What kind of things do teaching assistants do?

The purpose of a teaching assistantship is not only to provide support to faculty instruction, but also to provide an opportunity for coaching and mentoring for the teaching assistant (TA). TAs learn valuable skills in facilitating adult learning that can be transferred to roles in staff development, client and family education, or higher education. At the College of Nursing, TA protégés are paired with faculty mentors who provide the assignments. Faculty mentors are encouraged to work with their teaching assistants to develop assignments that meet the needs of students in the course while simultaneously helping the TA develop or refine instructional skills. Listed below are some ideas that may be helpful.

• Provide additional coaching and support in the clinical area.
• Provide supplemental assistance to students in the laboratory.
• Maintain ongoing communications between faculty and students through use of electronic mail, listservs, chatrooms, or electronic class newsletters.
  • Establish and manage a course listserv or chatroom.
  • Communicate regularly with students about course-related matters, including suggested references, helpful Web sites, seminar and colloquia announcements.
  • Develop and manage an electronic course newsletter containing items of interest to course members.
  • Establish a course Web site containing announcements and links to items of special interest.
  • Help faculty develop Web enhancements for courses.
• Conduct literature reviews related to course topics.
• Assemble and manage course packets.
  •  Write for copyright permission if packets are to be sold.
  • Monitor packets placed on library reserve on a weekly basis for completeness.
• Provide support for enhancement of course teaching materials.
  • Place course materials on a course Web site with instructor permission.
  • Develop criteria for rating course-related Web sites and put ratings on the course home page (see www.navigator.tufts.edu for an example related to consumer nutrition information).
  • Convert lecture materials to PowerPoint.
• Send course-related information and materials to clinical preceptors.
• Develop supplementary modules related to course objectives.
• Download sample data sets from the Web; write for permission as necessary.
• Assist with grading papers using a checklist provided by faculty (e.g., determine whether references conform to the required style guide).
• Provide guest lecturers as appropriate for the TA’s expertise.

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