New TAs

Talk to the teaching team (instructor and other TAs, if applicable) on the types of activities that should be done and the level of consistency that is required across sections taught by different TAs. 

• Ask your instructor and fellow TAs if they have resources from previous quarters that you can use…

• ...Or plan to collaborate as a teaching team to prepare something new together.

Your grading responsibilities will depend on the class, and may include essays, tests, quizzes, homework assignments, discussion forums, lab reports, etc. 

• Be prepared to provide feedback on written work (essay and short-answer questions) to help students improve on future assignments.

• Use Gauchospace or GradeScope for quizzes and exams with multiple question types, including digital and handwritten work where applicable.

• Before the exam: You may be asked to print exams, scoring sheets, and/or collect them from a printing service. Be sure to understand the protocols for proctoring.

• During the exam: You will distribute exams and/or scoring sheets to students and circulate the room to monitor progress and answer questions. 

You will need to keep a gradebook and organize your lesson plans and other teaching or grading materials electronically and/or physically. Download your course rosters via eGrades  or GauchoSpace as an Excel sheet. Create your own private gradebook to track student progress and/or use the Gauchospace gradebook so students can also track their own progress in the course. 

You will need to create a variety of teaching materials, which could include syllabi, visual aids, handouts, communication channels, and GauchoSpace activities or assessments (for the course and/or for your sections).

• Use our checklist for Day 1 of Section to get started, and browse through the Course Planning section of our website for more information.

During office hours you answer student questions, assist with homework, and handle student issues as they arise. 

• Typically two office hours per week, online and/or in-person (check with Instructor). 

• “Drop-In” style: You can set it up in a single block of two consecutive hours, or spread out your hours over two days, one hour each. 

• “Pre-Booked” style: Have 15 minute appointment slots available for students to book ahead of time, adding up to two hours. Try the Gauchospace Scheduler or Google Calendar appointments, which are both supported by UCSB.

You should attend all lectures with your students to keep apprised of instructional material, answer questions, or facilitate review sessions. If you aren’t required to attend lectures and do not consider yourself a content “expert”, ask your instructor how you might best prepare for the section. And remember: your general knowledge of the discipline gives you enough background to prepare to teach your novice students.

Keep up with all reading assigned to students. Note content that could be confusing and places that link directly to course assignments. Use those notes to plan learning activities for section.

• Your instructor should provide you with a free copy of any required teaching material (textbooks, course readers, etc.). 

Under the UC Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harrassment, TAs are not considered a “confidential resource” and are thus required to report sexual violence, sexual harrassment, or other conduct prohibited by the policy to a Title IX officer. This means that if a student (undergraduate OR graduate) reports to you, while you are operating in your role as TA, that they have experienced any of the above, you are obligated to report it. 

• If you you would like more information on how to respond to disclosures from students, The Office of Title IX and Sexual Harassment Policy Compliance has created this TA Guide. In addition, there are many other resources on campus that are available for TAs who need to talk or need assistance, some of which have phone lines available for 24/7 support: Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), Office of the Ombuds, Campus Advocacy, Resources, & Education (CARE; not mandated reporters), Student Mental Health Coordination Services, Student Health Social Work Services.