Guidelines for Professors and Teaching Fellows

Faculty course heads form partnerships with teaching fellows for the benefit of the students they teach. These partnerships help faculty members design and mount effective courses, and give teaching fellows opportunities to develop vital professional skills.  Faculty course heads model effective pedagogy and concern for student learning, while guiding and supervising the work of the teaching fellows. Allocations of duties vary according to the type, level, and size of the class, and also depend on individual strengths and varied styles of teaching. Nevertheless, certain basic principles should guide the relationship between teaching fellows and faculty course heads.

Defining expectations.  Before the start of classes, faculty course heads and teaching fellows should discuss overall course goals and spell out mutual responsibilities. Standard duties for teaching fellows include attending lectures; conducting weekly sections; grading assignments; and holding regular office hours for students.  Beyond this, faculty members, head teaching fellows, and other teaching fellows share such responsibilities as organizing sections and setting their meeting times and places; designing section topics and course assignments; determining the content of exams and papers, and grading them; maintaining course grade records; maintaining the course web site; and distributing hard copy or electronic materials for lectures. The division of duties should be clear -- including during the reading and exam periods -- and faculty should take care to set expectations for the duties of each teaching fellow in line with the time for which he or she is paid.

Maintaining contact.  Once classes have begun, faculty course heads and teaching fellows should meet regularly to discuss progress and course practices.  Weekly sessions are often appropriate, and support is available from the Instructional Lunch Fund.  Topics may include comparing notes on sections just held and previewing the content of upcoming sections; formulating exams or term paper topics; and discussing suggestions or questions raised by students with teaching fellows.  Unless class size makes it impractical, the faculty course head should make an effort during the semester to visit at least one section led by each teaching fellow, offering feedback after the visit.

Retaining responsibility.  Course heads are responsible for the proper evaluation of student work.  Teaching fellows may grade and provide feedback on student work, but the course head should ensure the consistency of grading through careful discussion with teaching fellows and, where appropriate, by reading examples of student work.  Course heads are also responsible for designing and delivering lectures.  As an educational experience, a teaching fellow may be asked to give part or all of a lecture – and the course head should attend the lecture and provide comments to the teaching fellow.

Fostering professional development. Faculty should assist their teaching fellows in developing pedagogical skills. To this end, course heads should be available to discuss instructional challenges that teaching fellows may encounter throughout the semester, and should encourage teaching fellows to take advantage of videotaping and other resources available through the Bok Center.  Ideally, after course evaluations are completed, the course head should prepare a written evaluation of each teaching fellow’s work and discuss achievements and areas for improvement.