Teaching evaluation
TAs are evaluated on their teaching by their students, at the end of term, and also often by their teaching faculty supervisor. Soon, however, these evaluations will be done online instead. In Zoology, a TA evaluation by the course instructor may or may not occur depending on the course and supervisor. In Botany, many supervisors give their own evaluation, often midterm.
These evaluations, both from the students and from your supervisor, form part of your permanent record. If a TA has had an unsatisfactory evaluation, either from students or faculty, they must be notified in writing and given a chance to improve their performance. If performance does not improve, they may be taken off the TA list and will no longer be eligible for TA support.
First year Biology courses have a faculty evaluation of the TA, with the following criteria:
4 – Excellent
3 – Good (but room for improvement)
2 – Needs improvement
1 – Unacceptable
n/a – Not enough information
A written explanation is necessary for any evaluations of 1 or 2. If a TA receives a 1 on his or her evaluation, and improvement has not occurred by the next evaluation, this is considered grounds for non-renewal of the TAship.
TAs are assessed for:
Performance
- Approachability
- Engagement with students
- Facilitation of classroom discussion
- Provides helpful feedback
- Clarity
- Enthusiasm
- Organization
Responsibility
- Pre-lab preparation
- Following instructions
- Attendance/punctuality
- Lab setup/cleanup
- Marking
- Record keeping
Attitude as a TA
- Positive attitude towards students
- Positive attitude towards the lab program and its staff
- Professional attitude and behaviour
Biology graduate student teaching awards
For information on eligibility, nomination & adjudication processes, deadlines and criteria – click here