Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary

Typically, you come to the pre-laboratory meeting and help collect, grade, and distribute lab notebooks. You may also need to answer questions about the lab, so make sure to read beforehand and pay attention during the presentation. In lab, you will most likely be assigned to a specific area or t...

Be yourself and share your vision and mission as of why you want to be a teacher. Make sure you have good scenario answers for the followings 1) What is a good teacher in your eyes? What is your teaching style? How would you take constructive criticism from students? How would you deal with diffi...

The TA would explain physics labs as usual and then the class will start to do the labs on their own and I would answer any questions they might have and guide them with questions when you see they aren't doing something right. Test weeks there are no labs but instead you go and just answer quest...

I made sure I fully understood the goal and mission of the university and specifically the math department. I also wanted to make sure I understood the role of the class in the bigger picture of the college. Corban produces a lot of elementary education majors, meaning college algebra is often mo...

It was great, I taught night classes so campus wasn’t too busy when I arrived. But I often parked far away anyway just so I could have a nice walk through the beautiful campus before class. Students were great, very few were contentious or whiners. The curriculum, including: example syllabus, lec...

The three biggest components to an interview for teaching at a university are knowledge and enthusiasm of the subject/discipline, experience and excitement about the place of work. If you already have a Masters Degree in the area you'll be teaching in, you're halfway there. That will take care of...

I reviewed the department website, paying attention to what courses were offered, what had not been offered in awhile, and what the expertise of the faculty was. I also thought about what courses I would like to teach and how to make the case for my expertise.

Make sure you are prepared to answer questions for the class your re about to be an assistant for. For example MFG108L, you should know the terms and concepts of the books. Or at least, the answers and questions on the previous tests the professor has given. You should know the class well to tea...

Come to class a little early Prepare the class for the students (Ex. Prep the machines, make sure everything is working properly.) Answer questions that the students might have during the class. Assist the professor in handing out papers etc. Help the students clean the laboratory Assist the pro...

My personal experience it was assisting the professor with their classes, such as getting students the materials they need and handing them out, organizing work to be graded and recording those grades, making the professor's work space and studio space neat and organized, an recording what materi...

I would prepare a list of questions to ask the artist on what will your responsibilities be, for example is it organizing the artwork and documenting it, is it assisting in the art making process, is it just administrative work?I would also research current art trends to see what is recent and up...

My major prepared me quite well. Not only was I a practicing and well versed in history of art/ techniques, I knew how to communicate effective with numerous students and understood the organization, prep, and scale of grading student artist work. The Art education program gave me the tools and s...

Know about the professor's research or area of work, and be able to demonstrate interest in their field or tell them how their research would relate to your interests and help you achieve your goals. Certainly have examples of your organization and punctuality, as well as dependability - these ar...

Clearly have your area of expertise down pat - good "job-talk, " though I don't know if they have you present that anymore. I had to do a teaching demo with a class - other prof just turned it over to me for the session and other profs observed.Have a very clear statement of faith. It doesn't mat...

To prepare for an interview for a Teaching Assistant position, I recommend the following: Research the program you're applying for, such as the population they serve, purpose, history, etc. Come prepared with specific questions to ask your interviewers, e.g., general expectations, what's the dail...

I'm not sure if you a clinician or educator, but I can give you suggestions for what to expect if you are teaching a clinically-based course. I taught (2) 3-credit classes in the graduate program and guest lectured for undergrad. The level of detail you will be asked will probably depend on how m...

It depends on how much you're teaching. I liked to be well-prepared so the day of my classes I didn't work at the hospital but spent the morning going over my information, making any changes, and prepping for any activities I was going to do. Over 4 years, I ended up assigning more individual and...

Preparing for classes, designing lesson plans, reading and reaponding to student writing - adjuncting, as with any teaching, defies the 9-5 format. Don’t be surprised to find yourself devoting more time than you initially thought to preparing for class and teaching - and loving every second of it.

It strongly depends on the department and type of class you teach.If all class materials are provided to you, your job is relatively easy. You need to update lectures with current data, adapt the course to current events, and make sure that exercises and exams differ from previous years. For each...

Be prepared to discuss the courses you believe you are capable of teaching, and why you believe you are capable of teaching them. Additionally, be ready to share the experiences you have had that you believe demonstrate your readiness to teach (e.g., Preparing Future Faculty certificate, Teaching...

