Teaching Assistant Opportunities in Biological Sciences

Fall

• Biology 1001 ( General Biology 1, lecture course)
• Biology 2001 ( Principles of Biological Investigations, laboratory class)
• Biology 3301 ( Cell Biology)

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Spring

• Biology 1002 ( General Biology 2, lecture course)
• Biology 2001 ( Principles of Biological Investigations, laboratory course)
• Biology 3201 ( Genetics, lecture course)

Apply Today

Please fill out an application form or apply online. 

Completed application forms can be sent to Stacia Peiffer via email or in person.

For Lab Courses

Undergraduate Teaching Assistants are assigned to 1 lab section. The maximum enrollment in a lab section is 16 students.  Each class will be divided into lab groups of two or three students.

Preparation for Lab

•  Arrive at the lab ten minutes early. 
• Check out the room for missing material or broken equipment. 
• Give the lab talk for the week. This talk should last about 15/20 minutes, and include
1. Any special procedures or safety concerns for the experiment. 
2. Demonstrating the use of the equipment.
• Remaining lab time is to be used to complete the lab assignments.

During the course of the lab

• Don’t leave the lab unless absolutely necessary. You are responsible for everything that happens in the lab. This is not the time to complete homework from other courses. Give your undivided attention to your students.
• Roam about the lab, checking on the progress of the different lab groups. If any students are having trouble, ask them questions to get them going in the right direction. Do not just take over and fix things yourself. Part of the lab learning process is for the students to gain a physical intuition of how the equipment works.                   
• Walk the students through the problem and any trouble shooting procedures.
• Do not wait for them to ask you questions; your students may be afraid to look stupid. Develop a set of questions for each experiment to help you gauge your students’ understanding of the experiment.              
• If the same question is asked by more than two lab groups, get everyone’s attention and discuss the question and its answer with the group as a whole.
• If you don’t know the answer to a question, don’t make up an answer.  Admit that you are not sure of the answer and try to find an answer for them.
• Respect the students’ intelligence.  If they have made a mistake in setting up their experiment, use that as a teaching tool.  Help them understand where they went wrong and how to correct it.  Don’t just say, “You should have done it this way...”
• Know that you will make mistakes. Shake it off and then try to correct it as soon as possible, in the next class period at the latest.
• Don't sit in a corner and grade papers! A good TA moves around the classroom, identifying problems before they occur, and helps students step back and evaluate what they're doing.

At the end of the lab session

• Ask students to discard their trash and organize their workstation.
• Check the stations after the students have left to make sure the equipment still works and that all necessary parts are there.  If equipment is broken please let the instructor or Dr. Peiffer know.

Absences

• This is a paid position, and you are expected to fulfill all responsibilities well.
• You are expected to teach your lab section and be there in each lab.
• If there is a valid reason that you cannot come, let the instructor know ahead of time and make the necessary arrangements in a timely manner.
• You are responsible for finding a substitute TA, if you are missing a lab due to valid reason.
• Examples of invalid reasons: can’t drive due to snow, family functions, pre-planned vacations and interviews, minor cold and don’t want to expose others.

Other Responsibilities

Office hours

• TAs are responsible for holding office hours for at least 1 hr/week.

TA meetings

• Attendance is required for all TAs at all meetings, which are weekly and approx. 1 hour long. At the meetings, the experimental procedure will be explained.  Please read the lab manual and worksheet prior to the meetings. Teaching methods and grading will also be discussed at the weekly meetings. If you cannot attend, inform the instructor ahead of time to set up a time to meet and makeup what you’ll miss. Excessive absences will result in termination.
• Watch the demo videos (posted in D2L) before this meeting time. TA meetings are the time to clear any confusion.

Grading

• Attendance needs to be taken each week. Records of attendance and report grades will be kept in D2L for each course.
• It is mandatory to follow the grading key while grading. Always ask the instructor in case of any confusion.

Reporting Your Grades and Attendance Records

• Tell the students to check the grades in D2L against the grades on their papers to avoid typographical errors. If changes are necessary, refer the students in question to the instructor.

For Accompanying Lab Lecture

• Attendance is required for all TAs to lab lecture per week.
• Most lab lectures are on Mondays. BIOL 2001 has two lecture sessions per week. You can attend anyone that is permitted in your schedule.
• Pay attention to the lecture material and take notes. This is not the time to finish up your homework. Attending the lectures help you to gain insight about the objective of the lab activity and provide you with the background information. This helps you to lead your lab section effectively.

For Lecture Courses

To be a teaching assistant in a lecture course you must be able to attend all lectures and assigned discussion sections.

Absences

• This is a paid position, and you are expected to fulfill all responsibilities well.
• If there is a valid reason that you cannot come, let the instructor know ahead of time and make the necessary arrangements in a timely manner.
• Examples of invalid reasons: can’t drive due to snow, family functions, pre-planned vacations and interviews, minor cold and don’t want to expose others.

Other Responsibilities

Office hours, discussion preparation, and grading

• The responsibilities of the TA in lecture courses differs from instructor to instructor.  Before accepting a TA position for a lecture course, you should sit down with the instructor to discuss all responsibilities.

Recruitment process:

• Letters are sent to faculty teaching Biol 1001. 1002 and 2001 to identify top students who they recommend as Teaching Assistants. Letters of recruitment are also sent to top students in the above courses inviting them to apply.
• Any student interested in becoming a TA, whether recruited or not, should fill out an application.

Selection process:

• Teaching assistants are selected based on grades in the courses for which they would teach, their availability, and their interest in teaching.
• Approximately 6-8 TAs are hired per semester, based on total enrollment in the courses. TAs are hired on a semester-by-semester basis.
• Applications are accepted at any time throughout the school year.
• Fall semester hires are considered in late spring (April).
• Spring semester hires are considered in late Fall (November-December).
• The lab coordinator, Stacia Peiffer will notify accepted students via email.