Assignment 3:3 – Formal Report Draft Peer Review

To: Byung-Sun Park, English 301 Student Writer

From: Alethea Kramer, English 301 Student Reviewer

Date: March 30, 2023

Subject: Peer Review of Formal Report Proposal: Enhancing Continuous Support for Teaching Assistants at the UBC Department of Computer Science

Thank you for submitting this draft for Enhancing Continuous Support for Teaching Assistants at the UBC Department of Computer Science. You have made excellent progress towards completing your report. The report provides a comprehensive overview of the teaching assistantship program in the UBC Computer Science department. Overall, the report is well-structured and clearly written, with a good introduction and conclusion. The methods of research are appropriate, and the data collection process is well-documented. The report presents a detailed analysis of the current departmental resources for teaching assistants and suggests recommendations for improvements to support teaching assistants to continuously review and improve their performance and teaching skills throughout the term.

First Impressions:

One high-level improvement that could be made is to expand the scope of the survey to gather more data from a larger sample of students and teaching assistants. With only seven responses from teaching assistants and 22 responses from students, the report may not be representative of the views and experiences of the wider population. Additionally, the report could benefit from more detailed discussion and analysis of the limitations of the current resources and the potential benefits of implementing the proposed recommendations. Finally, the report could also suggest specific training and development programs to address the identified gaps and improve the quality of the teaching assistantship program.

Organization: 

The organization of the report appears to be of high quality. It starts with a clear and concise overview of the teaching assistantship program, followed by a well-documented research methodology and data collection process. The report also includes a detailed analysis of the current resources for teaching assistants, which is complemented by recommendations for improvements to support teaching assistants in their role. 

• Subheadings are well utilized to encourage readability, however please consider using visual aids such as font decoration and size to make them stand out.
• Content is sectioned well and paragraphs are of appropriate lengths. Message is to-the-point throughout the draft. 

Grammar and Style: 

Definition of Teaching Assistantship:

• None found. The writing style is clear and concise. The tone is informative.

Background on Computer Science Teaching Assistantship:

• The sentence “Compared to a large number of students in the department” is unclear and should be rephrased.
• The phrase “to resolve the gap” should be “to bridge the gap”.
• The sentence “Therefore, the teaching assistantship program has played a crucial role in delivering large courses to resolve the gap between a large number of students and a limited number of instructors.” is too long and should be broken into two or more sentences.
•  The writing style is informative but could be improved for clarity. The tone is neutral.

Duties of Teaching Assistants at the Department of Computer Science:

• None found.

Purpose of the Report:

• The phrase “insufficient support” should be “insufficient supportive”.

Methods of Research:

• None found.

Scope of Inquiry and Summary of Final Recommendations:

• None found.

Data:

• None found.

Overview of Current Departmental Resources for Teaching Assistants:

• The sentence “However, Teaching assistants may not always be familiar with the specific course logistics and teaching methods.” should be rephrased.

Overall:

• A positive and you-attitude tone is maintained throughout. This is great work.

 Design:

The graphics are well placed and utilized to support data analysis and recommendations. Please consider increasing the size of the font as the labels are difficult to read. Color contrast of the bright purples and reds are high enough that visuals are striking and effective. 

Thank you for your effort in completing the draft of your formal report. I enjoyed reading and learning about the teaching-assistant program in the Computer Science Department at UBC. If you have any questions, please contact me at aletheakramer@outlook.com. I wish you luck finalizing your report.

Link to Byung-Sun Park’s Draft Report