An average day for an adjunct lecturer at CSUSB varies, depending on how many courses you are teaching. The first quarter, you are likely to teach one course, but subsequent quarters, you may be teaching as many as 3 or 4 courses in one quarter. The class sizes vary, as well, so the amount of tim...

Adjunct faculty in the CSU system tend to be evaluated by teaching more than research or publication. If it were me, I'd make contact with someone who previously taught or currently teaches the courses you plan to teach. Borrow their syllabus and course schedule, spend time tailoring yours to mor...

The life of a lecturer isn't typically fantastic anywhere. Compared with similar schools, though, I came to deeply appreciate how the non-tenured colleagues are treated at Stan State. You'll be encouraged to participate in campus governance, welcomed into department meetings (and actually given a...

This class is often structured on a M/W/F schedule, with 50 minutes per class period. I would often hold office hours before class, in case a student had a question about the assignment they would be turning in. In class we would cover a unit, such as "major chords" or "minor scales," in which I ...

It would be a good idea to be ready to discuss your teaching philosophy, as well as your proposed syllabus or course outline, and student learning outcomes of the course. Also be ready to discuss your history as a musician.

I would recommend that you prepare your resume (or CV, preferably) to have available at the time of your interview. I would also recommend that you have two to three professors' recommendations to bring with you. Even if you have not had any prior teaching experience, some of your former professo...

Life as an Adjunct Professor is tiring, but also rewarding because of the progress I get to see with my students. This semester I am teaching 6 courses -- I teach three back-to-back on TR and three on MWF, with an hour break between two of the classes. I also attend A&P lecture on MW for my Semin...

You could check out the North Dakota Stockman magazine to get familiar with some of their issues in the statehttp://www.ndstockmen.org/magazine/You might look through some of the department's research reports. Go to the department website and look at some of the bios of the faculty.

You create curriculum of livestock producers. There will be some travel involved but more and more I also use web-base curriculum. Many producers contact via e-mail and respond back to them. Most of the questions I get are related to nutrition. Be familiar with some ration balancing software. Per...

I recommend thinking about the material you will be teaching. What methods of teaching that subject matter will be most effective? How can you get students engaged and excited about the class?Also think about all of the experiences you've had that involved teaching and learning, whether inside or...

Waking up and exercising at 6 am with the other TA's and the professor is expected. Occasionally will assist the professor in classes with HIIT (High intensity interval training) sessions or with simple exercise demonstrations in a class room setting. There will be monthly family meetings to get ...

MWF, expect to teach a couple of Classical language courses. TTh, longer courses like Honors. As an adjunct, however, your schedule is much freer than typical faculty since you aren't required to go to faculty meetings. Lesson prepping, especially for reading-intensive Honors courses, will take u...

I was instructor over the summer, so my experiences are slightly different than that of a regular instructor during the semester. The summer class ran from 9:30 - 1:00. I would lecture during that time, with a 15 minute break in the middle. Before coming to class, I would prepare my PowerPoint sl...

Just be comfortable with the material for the class you want to teach, and be prepared to state why you are a good choice- have you worked with teaching before, maybe been a camp counselor? How were your grades in this course? Do you enjoy teaching others?

My typical day is spent in an office environment. Some of this time is with the students in the classroom presenting lecture material or participating in a lab, depending on my teaching responsibilities that semester. While in the office, I frequently work solo on lecture/course content or respon...

Think about why you want to become a TA, what would benefit you, any statistics experience you’ve had (classes, internship, project team). The questions were not statistics questions, but rather about the teaching experience and how you would handle certain situations.

It depends on the teacher, but typically I'm able to work on grading and other stuff while the professor lectures for about half of the class period, and then for the second half I walk around and help students with questions about homework assignments and projects- make sure that you're good at ...

You must be very very comfortable with HTML and CSS- it's also a good idea to have some familiarity with Javascript and UNIX. You must be patient and make the students comfortable with you so they feel that they can come to you for help and it's a fun environment. Be prepared to explain a concept...

Much like any other interview - research the University and the College you want to teach in. Know what your background is and how it will fit into that College. Know what you bring to the table and describe how you will help the students gain more knowledge with your own experiences. Remember th...

That is going to depend on what you are teaching and how many course you are teaching; also, are you teaching remotely or on-campus or even a combination of both? That is not unusual in this day and age...You will need to prepare lesson plans for the next class session, grade papers from the last...

During lecture, I take notes on a powerpoint that I eventually use for exam review sessions. I also help the professor with tasks like administering quizzes, passing out papers, and answering questions after class. Outside of class, I teach students during office hours. I also grade homework assi...

