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Teaching Arts and Humanities Caitlin Larracey
TA Fellow
2015 Graduate TA Orientation
Session Overview
Introductions
Teaching Resources
Duties Inside/Outside the Classroom
Activity: “Slippery Scenarios”
Final Questions
Getting to Know You
Icebreaker: “Two Truths and a Lie”
Why this can work with students:
Requires students to talk to each other and potentially report out (this is of course dependent on class size)
Asks students to think a little creatively: who’s my audience? What will they believe? What will they doubt?
You can further have a discussion about assumptions: why do we think a certain student didn’t do this? Or did?
You can get a diagnostic on the room: tailor the activity to experience in the subject and who can quickly get a sense of the class environment, and students with varying experience might feel more comfortable
Allows you to disclose certain info: play along!
Teaching Resources
Your department: advisors, more experienced graduate students, department events (brown bags, faculty sessions, website resources)
Center for Teaching and Assessment of Learning (Gore Hall): web resources, First Friday Roundtables, Teaching and Learning Conversations
Academic Technology Services (Faculty Commons): use of Canvas/Sakai, use of clicker tech, Universal Design pedagogy, online teaching
Library: research librarians, Student Multimedia and Design Center
Each other: talk to each other about what you’re doing in the classroom, what’s working, what could go better
Duties Inside and Outside the Classroom: Designing and Evaluating Assignments
Fastwrite: What are your major concerns with assignments? Designing? Evaluating? (Jot down 3-5 points)
Designing Assignments: Where do you get them? How do you decide which assignments to include? Do you have a choice (how to teach assignments that aren’t yours)?
Evaluating: Rubrics or no rubrics? Making sure to grade only what you’ve taught, process vs. product grading, discussing grades with students
Handout: Sample assignment/rubric. In pairs, read through the assignment and rubric and then grade this student’s submission:
067 Student
Duties Inside and Outside the Classroom:
Office Hours Lesson Planning Grading (time management) Unexpected, tough interactions (“Slippery Scenarios”)
Activity: “Slippery Scenarios”
Handout:
The scenarios are designed to raise your awareness of instructional policies at UD. Please work in pairs/group to find appropriate responses to each of the following scenarios. Before you answer, please take a moment to discern (1) what is the issue? (2) what policy may be reflected in this case? (3) what initial steps might you take and why [what do you hope to accomplish?]? (4) what resources on campus might you refer to? Please complete scenario #2 and two additional scenarios of your choice.
“Slippery Scenarios” Suggestions (prepared by CTAL)
Scenario 1: The course instructor for your TA appointment emails you that one of the students should receive special accommodations for his/her disability. The professor is not certain what exactly should be done for this student, but he asks you to take care of it and then let him know as soon as possible how to proceed.
Disability Support Services works closely with students who need accommodations. Students must contact the DSS office, bring documentation of a disability, and discuss their disability and how it affects them academically. DSS will then email the professor with the specific needs of the student.
If this has not happened, encourage the student contact DSS to get the process started.
Phone: 302-831-4643
Email: [email protected]
Scenario 2: You receive a phone call from Mr. Juarez, who identifies himself as a concerned parent of Sarah Feldman-Juarez, a student in your discussion section. He wants to know why Sarah received a D+ on her project after she worked so hard on it all weekend. He wants you to change his daughter’s grade or he will move his request up the chain of authority.
You cannot give out a student’s grades to anyone other than the student.
FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)
Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records until age 18, parents do have certain rights to their children’s educational records. When the student turns 18, these rights are transferred to the student.
So, you can’t give grades or other educational information to anyone other than the student (unless you have written consent of the student). If a parent does call to inquire about their child’s academic progress, the best way to legally handle this is to not discuss any issues with parents or anyone else other than the student.
You could also refer the caller to:
College advising office/Assistant Dean
Undergraduate admissions
Other appropriate academic administrative office
More Information can be found here: http://www.udel.edu/registrar/faculty_staff/ferpa-fac.html
Scenario 3: You bump into Chad in the coffee shop and when you ask him how his classes are going he says, “I have a hard time adjusting. College is so different from high school. I never had to do homework out-of-class and my teachers always reminded me of what needed to be done. I feel lost in my large classes, and I’m not sure I’m doing what I’m supposed to.”
