ECE 20X: Laboratory Teaching Assistant Responsibilities, Rules, & Guidelines

Laboratory teaching assistants (TA's) are responsible for guiding students through the laboratory assignments and grading laboratory worksheets.

Completing the assignments

• TA's must complete the labs before students work the labs.
• TA's may complete the labs in groups of two, but no more than two.
• The TA's completed worksheets must be turned into the laboratory coordinator before their assigned section meets.
• TA's who have completed the same labs in a previous term may skip working the labs, if explicit permission is given by the lab coordinator.
• In working these assignments, the TA is expected to become familiar with the equipment and parts used in each lab assignment.
• The TA should notify the assigned instructor or laboratory coordinator of any errors or ambiguities in the lab assignments.

Student groups

• Students should be encouraged to work in groups of two.
• If a section has an odd number of students, one student will have to complete the labs alone.
• Groups of three or more students are not allowed. This is a strict policy.
• It is the TA's discretion to determine whether students are allowed to form their own groups or if the TA determines the student groups.

Schedule

• Every lab section must complete 8 weeks of lab assignments.
• Labs start during the second week of the term.
• If a lab section falls on a holiday, then the assigned labs will be delayed by one week and the 8th lab will be completed during the last week of the term (dead week).

Grading worksheets

• The TA is responsible for giving each laboratory worksheet a numeric score between 0 and 100.
• Each student's final score at the end of the term must be calculated as the sum of each lab multiplied by its duration (in weeks) divided by the number of weeks (8).
• For example, suppose Labs 1-4 were one week assignments and Labs 5-6 were two week assignments. In this case, if a student received grades of 80, 90, 100, 82, 75, 88 for each of the labs, then their final score would be (80 + 90 + 100 + 82 + 75*2 + 88 * 2)/8 = 84.75.

Returning worksheets

• Students have the option to turn in a single worksheet as a group or two worksheets individually for each student.
• All graded lab assignments must be returned to the students.
• Any assignments that cannot be returned to students must be returned to the lab coordinator.
• The TA has the discretion to determine when assignments are due and how they are submitted, but they must be graded, recorded, and returned to the students no more than one week after the lab is turned in.
• The TA must return each assignment to each student and/or group individually to safeguard the students' privacy. They cannot be passed out as a stack for the students to sort through.

Miscellaneous

• TA's are not allowed to administer additional exams, quizzes, or other assignments in addition to the labs.
• Students in the TA's section have first priority for the lab stations. It is the TA's responsibility to expell other students who are not in their section, if there are insufficient lab stations for the assigned students.
• Similarly, if a station is locked by students who are not present, the TA may unlock or reboot the computer and move any left materials so that students in the assigned section may use the lab station.
• TA's must be present during the entire laboratory session. They are not allowed to work in another room while the students work the labs.
• TA's must contact the lab coordinator at least 24 hours in advance if they will not be able to attend their assigned section.

Assigning Grades

• At the end of the term the TA must submit a grade sheet to the laboratory coordinator by the first day of finals week.
• Each student must receive a grade of either P (pass), F (fail), or X (no basis for grade).
• A final score of 70 or higher should receive a grade of P.
• A final score of less than 70 but more than 0 should receive a grade of F.
• A grade of X may only be assigned if the student did not turn in any assignments.
• Incompletes are not allowed.
• It is possible for a student to pass the course without completing all of the labs.

Gradesheet Format

• The gradesheet should be in a spreadsheet format. Here is an example.
• Students must be listed alphabetically by their last name. Each name should be listed with the last name first (e.g. Smith, Joe).
• The gradesheet must include a numeric score for each lab assignment, the final score, and the final grade in the last column.
• All of the grades should be on a single sheet of paper. Landscape mode is acceptable.

Questions and Problems

• TA's are encouraged to consult with other TA's to resolve technical questions. TA's may also contact the lab coordinator or the assigned instructor.
• If the TA has any questions, problems, or unusual circumstances, they should consult with the lab coordinator. If the lab coordinator is not able to resolve the problem, the TA may contact the assigned professor. If the problem is still not resolved, the TA may contact the department chair.