Professionalism and Office Hours Professionalism as a TA

Professionalism and Office Hours

Professionalism as a TA: Three main points: 1. Be prepared 2. Make your expectations clear 3. Treat everyone with respect

Be prepared 1. Be on time to OH and lab/lecture 2. Pre-game the material -Know what calculations students need to do/questions they need to answer -It’s okay if you don’t know the answer, but don’t BS. . .

Provide clear expectations -Know the instructors expectations, and enforce them -Be prepared for: -late students -late work -copied work -plagiarism

Treat everyone with respect Course instructor, other TAs, students -Do not undermine the authority of other educators in front of students -Treating students with respect fosters a more comfortable environment for learning jokes -It’s okay to have fun, but be careful with your -Resist the temptation to be friends with students -NEVER discuss students with students

Office Hour Tips -Get students involved -Gather students, especially when answering more involved questions -Get up and move around

Discussion Time: 1. Have you had experiences with someone you felt lacked professionalism? How did that affect your opinion of that person or their job performance? 1. If a student shows up 20 minutes late to lab, missing the safety discussion. The course instructor has a rule that states that students who miss the prelab discussion should not be allowed to participate in lab. What do you do? 1. A student asks to discuss the homework you have just returned to him during lab, loudly insisting that he deserves more points for his answer because another TA gave him that answer. How do you handle this? 1. During a well attended office hour a student loudly tells you that you are wrong about the material you have just presented. How do you proceed? 1. A student continually attends your office hours with the intention of just having you tell them the answers. What should you do?