Associate Teaching Professor of Linguistics at UC San Diego
Director of UCSD's Computational Social Science Program
IA Expectations and Goals
So, you’ve been asked to IA a class for Will Styler. Here’s some information about how I view our Instructor/IA relationship, the work, and the teaching process, as well as some useful resources.
Expectations
A key component of the Instructor/IA dynamic is clear expectations. Here are the expectations on both sides of the table. Many of these things will be obvious to experienced IAs (or others), but I’ll restate them so we’re on the same page.
Additionally, depending on the specific class, these may differ slightly, and either of us may have additional responsibilities, but these things should always be expected, no matter the course.
I, the instructor, am expected to…
- Run the class sessions
- Unless otherwise discussed, it’s on me
- Teach material clearly and expediently
- As best I can!
- Write quality assignments and exams with clear keys
- Barring other discussion, I’ll be writing all assignments and exams
- I’ll do my best to give you keys that are clear to grade from
- I’ll also try to answer grading questions in a timely manner
- Handle any administrative issues
- Drop/Add/Waitlist complications
- Scheduling and classroom issues
- Academic Dishonesty problems
- Student disability accommodations
- Technology related issues (e.g. Canvas, server access, etc)
- Help and intervene when there are substantial student concerns
- “Students of concern”
- Emotional or mental health issues
- Title IX issues
- Make exceptions to course policy when needed
- Any time an exception to course policy needs to be made, I will be the one to make it
- You’re welcome to bring the issue to me, and offer your opinions, but do not make exceptions on your own
- Always frame it as “I hear your request, and we should ask Will whether that’s possible.”
- Calculate and enter/submit final grades
- Handle grade disputes
- My default will always be to “have your back” as the original grader, barring major mistakes
- Students will be required to show evidence of an improper grade
- Grade changes must be requested within 7 days of assignment release
- Show respect for you
- You are still learning, but you are scholars and deserve respect from all involved
- Even in cases where I disagree with you, factually or in opinion, I’ll try to do so respectfully
- Students should see us as a unified team built on mutual respect
- Respect your time and obligations as a student and human
- You’re a student as well as my IA, my goal is to help you balance those responsibilities
- Let me know if the time spent on this class is beyond the assigned load for any reason
- Let me know where other academic responsibilities (e.g. conference travel, dissertation work) might interfere with classwork so we can plan
- Respond to students in a timely manner
- I hope to respond to student questions within one business day
- Respond to you in a timely manner
- In the majority of cases, I hope to get back to you on course-related matters within 36 hours, if not sooner
You, the IA, are expected to…
- Attend all synchronous course sessions and watch all assigned
asynchronous videos
- This way, you know exactly what they should know and how they’ve been taught to do it
- If I’ve said something incorrect (like, I’ve made a silly speech error which would be confusing to students), feel free to throw up a hand and ask for clarification. At worst, it’s a teachable moment.
- You’re also welcome to raise your hand and contribute if your expertise gives you a unique and relevant perspective to share.
- Skim all the reading assignments
- Yes, I know you know these things, but I need you to have students’ input fresh in your mind
- Prepare for and run any designated discussion sections
- See my Discussion Section Guidelines at the bottom of this document for more details on how I’d like them run
- Not all courses will include discussion groups, but if they exist, they’re yours
- Make sure that you’re ready ahead of time, walking in with a plan and any required materials
- Treat this with the same seriousness you would a lecture
- If you’d like to generate some content for discussion sections, we can talk!
