TA Frequently Asked Questions

Last update of this page: Sun Aug 17, 2014, 5:30pm

Topics:

• Absences and vacations
• Accomodating disabilities
• Final exams
• Semester grades

• Is it OK for me to take a week off on vacation?

  While TA's are employees of the university, you don't really get vacation time. You should only miss class because of illness or because of unavoidable travel that you have to undertake for serious reasons (e.g., for a funeral).

• What do I do if I have to miss class for some serious and unavoidable reason?

  Try to get a substitute (e.g., another TA) to cover your class -- an equal exchange is one common approach. If you can't find a substitute on your own, talk with the TA coordinator.

• How and when do I accomodate a student's disability?

  Even if you suspect a student has some kind of disability, learning or otherwise, DO NOT try to diagnose a disability yourself or push a student towards the Accessible Education Center (AEC). For legal reasons, students must self-identify and register with the AEC themselves, after which they will contact you about receiving accomodations.

• How do I make accomdations for exams?

  For details see here. But in brief:

  • It is the student's responsibility to contact you at least a week ahead of time and provide the proper paperwork to be filled out.
  • Accomodations will vary by student and be worked out on an individual basis. Common testing accomodations include extra time for exams and the opportunity to take exams under quiet conditions at the AEC.

• How are accomodations handled for the common final?

  • Again, it is the student's responsibility to contact you about a month ahead of time and provide the proper paperwork to be filled out. At that point, please contact the TA coordinator to start the process.
  • Since the AEC is not open on Saturdays, your student will take a modified version of the final as soon as a weekday spot is open. You will be responsible for grading this final.
  • Again, for other details, see here.

• What's this about a common final?

  All sections of Math 8 taught by a TA will take the same final at the same time.

• When is the common final in Fall 2014?

  Students will take the exam Saturday Dec 13, 2014, 9:45am-noon. All TA's and the coordinator will grade the exam immediately afterwards. Please plan to be on campus until 7-8pm or so. Lunch will be provided.

• How should I prepare?

• How will the grading work?

• How do I incorporate the final exam into my semester grades?

• Where do I type in my grades?

• Under what circumstances do I give a student a grade of I (Incomplete)?

• What are the mechanics of the I grade?

  1. First, you give the student a grade of I when the semester ends.
  2. As soon as possible after that, you need to propose an incomplete contract, with a firm deadline, and your student needs to accept it. This all happens at my.sjsu.edu; step-by-step faculty instructions are here, and step-by-step student instructions are here.
  3. Your student finishes the work for the semester. The grading of this material is all up to you.
  4. You go to my.sjsu.edu to assign a semester grade to replace the I. Note that if you do not do this by the deadline on the incomplete contract, the grade automatically becomes an F.