Most importantly, to be prepared to share strategies for remedial reading and math. Many students came to the program needing to bridge those gaps. In addition, to offer the strategies that helped you succeed as a college student; mentioning which professor supported you the most and how those su...

You need to be confident, humble, a quick thinker, diligent, and attentive. You need to be confident because your professor needs to be able to trust the work you are doing and not worry about if you are doing it right. Being confident allows your professor to trust you are doing your work effici...

You will use a recommended textbook but have some ability to request another source. You will prepare a syllabus but have samples available as reference. You will be greeted by mostly first generation college students of somewhat limited diversity. Your students will arrive on time and be respect...

I was a Teaching Assistant for Paul Currie in the Psychology department, and my main duties involved setting up for/cleaning up for class, teaching laboratory procedures, and organizing information from each class session. I spent a good chunk of time keeping track of resources and scheduling var...

Be sure you look over the requirements for the position. Simultaneously, review your qualifications for the position. In the interview, be sure to highlight your qualifications that refer to the position requirements. Also emphasize your emphasis for the focus of the position as well as how the q...

Be prepared to answer questions about your experience and knowledge about your discipline. For example, if you are interviewing in the Fine Arts Department, be ready for questions about your experience teaching art to others and your education in art and art history. Understand how to answer ques...

As an adjunct, you have a flexible schedule. I spent my mornings preparing for a day of classes. If I was teaching a lecture course, I would review my material for the day's presentation the morning of my class, including preparing any activities for the day. Some weeks may be more work than othe...

I felt very prepared to take on a career in teaching as a Fine Arts major. Learning to stay on top of your project deadlines, in addition to giving yourself deadlines as a professional artists, helped me to stay organized and focused during each semester. I also used creative problem solving skil...

I was asked to be a Structural Analysis TA based on my relationship with my professors and my performance in their classes, so I never had to interview for the position. My advice is to do your best in all of your classes and develop good relationships with professors in your major.

Generally, you'll be interviewed by the professor who is willing to bring you into their lab as a graduate student. Unless you have a fellowship or your professor is willing to fund you, you will teach as well as work in your professor's lab. When you meet the professor, ask them about their rese...

A day in the life usually involved first getting to lab (some labs are early starters, some labs have grad students coming late and staying late), setting up and performing any experiments, analyzing any results... etc. If you are teaching, you will need to plan your experiments around your teach...

As a TA within the Bioengineering department, you can expect a different compensation depending upon the degree you are pursuing and your department. If you are a Bioengineering MS student, you can expect to have your tuition waived with an additional stipend of about $1,000 per month. In the cas...

Typically, you come to the pre-laboratory meeting and help collect, grade, and distribute lab notebooks. You may also need to answer questions about the lab, so make sure to read beforehand and pay attention during the presentation. In lab, you will most likely be assigned to a specific area or t...

Be yourself and share your vision and mission as of why you want to be a teacher. Make sure you have good scenario answers for the followings 1) What is a good teacher in your eyes? What is your teaching style? How would you take constructive criticism from students? How would you deal with diffi...

I worked ran the biology/microbiology lab classes. Preparing media, washing and sterilizing glassware, preparing cultures, setting up the biology lab for the week. Making sure everything you need is ordered. You may have to take over for a professor to teach the lab if need be, so you have to kno...

You must know how to teach algebra and algebra 2 pretty well. My interview consisted of a 3 panel team who asked questions for over an hour. At the end of the interview, I was given a sheet with several problems and asked to teach it to the panel as if they were the students.

You don’t necessarily have to work everyday, you can make a schedule that works for you and your professor. You often work with a graduate student in the lab. Half the work is lab work, half of it is analysis of the data collected and figuring out what do do next. I met with my professor once a w...

Preparing course materialsReview student questionsAnswer student email questionsSetting up labs in collaboration with a lab technicianInteracting with students

Hi, Understand that Manor is a Faith based school and the expectation is that teaching will be in line with the school’s mission and values. Next, focus your resume on your experience with the subject matter and why you want go teach. Finally, appreciate that at Manor resources are somewhat limit...

Patience, acceptance, understanding, creativity. I once assigned a resource review project that depended on access to various databases. I found out quickly that the library did not have some of the access and that not all students had access to personal computers. This was a few years back but i...

