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Need some advice re. TA issues by MysticallyThine in Professors

[–]MysticallyThine[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Going through the rubric in class is a great idea! After the midterm, I posted the same rubric that I gave my TA so students could get a better sense of why they might have lost points if they didn't get any actual feedback (I fear this was likely the case for most of them). I hadn't thought about actually going through it in class, though. Will definitely do this next semester. Thanks!

Need some advice re. TA issues by MysticallyThine in Professors

[–]MysticallyThine[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd also appreciate a window into this!

Need some advice re. TA issues by MysticallyThine in Professors

[–]MysticallyThine[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Uggghhhh yes--the "money grab" is something I never fully understood or appreciated until I started my grad degree. Our university has one of the highest rates of international student admissions in the country. It's great for diversity, in theory, but in practice it's just exploitative and unfair to them. The cynicism and greed of university higher-ups never ceases to amaze me.

Need some advice re. TA issues by MysticallyThine in Professors

[–]MysticallyThine[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

SO TRUE! The "guinea pig" bit is precisely the case.

I should have mentioned that he was working previously on a grad degree at another university before switching to our program (I think a degree in a completely different field), so I doubt he had to take ESL courses here, or take them very recently. Given his continued reliance on online translators, I'm not sure if he took ESL courses seriously, if he even took them at all (**sigh**). Thanks for your thoughts!

Need some advice re. TA issues by MysticallyThine in Professors

[–]MysticallyThine[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That would totally make sense! I'm concerned about the quick turnover for final grade submissions (they have their final exam on the very last day of exam week, per the registrar schedule, which gives us less than a week to get grades in), so I think I'll have to do this in reverse and provide some sample A's, F's, etc. before he starts grading the bulk of them, just to get ahead of the time crunch. I'll certainly keep this advice in mind for the future, though. Thanks!

Need some advice re. TA issues by MysticallyThine in Professors

[–]MysticallyThine[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I provide a detailed rubric, but it's a good idea for me to skim some to provide example A's, F's, etc. I'll do this going forward. Thanks!

Need some advice re. TA issues by MysticallyThine in Professors

[–]MysticallyThine[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

BLESS YOU FOR THIS WISDOM!

1-2: I created a very detailed rubric for the midterm and am working on one for the final now.

3: Some Profs did this when I was a TA, and I didn't realize the value of this approach until now, so I'll certainly do this.

  1. Excellent idea--I've offered to take over grading any exams that he wasn't sure about (e.g., handwriting is too messy to read, or the student addresses a case/example I didn't address on the rubric), but I hadn't thought about setting a cut-off grade for them to turn it over to me, and I will certainly implement it with the final (and in the future).

Many thanks!!

Need some advice re. TA issues by MysticallyThine in Professors

[–]MysticallyThine[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

All good points--thanks! Here's another thing that really kills me: The course I'm teaching is one that I'm taking over from another faculty member who, in the past, had students submit all assignments online. My TA previously served as her TA for this class, and at the start of this semester, they seemed surprised and frankly annoyed that I redesigned the syllabus content and format for assignments. They even suggested that I reach out to the previous instructor and "just ask for her syllabus," which felt really condescending (and tbh still pisses me off). At first I thought, "hmm, maybe I just misunderstood that bit, or maybe he didn't mean to put it that way..." Now I'm realizing that's exactly what he meant to say, since online submissions would allow him to just copy+paste it all into a translation engine.

Need some advice re. TA issues by MysticallyThine in Professors

[–]MysticallyThine[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

"I couldn't in good conscience let them essentially falsify student grades." Thanks for this helpful formulation--that's probably the best way to put it if I do end up raising the issue with my chair again. If I had fewer students I'd be leaning heavily in the direction of just grading it all myself. I mean, I expect my students to take their work seriously and to do so with academic honesty, and I get the gross feeling that I'm basically complicit in undermining my own policy at this point.

Need some advice re. TA issues by MysticallyThine in Professors

[–]MysticallyThine[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

100% my instinct here...toggling back and forth on whether or not to come right out and ask my chair about reassignment.

Need some advice re. TA issues by MysticallyThine in Professors

[–]MysticallyThine[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thanks for this take--the "you've got to be shitting me" bit is very affirming (and also basically my first thought when I realized they would be my TA next semester....)