. “Well, I understand it when YOU explain, but I can never do it by myself.” If you have been asking questions to help the student answer, rather than lecturing, you can point out that the student DID, in fact, do much of the work independently. The prodding necessary will decrease as the student's experience increases. Reassure him or her on this point. Do not allow students to take advantage of your willingness to help by effectively completing an assignment for them. Your task is to model analytical thinking and problem solving. If you find yourself in a situation where your good will is being manipulated, seek guidance from an instructor or other mentor.
Part of the TA assignment is assisting the course instructor in grading and proctoring exams. As in all aspects of your TA assignment, the highest standards of professionalism are expected, but it is especially important in the testing process. We try to guide you with as much information as possible, but you will be required to exercise judgment, and we trust you to do this. These instructions are primarily directed to the large lecture series courses, and some variations occur for smaller courses. Exams in a particular course are held simultaneously in different rooms in different buildings during special evening sessions. Grading must be completed in a timely fashion. The instructor expects to return midterm exams no later than one week from the exam date. Final grades must be turned in on the Monday following finals week.
PROCTORING EXAMS:
Common sources of cheating:
GRADING EXAMS:
Other notes:
Some fraction of the tests (randomly chosen) are copied by the office staff. This helps cut down on incidences of cheating. The instructor must have the bubble sheets scanned, receive the number grades, decide on letter grades, and, in the case of the final, process the entire term's grades, so there is still much work to do after you have graded the exams. Please work as fast as possible.
Thank you for helping!
Physicists and people in related “hard science” disciplines like engineering and materials science are overwhelmingly men, and, in the west, white men. Actual numbers are difficult, but it is not unreasonable to estimate that women make up 10-15% of physicists, and that people of color make up an even smaller percentage. This makes issues of minority and gender particularly important to us as educators. All evidence suggests that women and minorities are as capable as anyone else, so we must asses how our actions as educators influence the climate for those who do not make up the majority, and how can we make physics more accessible and welcoming to them?
These issues are discussed in the TA seminar, and here are some general, common-sense observations.
Even the most well-intentioned among us can say offensive things or act insensitively without knowing it. Addressing potential pitfalls in the physics context is important to all graduate students, especially teaching assistants.
Professional courtesy demands politeness and respect under all circumstances. Remember that your interactions with students are not social interactions, but professional ones. Think before you say something, and ask yourself how you would react to the same words under similar circumstances.
Stereotyping of many types is common in our society - racial; gender; professional. Recognize and avoid hurtful stereotyping, even in jest. Consider situations in which you might be in the minority and assumed to be inferior.
One common stereotype is that women and minorities are inherently worse at physics. Even if you don't subscribe to this view, attempts to avoid marginalizing these groups may lead to what might be considered patronizing behavior (are you, as a male or female TA, preferentially helping the women students?), or singling out people (do you ask the one black person in the room all the questions?).
Avoid the elitist “physicists are smarter/better” mindset. Inside jokes can reinforce prejudices (physicist/engineer; etc). There's a place for poking fun at ourselves and even at others, but it is seldom in the classroom.
Sometimes women tend to take on the “secretarial” role in a lab partnership, while men tend to claim the “driver” role and take charge of the lab equipment. It also happens in single gender teams. You should encourage these roles to be reversed if you see this happening. Your task is to ensure equal opportunity for everyone, and to ensure that everyone learns the necessary skills.
Try to ensure that the lone person in the class or lab is connected to a group. Most people benefit from peer interaction. Your first attempt may not work. Keep trying.
These instructions apply to research and teaching labs alike. There are also general safety issues that relate to classroom instruction. Accidents rarely happen, but when they do, it is important that you are prepared. Review this information before your first laboratory or recitation section:
911 from campus telephones reaches Corvallis emergency. 737-7000: Campus emergencies or escort to car or dorm. 737-3010: OSU police at OSU 737-5000: Saferide program 766-6924: Corvallis Police 766-6857: Benton County Sheriff
737-xxxx are OSU campus numbers and are reached by dialing 7-xxx from campus phones. Dial 9 before dialing non-campus local numbers (but not before 911).