There many issues that can be happening in this case.Talk more to the student to see what his specific needs are. Intervene as early as possible so:
The student can get help with the issues and can succeedSo it doesn’t begin to impact others
There are various UD Resources that can help with various issues the student may be having.For academic concerns: Office of Academic Enrichment http://ae.udel.edu/148-150 South College Avenue, 302-831-4555
Offers many tutoring opportunities, Individual and group tutoring, Group study sessions. Consultation, Mentoring, Academic success and study skills workshops
For personal problems or other troubles (drugs, alcohol, etc.):Student Behavior Consultation Team (SBCT) http://www.udel.edu/sbct/, 302-831-8939For issues related to adjusting to the dorm, roommates, or quiet study space in the dorms:Residence Life and Housing http://www.udel.edu/reslife/301 Haines Street; 302-831-HOME
Scenario 4: Both you and the course instructor have clearly outlined plagiarism policies in your syllabus and explained them to the students in class. Nevertheless, as you are reading one of your students’ final papers, you have a strong suspicion that he is plagiarizing.
There are a few steps you can take:
First, don’t say anything to the student. You don’t want to upset a student for no reason and you need to take the appropriate steps in investigating suspected cases of academic dishonesty. You need concrete evidence that this is happening. So, document everything you can that indicates cheating or academic dishonesty
Write down what you saw
Keep papers
Take the case of academic dishonesty to the course instructor.
Again, you need to provide evidence of cheating to the professor.
If you are the sole instructor of the course:
Gather evidence and take it to the Office of Student Conduct.
This office will guide you through the procedures you should take if you encounter these types of violations.
According to UD policy, all acts or attempted acts of alleged student academic dishonesty need to be reported to the Office of Student Conduct.
UD Resources
Office of Student Conduct
http://www.udel.edu/studentconduct/
218 Hullihen Hall
302-831-2117
Scenario 5: A student tells you that every time she sees Prof. X in the Trabant Food Court, he invites her for coffee. “At first I thought it was really nice of him,” she continues, “but now I feel uncomfortable, but I’m not sure I can say ‘no’ because he is my professor.”
Dealing with possible harassment (sexual or otherwise):
UD defines sexual harassment as:“any unwelcome sexual advances or requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature that has the effect or purpose of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work or academic environment, or of affecting an individual's employment or academic status.”Sexual harassment is:
a violation of UD policyIllegal
HOWERVER, PERCEPTION AND INTENT ARE IMPORTANT HERE.So the instructor may have no intention of making you feel uncomfortable but is nonetheless doing so:
UD ResourcesOffice of Equity and Inclusion: http://sites.udel.edu/sexualmisconduct/Any person who believes they have been a victim of, have witnessed or otherwise with to report an incident of sexual misconduct should contact:University Title IX Coordinator, Susan L. Groff, Ed.D.Office of Equity & Inclusion, 305 Hullihen [email protected]
Formal and informal complaints of sexual harassment are carried out by OEIInformal
Students talk with department chairs/advisors about their concernDepartment notifies appropriate offices for reporting purposes
Student talks with advocacy office/staff (OEI, Counseling, Res Life, etc.)Provide options about resolutionStudent take formal action with support of advocate
FormalFiling a formal complaint
Scenario 6: You notice that one of your students is having difficulties in your class. The student appears to have trouble concentrating, takes minimal notes and is occasionally absent.
Speak with student:
“I have noticed that…How can I support you?”
It is important to speak with the students so we can:
address the problems/issues they are having
point to the appropriate university services
UD Resources (same resources we saw in #3)
Office of Academic Enrichment
Offers many tutoring opportunities
Student Behavior Consultation Team (SBCT)
If student has personal problems or is in trouble (drugs, alcohol, etc.)
Residence Life and Housing
Concerns regarding dorm life (housing, roommates, etc.)
Final questions?
Contact Info:
Caitlin Larracey: [email protected], larracey.wordpress.com
CTAL: Home, ctal.udel.edu
