TA TALK
Web-based newsletter of TA/AI issues for
The University of Texas at Austin

TA TALK Issue #10
October 2002

Welcome to TA TALK! TA TALK is an on-line newsletter published by the Center for Teaching Effectiveness at UT. Its goal is to provide timely information for TAs and AIs regarding teaching, learning, and university resources. If this is the first Fall 2002 edition of TA TALK that you've received and you'd like to receive future editions, subscribe to receive three electronic copies of TA TALK each semester by following the directions at the end of the newsletter.

In this issue, we'd like to touch on a couple of relevant topics for TAs this semester: the art of grading and taking advantage of resources for professional development. Please e-mail me, Michelle Achacoso, Ph.D., (mvachacoso@mail.utexas.edu) if you have suggestions for topics for future articles. A special thanks to Tammy Tomberlin, MA, TA Programs Intern at the CTE and co-author of this issue of TA Talk. Also, thanks to Stephanie Corliss for her help with Web design.

THE ART OF GRADING

By now you probably found out that the majority of work that you will be doing as a TA focuses on grading. This is a big responsibility and can sometimes be an overwhelming task. Here are a few helpful strategies to get you through the mountainous pile of grading on your desk effectively, consistently, and in a practical amount of time.

Purpose of Grades
First it's important to understand the purpose of the grades you are assigning. I know this sounds funny, but grades can be used for many different purposes. Grades can communicate how well students are learning, but can also be used to provide feedback to students, encourage good work, and to describe the value of the work submitted. It is important to talk this over with the primary instructor of the class to see what your goals should be when grading.

Approaches to Grading
There are two main approaches to grading:

• Criterion-referenced grading - when a student's grade reflects his or her level of achievement on an assignment, regardless of how other students in the class perform. So, if everyone did well on a test, they would all receive high grades and the class average would be high.
  
  
• Norm-referenced grading - when a student's grade reflects his or her level of achievement in comparison to the other students in the class. This means that a certain number or percentage of students will receive each of the five letter grades, including F's. This is also what is known as grading on a curve.

There is no right or wrong approach to grading - it all depends on your goals and purposes for the class; although, criterion-referenced grading is usually more indicative of what a student has learned and is more consistent across semesters. Norm-referenced grading might not indicate what a student knows, but how he or she compares to others in the class, and your criteria would change between semesters due to the level of achievement in different classes.

Establishing Grading Guidelines
To really get started on grading, you need to designate the specific criteria by which assignments, tests, etc. will be graded. Ask yourself what is expected from an A assignment, a B assignment, and so on. This will give you a starting point from which to work. Remember that in college, just doing the minimum requirements is usually considered a C. From this information, you can create a grading rubric from which you can clearly and systematically grade all assignments. It's really important to put this information in writing. (Note: Sharing this information with your students can greatly minimize students' complaints about grading!)

Practical Tips

• Grading can require a large portion of your time, but in this instance, it is best not to break up the grading into small chunks of time (like you might for a large project you are working on). Try blocking off a few hours to get all the grading for one assignment done (e.g., one homework or essay #1 on the test). Usually when doing this, you can get in a rhythm and start grading assignments more quickly, the more you do. And you can also be more consistent in assigning grades when you do it all at once.
  
  
• Do break up the actual assignment. Don't grade the entire assignment or test for each person separately. So, don't grade Suzy's entire test, then Johnny's, etc. Divide up the assignment into pieces. Grade everyone's essay question #1 first then all #2. This will help you be more consistent as well.
  
  
• Try the pile method. Read each answer once and decide if you feel it meets the criteria of an A, B, C, D, or F and place it in a pile. Put all the A's together, all the B's together and so on. You can have more that 5 categories, like A- or in-between A and B, etc. After you have gone through all the answers, go back and re-read to make sure that each one in the pile meets your criteria for that pile. From there, you can put the in-between answers in a pile or even separate the piles to assign numeric grades (e.g., divide the A pile up into 100's, 95's, and 90's).
  
