Things We Know Now That We Wish We'd Known Then...

1. General planning:

• Rely on the experiences of other TAs - you don't have to reinvent the wheel (especially when you have sole responsibility for a course)
  - Example: The Classics department maintains files of course syllabi and materials that are available to all TAs

• Have a clear set of learning objectives - ask, "What do I want my students to know by the end of this course?"

• Assessment should be closely tied to learning objectives - how will you determine that students have achieved your learning objectives?

2. Grading strategies:

• If you are a TA for a faculty-led course, discuss their expectations for grading. If you have full responsibility for a course, consult with other faculty members and TAs who have taught that course. Aspects to consider:
  -What does a 3.5 mean in the context of your course? A 4.0?
  -How will grading issues and disputes be handled?
  -How will issues of plagiarism and academic dishonesty be handled?
  -What will your policy be for late assignments and incompletes?

• Once your grading standards are established, communicate them clearly to your students. Then follow your standards consistently.

• For each assignment/assessment, tell students why they are doing the assignment, and on what criteria the assignment will be graded

• When writing exams, think about your learning objectives and what proficiencies you want your students to demonstrate.

• Create an answer key to exams before you pass them out

• You don't have to correct or comment on everything in an assignment

• Give yourself time to grade assignments, but have them back to students in a reasonable period of time (for example, if you lead a discussion section that meets once a week, have assignments graded by the next class period).

• Prepare a sheet for the class that describes some of the key/common errors or misconceptions that arose in the assignment. Provide both good and bad examples to help students improve their own writing. This will allow you to focus your comments on individual assignments to more specific feedback (both positive and negative)

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