- UGIAs will co-teach discussion sections with their graduate mentors
- Help with proctoring exams
- You’ll be expected to be present at the midterm and final exams, where relevant, or potentially, to proctor an individual test taker
- Grade your designated assignments as quickly as possible
- Students should not have more than one assignment awaiting grading at any given time
- Plan and prepare for weeks you’ll have tight deadlines
- You will be expected to finish your grading within around a week of submission, barring exceptional assignments
- Grade consistently
- Follow the key or rubric closely, asking questions where needed to clarify
- Communicate with your fellow IAs and myself to make sure we’re on the same page
- Grade uniformly across students
- Address student questions and concerns
- You will be touted as a resource for students with course questions
- Whether on canvas, in office hours, or after class if needed
- Respond to students in a timely manner
- I hope you’ll respond to student questions within two business days
- Hold office hours
- You’re expected to be present for the duration of your designated office hours
- Scheduling is up to you, but avoid overlapping other office hours or classes commonly taken by the same students
- Maintain professional boundaries with students
- You will always be closer to students than the professor, but avoid social or personal involvement
- Direct students to resources, rather than serving as their counselor
- Recall that having any romantic or sexual relationship with a student is considered misconduct
- Always remember that there is a power dynamic present, and that otherwise innocuous actions and words can take on a very different nature within a teacher/student relationship
- Inform me about anything out of the ordinary ASAP, telling
me about…
- Students who are doing exceptionally well or exceptionally poorly
- Students who are really struggling with the material, but making clear effort
- ‘Unusual’ or unpleasant classroom or office hour interactions
- Student behavioral concerns (e.g. threats, intimidation, harassment, potential mental or emotional health concerns)
- Students experiencing sudden changes in the quality of their work (e.g. massive improvement or drop-off)
- Anything else disrupting the learning environment for some or all students
- Show respect for myself and your fellow IAs
- Even in cases where we disagree, factually or in opinion, try to do so respectfully
- If you disagree with a grading, teaching, or policy decision, we can talk about it, but please don’t share that with students
- If we have theoretical disagreements or you prefer a different approach to linguistic inquiry (e.g. I’ve taught SPE-style phonology and you’re an OT person), you can respectfully ‘teach the controversy’ to interested students and talk about the fact that there are other approaches, but be clear what the ‘right answer’ and approach used for the purposes of the class is
- Again, students should see us as a unified team built on mutual respect
- Tell me in private if you think…
- I’m being unclear or confusing in some element of my teaching
- I’ve written an unclear question
- I’m making a mistake
- I’m doing something inefficient
- I could make a small change to make your lives easier
- Be able to say ‘I don’t know’
- There’s no shame in not immediately having the answer to a student question
- You can always send more complicated questions up the chain to me
- I’d rather you say ‘I don’t know’ then teach something that isn’t accurate.
- Respond to myself and your fellow IAs in a timely manner
- In the majority of cases, I hope you’ll get back to us on course-related matters within 36 hours, if not sooner
- Let me know if something’s going off the rails in your life
- I don’t need to know details, but if something’s disrupting your life and ability to perform your work, let me know ASAP
- If you think you might ‘drop the ball’, I need to know about it ahead of time so we can find a way to resolve any issues
Grading Notes
A few things about grading for me…
- We are linguists, not grammarians. Do not grade for grammar.
- Student ‘grammar mistakes’ are not to be marked off, unless the sum of them leads to actual difficulty in understanding the content of the answer/papers
- You need not look for typoes. Your job is grading their thought, not their writing.
- Language issues which cause ambiguity which makes it impossible to evaluate whether the answer is correct or not can be commented on with points deducted.
- Please be sympathetic to L2 English students, and give them the benefit of the doubt where reasonable.
- If any element of the grading process is unclear, email or GChat me
(cc’ing your fellow IAs) before you finalize any grades so we can sort
it out
- If you’re not sure what I mean on the key, ask me, so we can confirm and fix the key/rubric
- If there’s an odd response that doesn’t fit the key, share it so we can improve the key/rubric
- Grades should be independent of who students are
- Try to grade the students you know to be smart/helpful/kind identically to the students who make your life difficult.
- If “Well, this person’s a jerk” enters into your grading process, step back and think.
- If you have a conflict of interest with a student (e.g. you’re close with them from another area of your life, or they’re your cousin/friend/ex), please let me know so that student can be assigned to another IA for sections and for homework grading.
