Teaching Assistants in the Department of Statistics generally fall into three categories: Graders, Laboratory Instructors and Course Instructors. This manual covers the first two categories.There is a separate manual to assist Course Instructors with their teaching assistantship duties.
Depending on your assignment for a particular semester, you will work as either a Lab Instructor or a Grader for a course in the Department of Statistics. If you are assigned as a Lab Instructor for a course, you will usually also be grading lab and homework assignments, so the information in this manual for Graders is still applicable.
One of the most important aspects of being a teaching assistant in the Department of Statistics is to work as a team with the course instructor and course coordinator. The students need to feel that everyone involved in a course is “on the same page.” Discrepancies between the course instructor and lab instructor/grader only serve to confuse and frustrate students. The course instructor and lab instructor/grader must work together to provide a quality course for students. Remember, you are partially responsible for the learning of a large number of students. This responsibility should not be taken lightly.
General Information for All Laboratory Assistants and Graders:
1. Books – Books for the course can be checked out from Denise Riker in Room 3113 Snedecor Hall. You may keep the books for as long as you are a teaching assistant for that course.
2. Teaching Supplies – Teaching supplies, such as white-board markers, red pens, etc. can be obtained in the main office, Room 1121 Snedecor Hall. If you need materials not available in the main office, please contact your course instructor.
3. Laboratory Materials – The Department of Statistics maintains a collection of rulers, dice, scales, coins, etc. for use in teaching. These materials are housed in the supply cabinet (combination 15-27-38) in the Student Conference Room 3205 Snedecor Hall. Please return materials to the cabinet as soon as possible after use.
4. Departmental Laptop Computers – The Department of Statistics has several laptop Tablet PCs available for use in teaching classes. To reserve a laptop, go to the department’s main webpage and select Resources > Laptop Scheduling on the left hand side of the webpage. You will need to see the IT personnel on 2nd floor Snedecor Hall to pick up your reserved laptop.
5. Media – Each of the classrooms and labs in Snedecor Hall (1105, 3105, 3121) are equipped with projection equipment for elmos, laptops, videos, etc. Please see the IT personnel on 2nd floor Snedecor Hall for assistance with the equipment. Please remember to turn off all equipment at the end of the class.
6. Workday – Class lists can be obtained through Iowa State University’s Workday website. Class lists for the current semester can be found under the Menu-Teaching link. These lists are updated throughout the semester. If you have trouble accessing your class list, please see Denise Riker in Room 3113 Snedecor Hall.
7. Canvas – All course instructors in the department use Canvas to administer their courses. Canvas is a course development and presentation package used at Iowa State University. Canvas allows instructors to post course information such as lecture notes, homework assignments, exam answers, etc. Canvas also contains an on-line grade book and the ability to administer on-line quizzes. Unlike websites, only students enrolled in the course may access information in Canvas. The course instructor will arrange for access to the on-line grade book for recording grades and to the course content.
Responsibilities for Laboratory Instructors:
Below are the general responsibilities for laboratory assistants in the Department of Statistics. All course instructors expect their lab instructors to adhere to these job duties for the entire semester.
1. Meeting with the Course Instructor at least once a week: You should plan to meet with the course instructor at least once a week to discuss the upcoming lab and any other concerns about the course. You should not be afraid to ask questions about the course material or any other questions you have about the course. We realize that incoming graduate students in statistics may actually have very little background in statistics. You should see these meetings as a part of your general learning about the field of statistics.
2. Preparing for the lab each week: At least 24 hours before the lab meeting time, you should sit down and complete the laboratory yourself. If the lab involves the use of a statistical package, you should use the same statistical package to complete the lab. Make sure you understand how to obtain the statistical output required for completing the lab and the meaning of this output. You should also check that your answers are the same as the ones provided by the course instructor. If you notice any discrepancies, you should immediately speak to the course instructor to resolve the problem. In addition to the nuts and bolts of the lab, you should always make sure you understand the general learning outcome of the lab and what statistical concepts the lab covers.
3. Running the two-hour lab each week: Your primary role as a lab instructor is to facilitate students’ learning. For many courses, the labs serve as time for the students to actively learn statistics by completing hands-on activities or computer activities that demonstrate particular statistical concepts. As a lab instructor, you are there to assist the students in completing these activities. You are not there to lecture on the course material (unless of course the course instructor asks you to). Your secondary role as a lab instructor is to answer questions about the lecture material, homework assignments, etc. for the course. Many times students will finish the lab before the end of the two hours. This time should be used by you and the students as an informal help session for the course. During some weeks of the semester, students will not have a formal lab assignment to complete. However, you must be available to the students during these lab times for office hours. You may meet with students in the designated lab room or if given permission by the course instructor, you may post a note in the lab room directing students to meet with you in the designated office hours location for the course.
