MEMO

 

TO:                 My TAs

FROM:           Dr. Tom Hogan

DATE:            September 1, 2006

RE:                 Notes on TA’ing Responsibilities

 

Thank you for volunteering to serve as my Teaching Assistant (TA) through the University’s Faculty/Student Mentorship program during this semester. Here are a few notes on the logistics and ethics of serving as a TA.

 

  1. You will not have responsibility for assigning grades to students in your position as a TA. 

 

  1. I may ask you for your reactions to students’ work.  This will not be for any formal grading purposes, but as helpful feedback to me or to the students.

 

  1. You will sometimes see students’ formal grades, for example, when entering data in Blackboard.  You must treat this information as strictly confidential.

 

  1. You should also treat any other information you obtain in your TA role as confidential.  Examples of such information are students’ attendance patterns and timely submission of assignments.

 

  1. You will sometimes see tests, quizzes, and assignments before they are administered in class. It is essential that this information also be treated as strictly confidential.

 

  1. Students in the class for which you are serving as TA may sometimes ask for your help, in much the same way as students would ask a tutor for help.  You may use your own discretion in responding to such requests.  You should feel free to act as a tutor if you wish, but you are not obligated to do so.

 

  1. This is a volunteer activity, not part of your formal course load.  Therefore, when you perceive conflicts between your formal course work and TA’ing (e.g., when you have major exams or papers due), it is my understanding that your formal course work takes precedence. However, please let me know when such conflicts arise.

 

  1. Please do not make any public pronouncements about the course requirements or policies without discussing them with me first.  Of course, you may reiterate statements in the course syllabus. However, if there is need for clarification or expansion on such statements, discuss them with me.

 

  1. As a volunteer TA, you should never accept any money or expensive gifts from students in the course.  This will avoid the appearance of impropriety and conflict of interest.

 

  1.  As a volunteer, you should not represent yourself as an employee of the University.  The University does not assume legal liability for volunteers.

 

  1. Please discuss with me any issues of professional ethics that develop in your role as a TA.  This is part of the experience of TA’ing.

 

  1.  Your work as a TA will be represented on your transcript as Faculty/Student Mentorship Program. It will be listed along with your other courses for this semester.  It does not carry credit and there is no charge for participating in the program.

 

 

Please sign and date below to indicate your understanding and acceptance of these policies.

 

 

______________________________            __________

            TA’s Signature                              Date

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My thanks to Dr. John Norcross for collaboration in development of this document.

 

 

TA Memo

tph

1-30-06