Make sure you can give directions to the Physics department and to the particular lab you are in. Weniger Hall is located on Monroe Avenue and SW Memorial Place. It is the tallest building on Monroe and easily visible. The doors closest to most labs are the southeast exit to the parking lot between Weniger Hall and Gilbert Hall, and the southwest exit to the street (Memorial Place) between Weniger Hall and the Student Health Center.
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ehs/index.html A few that may be particularly relevant are listed here (some are powerpoint presentations):
OSU Chemical Hygiene Plan http://oregonstate.edu/ehs/chyp/chp.html
Section 1 - General Safety Rules http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ehs/saferule/safrul1.html
Section 2 - Classroom Safety http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ehs/saferule/safrul2.html
Section 16 - Lab. Safety Rules http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ehs/saferule/safrul16.html
Oregon State University has rules and regulations that must be observed. Below you will find some basic information and a means to gain more information. It is your responsibility to make sure you are informed.
Release of student records:
It is expressly forbidden to release non-directory information about students, even to their parents or to law enforcement agencies. For example, information about gender, SSN number OSU student ID, and even the students' college are protected. It's safest to refer requests to the registrar if you get them. Most important to TAs is that grade information is protected: you are not allowed to post grades by name or ID number, and you must post them in random order by some code known only to you and the student (sometimes the last 4 digits of the OSU ID number).
http://oregonstate.edu/registrar/GuidelinesforReleaseofStudentRecords.html
TAs are formally evaluated by students and by the course instructor each term. They may request informal feedback from students, mentor TAs and instructors at any time.
Student evaluations
The student evaluations are required by the University for all instructors (including TAs) in any course. The students give written answers to a set of questions that you will find in the attached sheets. These comments are anonymous. The instructor summarizes these student evaluations and writes his or her own evaluation, which then becomes a part of the TA’s file.
Evaluations must be done in the 7th week of term (university rule). In the 6th week of the term, you will receive information from the main office about how to assemble a set of the evaluation forms. These forms are in the grad student break room in pockets on the wall, along with envelopes that you must label. Set aside time in class for the students to fill out the sheets. They are not to be filled in at home, and should not leave the room. Ten minutes at the beginning of class should be sufficient. Although the end of class may seem more convenient, the beginning is better, as some students may leave. Distribute the forms, and ask a student volunteer to collect the completed forms and return them to the Physics office WGR 301 immediately, not after the class (it takes no time to run upstairs, and students have been known to forget, and walk off with the evaluations if they wait to the end of class!). If you have an evening lab, instruct the student volunteer to drop the evaluations in the mail slot in the door of WGR 301 (the forms must not go home). LEAVE THE ROOM DURING THE EVALUATION PROCESS. You are not permitted to be present when the evaluations are being filled in, nor may you be in possession of the completed evaluations at any time. Lab TAs: do not stray far from the lab during evaluations – you need to be immediately available if problems arise if students continue their lab work during this time. Check with the main office to be sure that the evaluations were turned in.
The main office has been instructed not to accept individual evaluations that students might try to turn in. If a student has missed an evaluation opportunity, and strongly wishes to turn one in, that student should see the Chair. The student evaluations are usually very frank, and are almost always a reliable indicator of TA performance. Student criticism is usually constructive, and negative comments tactfully stated. However, there are occasionally inappropriate comments, sometimes even hostile ones. If there is cause for concern, consult the instructor or department chair.
Instructor evaluation:
Instructors evaluate your effectiveness as a TA by observing your lab and/or recitation sections, your participation in mentoring activities, and by their interactions with you in meetings and general discussion. They also receive the written student evaluations, and may receive verbal feedback from the students. On the evaluation form (attached), instructors summarize the student written evaluations. They add their own comments on your performance. This evaluation becomes part of your file.
When can you review your evaluations?
The student written evaluations are returned to you after the term is over (ask the instructor for them if you don’t receive them). The instructor evaluation is part of your confidential file, but the instructor should review it with you, letting you know what strong points have been noted and what you need to work on. You are entitled to ask the instructor for feedback on your performance, and are encouraged to do so. If you do not receive the student evaluations or instructor feedback, please discuss the matter with the Graduate Advisor. Instructor evaluation of TA Physics Department, Oregon State University
TEACHING ASSISTANT EVALUATION SUMMARY (To be completed by Instructor)
Course# Section# Date
Lab Recitation (circle one)
Teaching Assistant Course Instructor
A. Summary of student questionnaires.
B. Summary of Instructor's Evaluation.
Instructor: On the reverse is a form to fill in evaluating separate aspects of the TA's performance. The space below is for any comments that do not fit into that format. B. Summary of Instructor’s Evaluation (cont'd) (Instructor: Rate these 7 items, checking any criteria where issues/strengths are noted, commenting as appropriate.)