- Regrades should be done through gradescope, or through me
- Unless there’s an obvious mistake in writing things down (e.g. you entered ‘79’ for a 97%) or a mistake in your grading (e.g. hit the wrong button), involve me in the decision making
- All grade change decisions outside of Gradescope will be made by me
- My ‘default’ is to support your initial grade, unless there’s a major problem, deviation from the key, or discrepancy between grading and the course contents.
- Discussion grading should be straightforward
- You’re following the Discussion Post Rubric
- I expect the majority of the students to earn the full four points
- Your goal is to confirm effort for the first post, not analyticial perfection
- If they’ve not posted a complete answer, but it’s clear that they’re thinking carefully about it and have made strong effort, 2 points is fine
- If a student posts something incomplete, then responds to themselves to post the rest (e.g. they forgot a question), that’s OK. But if it’s clear they’re just copying somebody else’s work, that’s problematic.
- For the subsequent responses, you’ll just confirm that they’ve made two responses, and that they’re not cruel, off-topic, or blatantly low effort. More responses is fine.
- The fastest way to do Canvas discussion grading is either to use the ‘Speedgrader’ functionality in Canvas, or to use the Mobile/Tablet app, which show you their combined posts in one place with an easy way to enter the grade.
Confidentiality and Privacy
All information related to individual students, including completed assignments, exams, grades, and correspondence, must remain confidential from anybody outside the instructional team (including parents of students) unless the student provides written permission. More specifically:
- IAs should never grant students or third parties access to their computer, canvas accounts, or files.
- Posting grades using names or any identifiable numbers, such as a PID, student ID, or social security number, is prohibited.
- Publicly distributing graded assignments (e.g ‘grab your graded exam from the stack on the front desk’ rather than handing individual exams to corresponding students) is not permissible.
- Keys, solutions, and exam materials should be securely stored and shared with nobody
- IAs should follow all relevant state and federal laws (e.g. FERPA) on student data confidentiality
Abuse of Authority
It’s essential for IAs to act professionally and avoid misusing their power. They should assess students’ work impartially and justly, without regard to the student who submitted the work. Here are a few among the many kinds of abuse of authority which will not be tolerated:
- IAs are prohibited from serving as paid ‘Tutors’ for the course as they are teaching it, as this will necessarily result in (perceived or actual) favoritism towards paying students
- IAs are prohibited from having any romantic or sexual relationship with a student, as doing so is not only ethically wrong, but considered misconduct by the university.
- IAs must not accept or solicit bribes or any type of quid pro quo offers in exchange for grades, grade changes, extra credit, or other assistance with the class, and must immediately disclose any offers made by students to the instructor.
- IAs must disclose to the instructor any pre-existing relationships with students in the class (e.g. friends, (ex) partners, co-workers), and are prohibited from grading or evaluating that person’s work or making changes to that person’s grades, attendance, or otherwise
More generally, IAs should be mindful of the power gradient which exists between them and students, and consider their words and actions carefully, as even an offhand negative comment (e.g. ‘Well, that was stupid, want to try again?’) or joke (e.g. ‘You can’t answer that? That’s it, you fail the class!’) can have serious effects on student anxiety and mental health. Kindness is always correct.
