Getting Early Feedback From Students: International Teaching Assistants/Instructors

The International Teaching Assistant Program (ITAP) has put in place several safeguards to support new international teaching assistants (ITAs) as they begin teaching. These include

• early feedback on teaching,
• a videotaped teaching observation and
• an individual consultation on teaching.

Early Feedback and Teaching Consultation

All first or second semester ITAs must participate in online early feedback (MoCAT) before the end of the fifth week of teaching. ITAP facilitates this process for international teaching assistants. (Those not receiving significant feedback will be required to do pen-and-paper feedback by the seventh week of teaching.) Contact Sandy Sanders for more information.

ITAP will confidentially review the feedback on teaching and language with the ITA to determine which aspects of the class or lab are going well and which aspects need improvement. Early Feedback covers a variety of topics and gives the ITA the ability not only to reflect on teaching strengths and weaknesses, but also to know whether or not these language factors interfere with comprehensibility.

Class or Lab Observation and Teaching Consultation

ITAP staff members videotape both new and experienced ITAs and review the videotape with them. The decision to require videotaped evaluation and review may stem from low early feedback, an ITAP course requirement, or a request by the department or the ITA.

The ITAP observer guides the ITAs in critiquing their performance and offers suggestions for teaching development and improvement. The ITAs may use the consultation time to discuss any topics related to their teaching in a confidential environment.