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Laboratory Teaching Assistants

Many science courses have an associated laboratory session conducted under the supervision of a laboratory instructor as well as TAs. The main goal of these sessions is to teach basic lab skills, develop the students’ critical thinking, and analytic abilities. They provide the students with the opportunity to link the theory taught in the classroom with practice. Some labs may not be synchronized with the associated lecture course but teach students to use experimental methods to explore scientific concepts. The major responsibilities of the TA may include teaching, maintaining safe conditions during lab, and grading lab reports. 

Teaching: 

• Main teaching responsibilities will include working with students on experiments one-on-one and teaching them how to use laboratory equipment and instruments. 

• It is essential that the TA is prepared for the laboratory session. The TA should be familiar with the experimental technique, the scientific principle it demonstrates, and its relevance to the course. This might include performing the experiment yourself, especially if the TA has not done it before. Practicing the experiment beforehand can help the TA troubleshoot potential problems during the experiment and provide better instructions utilizing specific equipment and techniques in the laboratory. 

• Most science departments will use a laboratory manual in their courses. The TAs should read and think about the experiment ahead of the lab. Occasionally, there will be changes in the procedure and the TAs should be aware of them. Most laboratory instructors will inform the students of the modified experimental procedure during a short discussion of the experiment or a laboratory lecture. In some departments, the TAs are required to attend weekly laboratory lectures as part of preparation for laboratory sessions. 

• During a lab session, the TAs should circulate among students, observing technique, answering questions, and offering advice. 

• Some science departments require students to submit pre-laboratory assignments. These assignments are specifically designed to help prepare students for laboratory experiments and the TA is responsible for collecting and grading them. 

• Some laboratory instructors might hold weekly TA meetings to help prepare the TAs for teaching labs. 

Safety: 

• Every TA is required to attend an annual safety training offered by the Environmental Health and Safety Officer. 

• During the first lab session, the TA should make sure students are familiar with good laboratory safety practices. 

• The TA’s responsibility is to look out for incorrect laboratory setups, smoke, cracked glass, exposed wires, spilled water, and other safety hazards. 

• TAs should be very familiar with the safety protocol for each laboratory experiment. 

• In case of a laboratory emergency, immediately notify a laboratory instructor and contact the office of Environmental Health and Safety

Office Hours: 

• The number of office hours will vary based on department so check with your lab TA supervisor for the expected TA office hours. As the TA, you should not overburden yourself by holding too many office hours. This can lead to an imbalance between teaching and your own graduate education. 

• The TA office hours should be scheduled considering general availability of most students in the section. A survey in the first week can be useful here. 

• During office hours, TAs must always be prepared to help students solve problems without directly giving them the answers. 

Grading: 

• Grading guidelines are typically provided by laboratory instructors. 

• The TAs might be allowed to adjust grading guidelines to reflect any possible modifications to the experiment. 

• To ensure grading consistency, laboratory reports should be graded section by section. 

• The points subtracted for mistakes should always be clearly written along with a few words describing the error. 

• Check with the laboratory instructor for how to penalize the repetitive error. 

• The TA cannot give students extensions without asking for permission from the laboratory instructor. 

• Check the details of grading guidelines with the laboratory instructor. 

• Try to give the students concrete and prompt feedback by grading the lab reports within one week, if possible. 

Discussion and Review Sessions in the Science

Recitation is an integral part of science courses. It involves reviewing information from the previous or current week’s lectures. Below are important steps for TAs conducting a constructive review session: 

• Establish an informal atmosphere where participation is encouraged. 

• Know the background of the average student enrolled in core science courses. 

• Take attendance (if required) and be aware of any students who are consistently skipping. 

• Make review sessions as lively as possible and encourage students to ask questions. 

• Involve the students in the problem-solving process and avoid the urge to completely work out the problems yourself.