4. Grading all assignments for the course: See the information below for Graders.
5. Carefully recording grades for all assignments: See the information below for Graders.
6. Holding office hours: In consultation with the course instructor, you should select office hours during which you are available to students each week. Please see Denise Riker in room 3113 Snedecor to schedule an office hour location. You should announce these hours to your students during the first lab of the semester. Strict adherence to these posted hours is very important. For larger courses (i.e. Stat 101 or 326), the course coordinator will assign office hours based on your availability.
7. Other duties as assigned by the Course Instructor or Course Coordinator: Depending on the situation, you may be assigned other duties by the course instructor.
Teaching Tips for Laboratory Instructors:
1. During the first lab session, write your name, office room number, office telephone number, email address and office hours on the white-board.
2. When writing on the white-board, make sure to write large enough and high enough so it can be seen from the back row of the lab room.
3. When addressing the class, make sure to speak clearly, slowly and loudly. Speak to the class, not the white-board.
4. You should read and become familiar with the textbook for the course. You should always use the same notation and terminology as in the text.
5. Don’t solve the problems for the students or give them too much help on a problem. Giving students too much assistance detracts from the goal of lab which is for students to actively “do” statistics.
6. Realize that students’ backgrounds in mathematics and statistics are not the same and, in many cases, are fairly limited. Depending on the situation, some students have not had an algebra course in many years, and thus will not remember even the basics.
7. Be honest with the students if you don’t know the answer to their question. It is much better to tell them you have to check with the course instructor before you answer their question than it is to give them incorrect information.
Responsibilities for Graders:
Below are general responsibilities for graders in the Department of Statistics. All course instructors expect their graders to follow these job duties for the entire semester.
1. Grading all assignments for the course:
a. Solution Key: For many courses, the course instructor or coordinator will provide you with solutions for each assignment and a breakdown of how many points each part of each problem is worth. Before you begin grading, you should go through the solutions and check for any problems, such as missing parts, incorrect arithmetic, etc. Contact the course instructor immediately if you find any problems with the solutions or if you have any questions. Checking the solutions before you start grading saves a lot of time and hassle in the long run. In a few other courses, you will be required to make up a solution key yourself for each assignment.
b. Consistency: The most important aspect of grading is consistency. Students with similar solutions should receive the same credit for the problem. Students with more correct solutions for the problem should receive more points than students with less correct solutions. To help insure consistency, you should grade problem #1 for all students, then grade problem #2 for all students, etc. Similar mistakes should be penalized with the same number of points.
c. Recording mistakes: When a student misses part of the solution, you should mark the mistake and how many points will be deducted for the mistake. You should make a small comment about the nature of the mistake. Check with your course instructor about how detailed your comments should be. Some course instructors post answers for lab and homework assignments and so in these cases, a very short comment may suffice.
d. Recording scores: For each part of each problem, you should mark on the paper the number of points received for the student’s solution and the number of points possible.
e. Recording assignment scores: After grading all papers, you should tally the total number of points earned for each student. You should record this value along with the total number of points possible on the assignment clearly (e.g. 17/20). Then circle these numbers. Check with your course instructor about where to record the total score on the assignments. Depending on how assignments are returned to students, your course instructor may want you to record assignment scores on the back page or on the bottom of the front page. Don’t automatically record the scores on the top of the front page of the assignment.
f. Timeliness: As a general rule, you should plan to have the assignments graded and recorded and back to the course instructors no more than one week after the assignment’s due date. However, some courses follow a specific grading schedule for homework or labs. In some cases, usually due to upcoming exams, you may need to have assignments graded sooner. Stay in close communication with your course instructor.
2. Carefully record grades for all assignments: Once assignments have been graded, you will need to keep a record of the grades on the assignment. Talk to you course instructor about how she/he would like to have grades recorded. When recording grades, keep in mind the following guidelines.
a. Accuracy in recording grades is very important. This should be done slowly and carefully. DO NOT rush.
b. Before you record the grades, put the assignments in alphabetical order by student’s last name. This makes it easier and less likely you will make mistakes. It also makes it easier to return the graded assignments.
c. As you record grades, make sure to carefully match up the assignment with the name on your list. Differences can occur between different programs, especially when it comes to alphabetizing names.
d. Check with your course instructor to see how he/she wants to record missing assignments. For example, in some programs leaving a score blank can cause problems when dropping the lowest score at the end of the semester.
e. If entering grades into a spreadsheet (like Excel), print out a paper copy of the grades and keep them in your office desk. Also, email a copy to your course instructor and save them to a secure location on your computer. DO NOT use a USB drive as the only storage location for grades. These can be easily contaminated or lost.
3. Holding office hours (if required by course instructor): In consultation with the course instructor, you should select office hours when you are available for students each week. Please see Denise Riker in room 3113 Snedecor to schedule an office hour location. Strict adherence to these posted hours is very important. For larger courses (i.e. Stat 101, 226, etc.), the course coordinator will assign office hours based on your availability.
4. Other duties as assigned by the course instructor.