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Overview

This guide is meant to be a thorough resource (sort of like an "FAQ page") on the domains you might work in as a TA. The tabs on the left-hand side contain the following information:

  • Hosting Office Hours, Hosting Lab, Being a Lecture TA: As a TA, the main student-facing domains you'll be working in are holding office hours (OH), helping out during lecture, and running labs. Which one(s) of these you work in might vary, but this training includes thorough guidance and tips for all three domains. For each domain, there are sections on what you should do before, during, and after interacting with the students. Guidance for each of these domains can be found in their respective tabs.
  • Grading Parties: This webpage outlines utilizing GradeScope for grading quizzes, as well as general tips and expectations for giving students feedback through grading.
  • TA Guidelines: This webpage details the rules and expectations for being a TA. Please do take the time to read thoroughly through this tab.

You will be assigned to perform some subset of the four duties above (OH, lab, lecture, grading). Generally, all TAs host OH and participate in grading. On top of that, some TAs might be assigned to be lecture TAs, and in some particular courses such as CS 2, some TAs might be assigned to be lab TAs.

If you still have questions or concerns after reading this guide, you also have the resources of the professor(s) and your fellow TAs to fall back on. Another resource you could refer to for tips on TA-ing in general is the CTLO's TA Handbook. In particular, sections 2 (Teaching and Learning), 3 (Practical Advice for Specific TA Duties), 4 (Getting Feedback), and 7-9 (Caltech Honor Code, Institute Policies, Campus Resources) can be beneficial to look through. Keep in mind, however, that this is a general resource. If any advice in the TA handbook conflicts with anything stated on this website in this guide, the content of this guide should supersede that of the handbook.

Prof. Blank also has a document on TA advice on their website, which is also worth reading through as a resource.