9 Teaching assistants’ roles
There are two main roles to consider for teaching assistants (TAs). For these options, training will ideally be available to them.
Role #1: Contributors and co-creators
TAs can help create course content, such as videos and problem sets for laboratory and theory courses. They can also help to identify the approaches to be used in the remote course.
Role #2: Facilitators
TAs can facilitate DGDs, guide discussion forum conversations, respond to emails, or support the course in other ways.
Additional readings and resources:
The following articles explain ways in which students can be involved in educational design:
- Healey, M.; Flint, A.; Harrington, K. Engagement through Partnership: Students as Partners in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education. High. Educ. Acad. 2014.
- Curran, R. Students as Partners—Good for Students, Good for Staff: A Study on the Impact of Partnership Working and How This Translates to Improved Student-Staff Engagement. Int. J. Students as Partners 2017, 1 (2).
Up next
The next chapter addresses equity in the online environment, with a particular focus on education during a pandemic.
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Teaching assistants
Discussion Group | Groupe de discussion (DGD). These are tutorial sessions, led by a teaching assistant or instructor