Goals and Desires
I have four overarching goals for our interactions and this class:
- We should have open communication
- If something happens where you think I might want to know, I want to know
- I will never say “You’re sending too many emails or gChat messages”
- I am here as a resource, both for the class and as a student
- We should present a unified front for the students
- Clear mutual respect among the instructional team
- Clarity about the course material (where it exists)
- Corrections, feedback, and disagreements in private, at the right time and place
- No ability for students to play us against each other or ‘ask around’ until they get the answer they want
- We should grade fairly, accurately, and generously
- All policies and grading decisions should affect all students uniformly
- I want succeeding in this class to be straightforward for students who are putting in effort, but hard for students who aren’t putting in the work
- We should derive no joy from bad grades, but allow students to earn them where deserved
- We should help students to learn
- Our fundamental goal, our ‘one job’ is to help students learn the material
- Every decision we make in grading, class, and teaching should serve that goal
- Our interactions with students should serve that end
- Anything which prevents or harms learning, works against us
Things I’ll need from you before the quarter starts
- I’ll need your information for the syllabus. Mine looks like this, send me the same information:
Name: Will Styler
IPA: [wɪɫ ˈstajlɚ]
Pronouns: He/Him
Office Hours: TBD (or by appointment) in $LOCATION
Email: wstyler@ucsd.edu
Your preferred method of rapid contact (email, phone, text)
A recent-ish picture to include in slides
A list of any dates you already know you’ll be out-of-town during the quarter
If you’re a graduate IA who’s interested in guest lecturing (which is welcome and encouraged, but not required), please let me know what kinds of topics (from the schedule on the syllabus or not) you’d be interested in doing.
Resources
Title IX Reporting
Although there is some legal ambiguity about the exact status of student IAs, as an IA, it’s wise to act as if you are a Title IX responsible employee.
As a responsible employee you must:
- inform the person before they disclose an incident that you are obligated to report details to the Title IX Office (or designee)
- inform the person that the campus has confidential resources and support including the CARE advocates, Title IX, Counseling Service, and the Campus Police (as appropriate)
- report — as soon as practically possible — all the details you know to the Title IX Office (or designee)
As a responsible employee you must NOT:
- try to investigate a complaint. That is Title IX’s responsibility.
- try to intervene and resolve the issue. Title IX will work with appropriate offices to resolve.
- promise confidentiality. You are not a confidential resource.
- share information with anyone else who does not have a legitimate need to know. While you must report, it is important to maintain privacy when possible.
When you report a real or possible incident of sexual violence/sexual harassment you will need to provide as much detail as you have and/or were given. Title IX might ask you for:
- name(s) of complainant and any other identified parties
- how you heard about the incident
- what you were told
- any contact information you have for the complainant(s)
- any other relevant information that was shared with you or that you already know including the name of the respondent (if known)
If a student approaches you with a Title IX-ish issue, you should say something like:
“I want to help you, and you’re welcome to talk with me about your concerns, but it sounds like you’re about to tell me about an incident involving sexual violence/sexual harassment. Before you tell me specifics, you should know that in my role, I have certain reporting obligations, and I want you to stay in control of the situation until you decide what you want to do. So, you’re welcome to tell me about your situation, in general terms, without identifying anyone. Or, if you just want to talk about a specific issue of sexual violence/sexual harassment, reporting options, or any support you might need, the CARE advocates are a confidential resource that you can use. I can help you connect with an advocate. There are also other resources you can talk with who don’t have the same reporting obligations.”
Getting an Office for Office Hours
Although you’re welcome to use your own office if you have one, or a coffee shop or favorite spot on campus, if you’d like an office in the Linguistics Department….
IAs can request an APM TA office reservation for their office hours by following our internal procedure, as follows: 1) If you need TA office hour room in the Linguistics Dept for your office hours this Spring, you will be scheduling this with me (Rachel Pekras), through an online Google calendar. You will do this by clicking on this link here: https://linguistics.ucsd.edu/contact/ling-rooms.html. to: 2) select and view the calendar for the 3rd Floor TA Offices (APM 3331 A-E and 3351 A-E) and, 3) submit your booking request for your office hours
I will then reply to you as soon as I can with the confirmation of your TA office assignment for the quarter.
Faculty and IA Specific Resources
Note that for students of concern or academic integrity questions, your instructor needs to be notified and needs to handle these issues.
