Remote Teaching : A Guide for Teaching Assistants

Abstract

This guide is designed to help you effectively and confidently work as a teaching assistant in a virtual environment… There are some important differences to consider from typical courses! For most graduate students, teaching assistant roles quickly become familiar and part of their day-to-day experiences. For students who are just beginning, the transition into teaching assistant roles can be jarring, demanding something a little different from what most have previously experienced. TAs are a critical part of the learning environment. Without them, many courses would be profoundly different and probably far less useful for students.

For professors, who may have been working with teaching assistants in their courses for a long time, roles become routine in a different way. Because the roles become so routine, expectations for TAs can seem obvious and key aspects may not be considered necessary to mention.

Things changed with the kind of emergency conclusion of the winter 2020 semester. A great deal of teaching was moved online rapidly in an effort to meet the core learning objectives for courses under uniquely difficult conditions. There are many differences between moving rapidly to remote teaching under emergency conditions vs doing so in a planned way that reflects evidence around how students learn in remote teaching environments. So, hold onto your hats. Becoming an effective teaching assistant in a remote learning environment requires different approaches than doing so under “normal” circumstances. And defining TA roles in a remote learning environment is quite different than it would be for a lab or lecture course offered in person. If you’re wondering how to re-imagine TA roles and how to be a successful TA who makes a difference for students, this ebook is for you.