Welcome! In this course, we have three main goals:
- Expose you to important ethical, diversity, and educational topics we believe every TA ought to understand
- Prepare you to educate, mentor, and support others
- Help you adjust to the role of Teaching Assistants
This course is only open to Teaching Assistants in the CS department. First-time TAs are required to sign up for one credit of CS 2910 in the semester of their first TAing experience. CS 2910 can be taken only once for credit.
The hiring policy determined by the CS undergraduate committee can be found below.CS 2190 is now required for all first-time TAs, but we no longer "give credit" for working as a TA. This course is focused solely on training. TAs are paid for all hours they work now. The new policy is:
- Students with no prior experience being a TA for the CS department *must* sign up for 1 credit of CS 2910 in the first semester they are a TA. Any work done as a part of CS 2190 does not affect the number of hours a student is paid for their TA duties. A student can only take CS 2190 once for credit.
- Students are allowed to TA for more than one course if they are given more than one offer. If a student accepts a second TA position (either in our department or without), it is the student's responsibility to inform both professors of their intention. The professor has the right to withdraw any employment offer after the student makes this declaration.
- (SEAS Students Only) TAs can work over 10 hours per week on TAing duties if the hours are needed and available. Students must obtain and complete a permission form from the CS office. The form must be signed by all supervisors and is submitted to the SEAS Dean's office for final approval.
Content
Most of your TA responsibilities are defined by the instructor of the course for which you are TAing. This course will help you see how you can apply the idea of peer mentoring to your TA assignment to create positive TAing experience.
This course covers logistics and ethics, learning theory, peer mentor role and effective feedback, diversity, and grading. We will also discuss concerns and how to deal with problem students and struggling students. You will have an opportunity to suggest and vote on special topics and sessions.
Instructor contact
Upsorn Praphamontripong Office: Rice Hall 206 Email: Praphamontripong Office Hours: None set aside for 2910 specifically; drop by or ask for an appointment. |
John Hott Office: Rice Hall 210 Email: Hott Office Hours: None set aside for 2910 specifically; drop by or ask for an appointment. |
How does this course work?
Once you and your supervisor agree on the hiring, please submit a request to enroll in this course through SIS.
We encourage you to sign up for CS 2910 sections 002 (class number 16695) or 004 (class number 19718). By signing up for sections 002 (class number 16695) or 004 (class number 19718), we assume you plan to attend either Th 3:30PM - 4:15PM or Fr 10:00AM - 10:45AM weekly.
If the scheduled times on Lou's List do not work for you, we will be offering 2 additional sessions per week. For those sessions to be best scheduled, please list *all* possible times for a course meeting using when2meet (concluded on 13-Sep-2019, 12pm). It is important that you list *all* possible times. Please note, each class meeting is 45 minutes. Therefore, please be sure all time slots are at least 45-minutes long.
Currently, We expect that CS 2910 will have four meeting times per week. After (presumably) all TAs have listed their possible meeting times, We will finalize and email you the remaining meeting times.
You are required to attend one meeting per week. We will discuss the same material / content in subsequent meetings each week. Therefore, if for some reason you cannot attend your designated meeting time, you may attend another session of the same week. Please remember to plan ahead. If you need to miss a Friday meeting time, you must attend an earlier meeting that week.
- Thursday 3:30PM - 4:15PM (as scheduled on Lou's List)
- Friday 10:00AM - 10:45AM (as scheduled on Lou's List)
- Friday 2:00PM - 2:45PM (based on when2meet), concluded on 13-Sep-2019, 12pm
- Friday 3:15PM - 4:00PM (based on when2meet), concluded on 13-Sep-2019, 12pm
Meeting times
We will begin meeting during the third forth week of classes. We have four meetings each week; you need to attend one of them. There is no make-up session.
Day | Time | Place |
---|---|---|
Thursday | 3:30PM - 4:15PM | Rice Hall 032 |
Friday | 10:00AM - 10:45AM | Thornton E304 |
Friday | 2:00PM - 2:45PM | Olsson 018 |
Friday | 3:15PM - 4:00PM | Olsson 018 |
Sessions and topics will be listed on the Schedule page.
Some sessions will be mandatory (indicated as [ required ] )
and some are special topics (indicated as [ special-topic ] ).
You are required to attend all required sessions and a subset of the special-topic sessions.
You will have an opportunity to vote on the special topics.
Attending additional instances of the same week does not count toward
your minimum session count.
Academic Integrity
The School of Engineering and Applied Science relies upon and cherishes its community of trust. We firmly endorse, uphold, and embrace the University’s Honor principle that students will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor shall they tolerate those who do. We recognize that even one honor infraction can destroy an exemplary reputation that has taken years to build. Acting in a manner consistent with the principles of honor will benefit every member of the community both while enrolled in the Engineering School and in the future.
Students are expected to be familiar with the university honor code, including the section on academic fraud. Each assignment will describe allowed collaborations, and deviations from these will be considered Honor violations. If you are in doubt regarding the requirements, please consult with me before you complete any requirement of this course. Unless otherwise noted, exams and individual assignments will be considered pledged that you have neither given nor received help. (Among other things, this means that you are not allowed to describe problems on an exam to a student who has not taken it yet. You are not allowed to show exam papers to another student or view another student's exam papers while working on an exam.) Send, receiving or otherwise copying electronic files that are part of course assignments are not allowed collaborations (except for those explicitly allowed in assignment instructions).
Assignments or exams where honor infractions or prohibited collaborations occur will receive a zero grade for that entire assignment or exam, as well as a full letter-grade penalty on the course grade. Such infractions will also be submitted to the Honor Committee if that is appropriate. Students who have had prohibited collaborations may not be allowed to work with partners on remaining homeworks.
SDAC and Other Special Circumstances
The University of Virginia strives to provide accessibility to all students. If you require an accommodation to fully access this course, please contact the Student Disability Access Center (SDAC) at 434-243-5180 or sdac@virginia.edu. If you are unsure if you require an accommodation, or to learn more about their services, you may contact the SDAC at the number above or by visiting their website at http://studenthealth.virginia.edu/student-disability-access-center/faculty-staff.
If you have been identified as an SDAC student, please let the Center know you are taking this class. If you suspect you should be an SDAC student, please schedule an appointment with them for an evaluation. Students who need academic accommodations should see me and contact the SDAC. All academic accommodations must be arranged through the SDAC.
If you have other special circumstances (athletics, other university-related activities, etc.) please contact instructor and/or TA as soon as you know these may affect you in class.