{"id":1600,"date":"2021-08-25T11:50:24","date_gmt":"2021-08-25T15:50:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/?page_id=1600"},"modified":"2021-12-15T12:51:29","modified_gmt":"2021-12-15T17:51:29","slug":"teaching-fellows","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/programs-admissions\/resources\/current-phd-students\/teaching-fellows\/","title":{"rendered":"TF Expectations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Teaching Fellows (TFs) and Teaching Assistants (TAs) are very important contributors to CDS\u2019s teaching mission. We value the investment of time and effort that teaching fellows make each semester.\u00a0 The information provided here is generally common-sense, but published mainly for completeness.<\/span><\/p>\n

BASIC EXPECTATIONS<\/b><\/h4>\n

Here are some basic expectations of TFs and TAs. This is by no means meant to be a complete list. You should speak directly (and frequently) with the instructor of your assigned course to determine specific expectations.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Teaching Fellows and Assistants should meet with the instructor before the first day of classes, unless otherwise negotiated with the instructor and agreed upon in writing (email).<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Teaching Fellows and Assistants duties begin as of the first day of classes.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Teaching Fellows and Assistants duties last through the finals period until course grades for that course are computed and submitted. Leaving town before grades are submitted is not acceptable, because it can lead to major problems in submitting final course grades.<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. There are absolutely no cancellations of labs, tutor hours, or office hours without prior approval of the instructor in writing (email). Students rely on the regular schedule and availability of the Teaching Fellow or Assistant.<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Office hours should be scheduled on multiple days (not all on one day). Office hours should be held in an appropriate location and at times useful to the students (actual times must be worked out with the instructor).<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Teaching Fellows and Assistants should be professional, courteous, and helpful with students during office hours, labs, and tutoring hours. Students should feel welcome to ask questions. Teaching Fellows and Assistants should be patient in explaining material and answering student questions. Teaching Fellows and Assistants should give appropriate feedback to students to help reinforce confidence in their learning.<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. Teaching Fellows and Assistants should respond to email from students and the instructor in a timely fashion. This means that replies to course-related emails should be sent within one business day. Email boxes cannot be left \u201cfull,\u201d causing student email to be returned (use proper forwarding from your ACS account).<\/span><\/li>\n
  8. All duties should be carried out in a timely fashion.<\/span><\/li>\n
  9. Teaching Fellows and Assistants are responsible for knowing the course material, and should study\/review the course material, and speak with the instructor if they are unsure.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    In the rare case when a TA\/TF is not fulfilling his or her duties, he or she will be formally warned. In extreme or repeat cases, the failure to carry out the above duties will result in termination of their role.<\/span><\/p>\n

    WEEKLY DUTIES AND TIME ALLOCATION<\/b><\/h4>\n

    Here is a rough estimate of weekly duties and time allocation:<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    • Conducting labs: 3 hours<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Preparation for labs: 3 hours<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Office hours: 3 hours<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Tutoring hour: 1 hour<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Meet with instructor: 1 hour<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Answering email from students: 3 hours<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Course administration, such as grading: 3 hours<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Miscellaneous: 1\u20133 hours<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Total: 18\u201320 hours\/week (estimate)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

      Note that actual duties vary. For instance, some instructors may ask that the Teaching Fellow or Assistant also attend the course lectures and\/or help with grading tests, writing problem sets, maintaining course web pages, recording grades in a spreadsheet, software maintenance, etc. Regular communication with the instructor is essential in coordinating your duties.<\/span><\/p>\n

      STUDENT EVALUATIONS<\/b><\/h4>\n

      At the end of the semester, students will complete an evaluation form giving feedback on the TF\/TA performance. This feedback can be helpful in identifying strengths and areas for improvement.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Teaching Fellows (TFs) and Teaching Assistants (TAs) are very important contributors to CDS\u2019s teaching mission. We value the investment of time and effort that teaching fellows make each semester.\u00a0 The information provided here is generally common-sense, but published mainly for completeness. BASIC EXPECTATIONS Here are some basic expectations of TFs and TAs. This is by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17518,"featured_media":0,"parent":1304,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1600"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17518"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1600"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1600\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2102,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1600\/revisions\/2102"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}