  
• As much as we might deny it, the grades we assign are affected by our mood - hey, we're only human after all. So, try to think about the mood you are in when you sit down to grade and if you are in a bad mood, you might want to think about doing something else or at least try to take that into consideration. By understanding the purpose and criteria by which you are grading, and by using a rubric and specific grading method, you can avoid the pitfalls of grading while in a bad mood.
  
  
• Students take grades personally. It's a fact that grades are very important in student's lives and so they will take anything less than a perfect grade as a personal insult. To avoid this, it is important to stress to your students that a grade reflects their work on an assignment, not a judgment about themselves. Clear grading criteria can also help with this. And if a student is angry or upset, ask them to take a day to cool off and then come to your office hours (or make an appointment) to discuss it. This will help any discussion be more productive. When a student does come to see you about a grade, it is best to listen, go over their work and the grading criteria with them, and have examples of good answers.

All in all, being organized and clear on your grading policies and procedures can make the daunting, yet awesome task of grading more successful.

References and Further Information:

Davis, B. G. (1993). Tools for teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

McKeachie, W. J. (1999). Teaching tips: Strategies, research, and theory for college and university teachers. (10th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Taking Advantage of Resources for Professional Development

Working as a TA or an AI is an important part of your professional development in graduate school. In addition to your appointment, there are other options to help continue your professional growth and many of them right here at the University of Texas at Austin.

398T Supervised College Teaching
Depending on your department, in many instances, the supervised teaching course is required for you to be a TA or AI. Taking this course is a wonderful opportunity to gain knowledge and experience with pedagogy as you develop content knowledge in your particular field.

398 GRS Courses
The graduate school offers 16 graduate-level, cross-disciplinary courses as a part of the Intellectual Entrepreneurship Program. These courses fulfill out-of-department requirements for many masters and doctoral programs. Some of the courses include: The Culture of Academic Writing, The Culture of Academic Communication, Culture and Communication for University Teaching, Advanced College Teaching Methods, Academic and Professional Consulting, and Academic and Professional Uses of Technology. Please use the following link to see a full listing of all available courses with descriptions: http://www.utexas.edu/ogs/grs/.

PFF Internship
Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) Internship one of the 398 GRS courses. PPF is a program that was designed to help prepare graduate students who desire to go on to academic careers. Interns work with one of five Colleges or Universities in the Austin area: Austin Community College, Huston-Tillotson College, St. Edward's University, Southwest Texas State University, and Southwestern University. Students who participate in this internship will have the opportunity no only to teach a class at another type of institution, but to see what goes on in the day to day life of a faculty member. For more information and student testimonials please go use the following link: http://www.utexas.edu/ogs/pff/.

National/Regional/Local Conferences on Teaching

• TA/AI Seminars. Each September and January, the Center for Teaching Effectiveness and University of Texas Learning Center (UTLC) cosponsor a day-long teaching seminar specifically geared towards graduate students. September's seminar focuses on the training of new TAs and AIs to help graduate students with the transition and manage new responsibilities. January's seminar focuses on building on the teaching skills of experienced TAs and AIs. Sessions at the various conferences have included some of the following topics: Time management, grading, leading successful discussion sections, developing classroom authority, Blackboard, and improving student learning. Watch the CTE web site for future announcements about TA/AI Seminars: http://www.utexas.edu/academic/cte/
  
  
• Become a part of the planning committees for TA/AI seminars. The semiannual TA/AI seminars are planned based on the input and current needs of TAs and AIs. Planning committee members gain valuable experience working with a group towards a common goal as well as developing leadership skills. Letters are also sent to committee members' departments informing the graduate advisor of the member's role in planning the conference. These letters become a part of a student's permanent file.
  