TA’s Effectiveness as a Teacher
1. Preparation (circle one): —> Exceeds Expectations Meets Exp. Does Not Meet Exp.
___ On time to class? ______________________________________________________
___ Knows the physics? ______________________________________________________
___ Knows the lab manual/text? ______________________________________________________
___ Knows the lab apparatus? ______________________________________________________
___ Knows course policies and news? ______________________________________________________
___ Specific, aligned plan for each session? ______________________________________________________
2. Classroom Management (circle one): —> Exceeds Expectations Meets Exp. Does Not Meet Exp.
___ Uses class time efficiently? ______________________________________________________
___ Distributes individual attention evenly? ______________________________________________________
___ Good rapport with students? ______________________________________________________
___ Adjusts well to circumstances? ______________________________________________________
3. Communications Skills (circle one): —> Exceeds Expectations Meets Exp. Does Not Meet Exp.
___ Legible writing? ______________________________________________________
___ Audible speaking? ______________________________________________________
___ Able to offer multiple explanations? ______________________________________________________
___ Coherent structure to presentations? _____________________________________________________
TA’s Professionalism
4. Preparedness Outside of Class (circle one): → Exceeds Expectations Meets Exp. Does Not Meet Exp.
___ Present/available for full term? ______________________________________________________
___ On time to meetings and events? ______________________________________________________
___ Organized and informed? ______________________________________________________
___ Current and prepared for office hours? ______________________________________________________
5. Contribution to the Course (circle one): —> Exceeds Expectations Meets Exp. Does Not Meet Exp.
___ Fair and conscientious grading? ______________________________________________________
___ Timely and secure reporting? ______________________________________________________
___ Proactive suggestions to improve course? ______________________________________________________
6. Contribution to the Team (circle one): —> Exceeds Expectations Meets Exp. Does Not Meet Exp.
___ Responsive (reachable; prompt replies)? ______________________________________________________
___ Rapport with instructor and fellow TAs? ______________________________________________________
___ Availability for unforeseen needs? ______________________________________________________
___ Leadership/support of fellow TAs? ______________________________________________________
7. Continuing Development (circle one): —> Exceeds Expectations Meets Exp. Does Not Meet Exp.
___ Participation in TA seminar/events? ______________________________________________________
___ Observation of mentors? ______________________________________________________
___ Acting as mentor? ______________________________________________________
Student evaluation of TA Physics Department, Oregon State University
TA NAME:
PH CLASS:
LAB/RECITATION
DAY/SECTION#
Agree or Disagree Questions:
We would like to help you become a more effective teacher, and continue your professional development as a teacher throughout your graduate career. You will find faculty and graduate students friendly and informative on the topic, and do not hesitate to approach them for guidance at any time. However, we also have a more formal process in place that will connect you with mentors.
Opportunities to become a more skilled TA:
We would like to help you become a more effective teacher, and continue your professional development as a teacher throughout your graduate career. Part of the TA assignment will be to spend 4-5 hours per term involved in mentoring activities. In particular this will develop the skills of the new TAs, but in the process, the professional development of the more experienced TAs will also be enhanced.
The particular activities should depend on where you feel you can be most effective, and the faculty, especially the course instructor, will be able to guide you. Examples include:
Normal preparation for your sections, if conducted with others, can be a mentoring activity, but please be very specific about how the mentorship role is demonstrated. Were you specifically working with first-time TAs? Were you and other TAs actively engaged in discussing lab strategy and how to manage the class?
Please help us enhance this program by answering the following questions. This form should be returned by each TA to the course instructor each term. Your comments will be held in confidence if you so request.
NAME: COURSE/TERM:
1. What specific mentor activities did you engage in this term, and how many hours of your assignment did this responsibility take? (continue on reverse if necessary)
2. How were the activities beneficial to your professional development? To that of others? How did they enhance the program at OSU? How can the mentor program be more effective? (continue on reverse if necessary)