CS TA OrientationSpring 2014Spring is coming!

Introductions Faculty

Dr. Ken Calvert, Chair Dr. Mirek Truszczynski, DGS Dr. Jurek Jaromczyk, DUS

Staff Jennifer Doerge, graduate records Dee Fuhs, payroll / finances Paul Linton, systems manager

help@cs.uky.edu

TA Supervisors

Dr. Debby Keen, CS 101Dr. Debby Keen, CS 115Dr. Neil Moore, CS 215Mr. David Brown, CS 216Mr. Paul Piwowarski, CS 221Dr. Wasilkowski, CS 275

Try to keep your balance!

You have a teaching job, classes, research and a LIFE!

How do you balance it? TALK to your supervisor AND your advisor if

you are getting overloaded Schedules can be adjusted with some notice!

Class / Section assignments

Rules for changing assignments are onlineTell your supervisor what you want to change

TO, not just what you want to change FROMWrite down what sections are changing and

who else is involvedBoth people sign the requestMUST be done before first day class meets

Observations / Evaluations

Every TA is observed by a faculty member every semester (usually their supervisor)

Every TA is evaluated by their supervisor at the end of every semester

The TA gets a copy of each form and a chance to respond to it

Copies are kept by TA, Dr. Keen, DGS and Graduate School

PLEASE help us by making sure your form is filled out and signed by the end of the semester!

Grad School WorkshopsEvery full-time TA goes to two during the semester

Make SURE you sign attendance sheet

Go to MORE if you like! They’re free!

Peer ObservationsExperienced TA paired with new TANew TA observes experienced TA before their

first class/labLater in the semester experienced TA observes

new TAAfter each observation, TAs meet to give

feedbackFinal report to your supervisor

Useful Information

Xerox machine in 773 FPAT – every TA has a code – for ABET copies -

TA page www.cs.uky.edu/~keen/tas/tas.html

PLEASE do not give this URL to anyone!!

More Useful Information

TA mailboxes are in 773 Anderson Hall Dr. Keen’s cell phone number is 859 576 5949 All TAs should KEEP ALL emails sent to them

by students and all emails sent to students, at least until final grades are done

Make sure your University account is set up and that your supervisor has an email address for you

I-9 forms

If you are a new TA or if you have been off the payroll (even a few

days!) See Dee Fuhs as soon as possible to get back

on payroll!! They need a new I-9 form

Your Class Schedule If you are a returning student, you

should have already registered for classes – if not, then do it NOW!

If you are registered, please do not make changes unless absolutely necessary

If you make a change or have made one in the last few days, TELL Dr. Keen NOW!

Last Day of the Semester

Mark your calendars NOW! Last day of the semester – Monday May

12 – AFTER Finals Week! We hope we’re finished sooner than

that, but don’t make plans until after 5/12/13

If you have to miss… If you know that you are going to miss a

TA meeting Class meeting Exam proctoring Exam grading

Let your supervisor KNOW about it! Even if you have it covered, they need to know! In advance if possible but even after the fact!

Food / Drink policiesPLEASE enforce in the labs!Keep everything below desk

level and in their packs unless they are actually using it

Don’t have bottles, even capped, sitting next to a keyboard!

Dress Code? Several people asked, so… General rule “don’t be distracting” The students should be paying attention to

what you are saying, not how you look Not suit and /or tie – don’t need barriers

Pay attention to the poor performer!

Caring about the students and SHOWING them that you care! Documenting how you are communicating with

them Try to get names of people who come to office hours

People who miss classes, miss assignment deadlines Give them a short note to ask what is wrong

Grading Biggest part in terms of time taken Very important part! Rubrics should be provided by supervisor

If not, make your own and show to supervisor Follow them as closely as possible If you disagree with one, take it up with

your supervisor Keep the grading consistent across all

sections

Academic Alert!! Program to alert students and advisors to

'risky' behavior of students Missed Classes (at least 2-3 in the first weeks) Habitually Late (more than 10 minutes on a

regular basis) Homework assignments not completed or of

inconsistent quality Poor performance on tests or quizzes Disruptive Behavior in class Other

Academic Alerts 101 and 115 will do this this semester

The alerts are sent through the IRIS system - it automatically mails the student and advisor

I ask the student to see their TA and to see me Give them your personal attention!

In classes besides 101 and 115, ask your supervisor

Help Students Stay at UK www.cs.uky.edu/~keen/tas/tips-to-help-s

tudents.html

Say hello when you see students on campus

Positive feedback when a student improves or does well

Timely feedback - IMPORTANT! You know you want it in your classes – your students deserve it too!

YOUR OFFICE HOURSYOUR Office Hours - BE there!They will be in FPAT 773C or in RGAN 102,

scheduled in the next week or twoStudents can show up at any time! Not just

the start of the hourTry to help every student who asks, even if

they are not in your section or even classEven if more than one TA is scheduled for a

time, it is your job to be there

Something to think about!

How Should I Respond to Wrong (or Not Very Good) Answers? Maryellen Weimer, Ph.D.

From the 20 Minute Mentor Commons http://mentorcommons.com/ Instructions on getting account on TA

page – free! You may or may not agree with

everything said in the presentations but at the least they make you think about teaching!

What’s next?101 TA meeting Tuesday 3pm – RGAN

103115 TA meeting already met221 TA meeting already met215 TA meeting already metTAs assigned to other classes – contact

your supervisors for instructionsGraders – wait a few days for decisions

of assignments

Ending ActivitiesTake Pictures – Zachary, Andrew, Xue, Tawfiq

Supplies – pens, folders, textbooks

Name tags – wear them first dayNight TAs – laptops, syllabus