  
• Lilly Conference on College & University Teaching Learning Community! The International Alliance of Teacher Scholars sponsors Lilly Conferences which address excellence in college and university teaching and learning. The LILLY conferences incorporate a variety of formats: workshops, discussion sessions, and major addresses, and informal discussion. Scholars, faculty members, and administrators from all over the world gather to discuss topics such as incorporating technology into teaching, encouraging critical thinking, using teaching and student portfolios, implementing group, and evaluating teaching. For more information please use the following link: http://www.iats.com/conferences/conferences_index.htm.

Informal Ways of Professional Development:

• Develop a Teaching Portfolio
  One of the newest methods of developing and demonstrating teaching skill is to create a teaching portfolio. Teaching portfolios document selected information and activities as well as evidence of their effectiveness. Graduate school is an excellent time to begin building your teaching portfolio as many hiring committees as well as tenure review committees require evidence of good teaching. To find out more about developing a teaching portfolio, please use the following link: http://www.lgu.ac.uk/deliberations/portfolios/ICED_workshop/seldin_book.html
  
  
• Peer observation/Supervisor Observation
  Enlisting the help of a colleague or a supervisor to watch you teach can provide a wealth of information about the things you do well and areas in which you need to improve. Videotaping your teaching can also help you to discover your strengths and weaknesses. There's nothing like having to sit through one of your own lectures to find out how you are doing.
  
  
• Informal Midsemester Evaluations
  Creating an informal midsemester evaluation for your students to fill out is an excellent way to check in and see what changes can be made before the end of the semester. It also shows your students that you are concerned about your teaching and learning. For more information on creating a midsemester evaluation, contact the TA Coordinator at the Center for Teaching Effectiveness: mvachacoso@mail.utexas.edu.
  
  
• Books/Journals
  There are many excellent journals that focus on developing your teaching skills. Some examples include Journal for Graduate Teaching Assistant Development, College Teaching, and the Journal of Excellence in College Teaching. Each discipline also has journals for promoting good teaching in particular fields. Consult with your adviser as to specific titles for your field of study or contact the TA Coordinator at the Center for Teaching Effectiveness for further information: mvachacoso@mail.utexas.edu.

Announcements

Services for TAs at the Center for Teaching Effectiveness

Seminars: On September 14, the Center for Teaching Effectiveness and the UT Learning Center co-sponsored a conference for new TAs: Good Beginnings. Approximately one hundred TAs participated in the activities.

In January, we will again sponsor a seminar for experienced TAs to help them hone and develop their skills as instructors. This seminar will be held prior to the beginning of classes. This newsletter will provide you with updates and registration information, so stay tuned! And for you experienced TAs, let me know if you'd like to help organize the seminar or give a presentation.

Departmental Consultations: Would you like to see changes in the TA experience in your department? Would you like more feedback on your own teaching? Contact Michelle Achacoso, Ph.D., Interim TA Program Coordinator at the CTE. (mvachacoso@mail.utexas.edu) She would be happy to reply to your e-mail questions or concerns, or to meet with you or a group of TAs to brainstorm ways to enhance your teaching or to improve student learning.

Do you want additional ideas on teaching and learning? Check out the CTE website at www.utexas.edu/academic/cte . Here you'll find suggestions on everything from how to encourage student participation to methods for assigning grades.

Finally, do something for yourself. Check out the self-help opportunities through the Counseling Center's Food for Thought groups: http://www.utexas.edu/student/cmhc/outreach/ffttops.html

Subscription Information

If this is the first edition of TA TALK that you've received and you'd like to receive future editions, subscribe to receive three electronic copies of TA TALK each semester.

How to Subscribe:

Send an e-mail message to: listproc@lists.cc.utexas.edu
Leave the subject line blank.
In the message, type: SUB TATALK firstname lastname
Separate these three items by at least one space.

On the other hand, if you are no longer a TA and would like to cancel your subscription: Send an e-mail message to: listproc@lists.cc.utexas.edu and type UNSUBSCRIBE TA TALK

Back to TA TALK home page...