In Lectures

One, two, or more teaching assistants (TAs) are usually assigned to classes with large enrollments. Traditionally, the professors organize the course and lecture, while TAs guide students in discussion or lab sections. One of CTE's initiatives is to encourage faculty to view TAs as future professors and to become involved in their training and development as teachers. Encourage (or require) TAs to attend the lectures. When TAs attend lectures, students view you and them as a united front. TA attendance also increases students' chances for instructor contact. Involve your TAs in the planning of your lectures to give them a chance to see how a lecture is constructed--a process they may engage in soon enough themselves. Another reason to have TAs attend lectures is that students frequently comment that when TAs lack familiarity with the lecture content it decreases the usefulness of the discussion section. Have TAs help during small group work. TAs can help facilitate brief, small-group discussions or encourage students to stay on task. They can be an additional set of eyes and ears as to how the class went. Try switching roles for a week. For a week, invite your TAs to guest lecture while you run the discussion sections. In addition to giving everyone change of pace, lecturing provides TAs with valuable experience and gives you a chance to have greater contact with the students.

In Discussion and Lab Sections

Discussion and lab sections provide undergraduates opportunities to engage more actively with the course material. These sections also give graduate students an opportunity to develop their teaching style and skills. It is as important to facilitate a TA's development as a teacher as it is to train him or her as a researcher. Weekly meetings with TAs create a forum for discussing issues that they face throughout the semester. One useful technique in TA training is to pair a more experienced TA with a less experience done. Since TAs will be creating their own lesson plans for each recitation section, you might also consider including them in your planning process. If you don't have a TA, invite an undergraduate who has previously taken the course and done well to be an "undergraduate teaching assistant" who will help you with the operations of the course and act as a liaison to provide feedback from the students. The undergraduate TA could participate formally through the UTA program (described below) or on an informal basis. In addition, the Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Program selects students to work with faculty mentors for whom they provide teaching assistance while they learn about teaching. Students earn credit for their participation in the program. Eligibility requirements include junior standing, a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0, and an A in the course in which the UTA is assisting. For further information, contact UTA Coordinator at 301-314-1287.

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