Academia Stack Exchange
Academia Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [teaching-assistant]

Questions concerning the use of graduate students as course instructors, usually under the supervision of a faculty member.

302 questions
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7 answers

Can't prepare lesson material. Should I cancel class?

I'm a grad student teaching assistant for a freshmen undergrad non major multivariable calculus class. What they didn't tell me is that the second half of the semester is not calculus but "finite math". This week's topic is game theory, which I've…
user71118
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6 answers

How to toughen up against hostile students as a TA?

I did not have a good experience when I TA'ed the first time. I faced a hostile student who refused to accept that he was wrong and didn't give me a good reason why he should deserve more marks. He showed a propensity for violence, shouted at me…
Rapidturtle
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5 answers

TA talks to others about students, what to do?

I am an undergraduate student at a university in the US. Unfortunately, I have a concern regarding one TA of a class I took this past year. This individual insults other students in the university during his TA session, and I also found out from…
user39427
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9 answers

What to do if you are assigned to TA a course you are not qualified to teach?

I am a PhD student in an Applied Math program. Recently, we received our TA assignments for the next quarter. To my surprise, I was assigned to TA a graduate-level class that I had never taken before which covers material I have very little…
weighted sum
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6 answers

Being TA for abusive professor

Over the course of my PhD, I've had the pleasure of being a TA for many courses under many different profs, all were great experiences. I learned a lot, did a lot of good work with the other TAs and helped the students a ton. Currently however, the…
user230202
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7 answers

How to prepare for being a TA (Teaching Assistant)?

I start my graduate program next week, which includes spending some of my time as a Teaching Assistant. It is my least favorite part of job, and I do not want to teach in my career after that. I don't want to become professor but get a job in a…
Jim
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27
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13 answers

Students requesting to switch partners mid term

I'm a TA in a graduate level course. Students in the course have to hand in a weekly assignment which is done in pairs. A few days ago, one of the students approached the professor and told her that they are not getting along with their partner and…
user1614062
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4 answers

How to express dissension as a grad TA while maintaining professionalism

I have a problem with the courses I'm TAing. I am a math PhD student at a large (supposedly good) state university where the lower-division math classes are taught in the "discussion section" format (i.e. students go to a big lecture with clickers…
APOdTA
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3 answers

As a TA, how should I address the professor's difficult curriculum?

This is my first semester being a TA for this course. However, the professor has changed since I took the course. The content seems to have grown in difficulty since I originally took the course, and I feel that the professor has been giving…
James
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20
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3 answers

PhD: admitted with TA with 5h a week, is it standard?

it is my first time applying to a (pure math) PhD program and I just received my first admission letter (yay!). It says I'm considered for TA and "Teaching duties consist to up to 5 contact hours a week". Before applying anywhere I was under the…
Thomas
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18
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6 answers

What should TAs do if students disrespect them?

TAs are responsible for answering students' questions. But sometimes there are bad-mannered students who don't treat the TA with respect during the interaction. Should TAs just take it and still answer students with patience? Otherwise, they may be…
Rapidturtle
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13
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4 answers

Must a tutorial TA resolve any questions from the students?

I know it is TA's responsibility to help students understand the course material. But there are always some students don't like to think independently, or maybe just not smart enough. Is it ok for TA to tell students that "I can't help you. You…
Rapidturtle
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2 answers

Is there a stigma of assigning the title TA to an undergraduate?

I am entering my senior year of undergraduate study in Computer Science at a small, primarily undergraduate institution. I plan to attend graduate school and pursue a PhD in Computer Science and Mathematics, my main goal to teach. The school I…
Jonathan E. Landrum
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11
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3 answers

Should a TA be doing software development for the professor?

I am a PhD student and a new TA for a class. I receive no extra money for TA'ing. Instead, my TA'ing offsets my advisors need to fund me. The professor I'm TA'ing for knows that I have advanced software engineering skills from professional…
Josh Hibschman
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9
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2 answers

What should a TA do if they cannot do all of the assigned homework for a class?

I'm a TA who is assigned to help grade papers for an upper level course. In the first assignment, I realized that I do not know how to do one of the assigned problems. The professor has requested that I grade all of the assigned problems. I don't…
Axion004
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