For me the college was very close to home which was very convenient. I truly enjoyed challenging students to work in diverse groups and expand their thinking. I enjoyed the autonomy but was sometimes frustrated by the lack of functions and resources. I taught at the Community College where the pr...

It will be more work than you anticipate in the sense that you have to prepare for the class. So if you are expected to teach one hour of lecture and two hours of lab, it's not three hours of work; it's a full week because you have to prepare to fill three hours with meaningful material for the s...

While interviewing there, be prepared to give both short- and long-format talks or presentations, depending your department. I was in Biology to teach intro bio labs and only required to give a short-talk. One important thing is to make sure you can link conceptual concepts with very real-world, ...

I taught only one course where I did not have to prepare lecture material, and I would spend maybe an hour preparing for each class. In terms of grading, the grading load is also manageable. I would say I spent about 4-5 hours outside of class in order to prepare, with the exception of exam/repor...

Be prepared to explain why both the position and ASU are a good fit for you. What background has prepared you for this role? What contributions will you make to the program, college, and university? Be aware of both research and teaching requirements, and be prepared to meet with students during ...

The position is very flexible, and it's possible to work from either a campus office or a home office for non-teaching responsibilities. However, if you like to interact with students and other faculty (from several disciplines, not just from ID), then the campus office is the place to be. A typi...

Conduct some research on the Professor you will be interviewing with and his/her project so that you can ask questions and convey interest in their work. Also, think about what you want to get out of your professorial assistanship. Are you considering a career in research? Do you intend to pursue...

Professorial Assistants are required to spend 8-10 hours a week in the lab. I know some of my peers complete this by spending 2 or 3 days in the lab for longer periods of time and some, like me, are often in the lab every weekday. I often exceeded my 8-10 hour requirement to gain more training an...

This is entirely dependent on your class schedule, eagerness to learn or contribute, and flexibility of the lab you are working in. Some PA's spend the minimal amount of time required to be in the lab to recieve a paycheck every other week. I have spent more than the required amount and have been...

Curiosity, responsibility, and self-motivation are key traits for any successful PA at MSU. As far as skills, I had almost none when I entered my lab. My highschool was not focused on teaching laboratory skills so I had not even worked with a pipette when I came to Michigan State. If you are work...

I have enjoyed experiencing a professional work environment and gaining the trust and respect of my colleagues. I also get very excited to learn new techniques and try new things such as extracting metabolites from cancer cells or grinding mouse tumors for metabolomic analysis. I would say the do...

To prepare for an interview I would be sure refresh your memory about all of the techniques you learned during your time in class. I would know how to answer basic questions about how to set up an experiment. Be able to answer how you will be able to help the students and what would make you a un...

As a TA, I would always be in class with the students to help with experiments or to answer questions. I was also most days there a half hour before to help with setup. I would also usually have to come in an extra 3-4 days a week to help maintain cells, sterilize equipment, and autoclave waste. ...

the way I got prepare for the Graphic Design Teacher's Assistant position at Diablo Valley College is I brought my entire portfolio to show it to the people who interview me, also you have to show if you are passionate with Graphic Design because by being a Teacher's Assistant, i had to prepare e...

Most importantly, to be prepared to share strategies for remedial reading and math. Many students came to the program needing to bridge those gaps. In addition, to offer the strategies that helped you succeed as a college student; mentioning which professor supported you the most and how those su...

I was a Teaching Assistant for Paul Currie in the Psychology department, and my main duties involved setting up for/cleaning up for class, teaching laboratory procedures, and organizing information from each class session. I spent a good chunk of time keeping track of resources and scheduling var...

Be sure you look over the requirements for the position. Simultaneously, review your qualifications for the position. In the interview, be sure to highlight your qualifications that refer to the position requirements. Also emphasize your emphasis for the focus of the position as well as how the q...

Prepare yourself with information about the diverse student body, about the programs CUNY offers (and doesn't) for ESL students, and have extensive experience with ESL programming.

Be prepared to answer questions about your experience and knowledge about your discipline. For example, if you are interviewing in the Fine Arts Department, be ready for questions about your experience teaching art to others and your education in art and art history. Understand how to answer ques...

As an adjunct, you have a flexible schedule. I spent my mornings preparing for a day of classes. If I was teaching a lecture course, I would review my material for the day's presentation the morning of my class, including preparing any activities for the day. Some weeks may be more work than othe...

I felt very prepared to take on a career in teaching as a Fine Arts major. Learning to stay on top of your project deadlines, in addition to giving yourself deadlines as a professional artists, helped me to stay organized and focused during each semester. I also used creative problem solving skil...