- Notes on Supporting Students through Extraordinary Circumstances and Trauma
- UCSD Blink
- Resources for faculty and staff in one centralized place
- CAPS page of
Faculty Resources
- Resources on who to call, when to call, and how to recognize students in distress
- Listing of Student Support Resources and Centers
- CARE at
the Sexual Assault Resource Center
- CARE is a Confidential Advocacy center specializing in sexual violence, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking.
- Office of Academic Integrity
- UC Student Workers Union
- Faculty/Student Relationship Policy
- UCSD Student Conduct Code
- UCSD Principles of Community
Student Resources for Support, Learning, and Interaction
Please see my Complete listing of student resources for information on student support (e.g. counseling, crisis centers, resource centers), resources for learning (libraries, writing help, and more), resources for engaging with faculty (e.g. Coffee with a Prof, Letters of recommendation), and technical resources.
Discussion Section Expectations and Goals
So, you’ve been asked to IA a class for Will Styler which includes Discussion Sections! Here’s some information about what I’d like to see in the sections, and how I’d like to see them run.
General Expectations for Holding Sections
I have a few specific expectations regarding the holding of sections:
- You will be present and ready to run all sections assigned to you
- Please treat this as your highest academic priority, and a high personal priority
- If you’re attending a conference or have another academically-motivated conflict, we can talk
- If you realize you won’t (or might not) be able to run your section,
message the instructional team as soon as you suspect you might
miss it
- Ideally, one of your fellow IAs or myself will be able to ‘switch’ with you for that week, or take on your section as well.
- This applies even if you’re feeling sick the day before, or see a personal crisis looming
- It’s better to arrange coverage and then say ‘Oh, I’m feeling much better, I’ll go ahead and teach’ than to cancel your section at the last minute
- Please be prepared to take on some additional responsibilities for the person who helped you out, as fair is fair
- If you need to cancel your section (e.g. due to injury, illness, or
good-cause) with less than a few hours notice, post a Canvas
announcement
- Something as simple as ‘Due to reasons beyond my control, I have to cancel section A03 at 12pm in CENTR 214. Please come to my office hours next week to go over the materials. Participation points will be awarded for all students.’
- Remember, always contact the instructional team before sending this out, in case there’s easy coverage
- If there’s a serious problem during section, call or email Will ASAP after the session is over or dismissed
- Please try to start on time and end on time
- If you show up late, they will too.
- Enter participation grades promptly
- Make sure that every section’s participation grades are entered before the next.
Guidelines for Running the Section
While you’re running the section…
- You have some creative freedom!
- I’d like them to finish the activity, but if you’d like to take a moment to teach something a bit differently (which is in harmony with lecture), cool!
- Similarly, feel free to put your own spin, giving them words or sentences from a language of your choice.
- Your passion is important!
- Take attendance at the start of the session
- This way, late-comers feel the heat
- If you use a sign-in sheet, have students sign in up front, and watch for people signing for other people, which are an academic integrity issue.
- Since students can switch sections, it’s best to have a sign in sheet rather than a checklist.
- Don’t be reluctant to mark somebody off for that day’s participation if they’re there, but not engaged, or if they leave early
- You can send a sick student home with participation points, if you think that’s best.
- Emphasize that group work is important
- “Group work helps everybody learn better, some by asking questions, some by teaching, and everybody by hearing others’ thought processes.”
- This isn’t just to torture them, but it helps everybody learn better.
- You can’t force students to participate, but you can pressure them.
- Ask them to sit in groups, rather than on their own
- Come talk to the quiet folks, and ask them how they’re doing on the work.
- Gently encourage them to join in wherever possible
- Always feel free to ask “Ah, so you’re done?” when you find a student on their phone or snaptoking about yeeting or whatever the kids do these days.
- If you finish the activity before the end of the designated time,
consider…
- Going over homework questions
- Asking for any followup questions from lecture
- Bringing up an interesting theoretical question or idea related to the material
- Creating or finding additional data to work on (e.g. give another sentence, etc)
- Remember that you can always end the section early, if you feel it’s best for the students