Generally, you'll be interviewed by the professor who is willing to bring you into their lab as a graduate student. Unless you have a fellowship or your professor is willing to fund you, you will teach as well as work in your professor's lab. When you meet the professor, ask them about their rese...

A day in the life usually involved first getting to lab (some labs are early starters, some labs have grad students coming late and staying late), setting up and performing any experiments, analyzing any results... etc. If you are teaching, you will need to plan your experiments around your teach...

As a TA within the Bioengineering department, you can expect a different compensation depending upon the degree you are pursuing and your department. If you are a Bioengineering MS student, you can expect to have your tuition waived with an additional stipend of about $1,000 per month. In the cas...

Take note of your strengths and weakness in lab skills. Review notes from when you took Biochemistry and think of what you will be best suited to help students with. Consider the qualities of good and bad preceptors you have had in the past.

A lot of the job consists of making solutions, so be comfortable with dilutions and molarity calculations. There is also a lot of cleaning and making sure the lab is tidy and each bench has the necessary supplies. You will also have to supervise and teach students how to use certain pieces of equ...

Lawrence is a small community and they want the faculty to interact as a community. My advice for preparation would be 1) research the faculty in the department you plan to apply. 2) Embrace Lawrence’s mission statement. What does it mean to teach at a liberal arts college? What does it mean as a...

I suppose it depends on the department. In theatre I taught 2 classes per term, designed 1 main stage show for the department, advised 8-12 students, taught 1 tutorial per term, attended committee meetings biweekly, and helped fascilitate the building of each terms main stage production. Other de...

There is no typical "day" at SDSU. Having said that, your day is what you make of it...how you construct your schedule, what groups you become a part of, and what research interests you have. This is a dynamic campus with a rich and diverse cohort of faculty, staff, and students. SDSU also has st...

Use networking to see if you can talk with someone at Cortland who knows the culture, look at what potential colleagues have published, read the department website carefully, get an idea of what similar schools offer in the department/discipline in which you would like to work. Handbooks and coll...

I taught English language core classes at a university's school of foreign languages. I would usually have two 90-minute classes per day with two first-year classes. My school followed a core curriculum so I would plan lessons loosely off our textbooks, which would cover grammar, speaking, and re...

My interview was day long and included breakfast, a meeting with the Animal Science Department Chair. I did a presentation about the role of a riding program at a university. Panel discussions with students, equestrian team members, faculty and staff, teaching a lesson, meeting with the horse bar...

This role requires intense time management. A regular day would include, teaching the horse training class, teaching multiple large group lessons at differing levels and disciplines (hunter jumper, dressage, and western), meeting with students, and grading assignments for other classes, such as P...

First you need to set your goals as why you want to have an interview to be an Adjunct Lecturer. You need specific objectives as what you can offered to the student community as an instructor. To be professional, responsible and have discipline is a must. You need to let know the professor that i...

There is always something excited to do. The interactions with students and their questions makes me better everyday. I look for solutions and better ways to improve my teaching. There are many things to get done, so it is important to have a schedule and have discipline. During office hours I ge...

Take a look at the courses that are currently offered in the program to which you are applying, and think about ones that you would be able to teach.You will definitely be asked about the Jesuit mission and how you can promote it from within the classroom, especially the idea of social justice.Be...

Waking up and exercising at 6 am with the other TA's and the professor is expected. Occasionally will assist the professor in classes with HIIT (High intensity interval training) sessions or with simple exercise demonstrations in a class room setting. There will be monthly family meetings to get ...

You are in charge of 25 high school students as an after school matters instructor:Lead them through day of activities, handle any discipline issues, and daily paperwork are a standard occurence.You are in charge of your own curriculem, therefore planning what you are going to do for the day is u...

Guest lecturers are not actually teaching an 8 week class unless they are hired as adjuncts or full time professors. The lecturer comes in as a guest and speaks either for one full class as an invitation by a professor, or for an hour. The guest lecturer must prepare their talk in accordance to t...

This was a summer position, and when on the job, we would camp on-site for 10 days at a time. This means that you're constantly on the job! It's also very fun because you grow very close to the other people working on or taking the field school. Although actual work is only from 9-5 every day or ...

I wasn't working directly for the National Park Service, but as an assistant instructor for an archaeological field school that was run through the National Park Service and National Forest Service. As an assistant instructor, I would help teach teams of students different archaeological techniqu...