Teaching Teams

Course heads meet regularly with TF/TAs and other teaching staff to discuss approaches to teaching the course. Topics at teaching team meetings will vary, but the Bok Center recommends:

Before / Early in the Semester 

  • Responsibilities: Clarify expectations of TF/TAs (e.g. attend lectures, run sections, hold office hours, write exam questions, monitor Canvas discussions, grade homework).
  • Course Policies: Define common policies across sections and how to handle exceptions (e.g. lateness, attendance, devices, generative AI).
  • Syllabus: Review the syllabus, clarify any areas of ambiguity.
  • Classroom Norms: Shared values or practices (in line with program, College, and FAS policies). 
  • Build Trust: Discuss how each member of the teaching team plans to build a sense of community and trust in section. 
  • Discuss Teaching: Decide what pedagogical approaches are the best fit for this course. Discuss potential problems proactively (e.g. what should you do when a student talks too much or another student doesn’t talk at all?)
  • Sections: Clarify the relationship between section and lecture. What should each section achieve?
  • Grading: Discuss consistency and standards in grading (e.g. review grading rubrics and/or examples from past classes), including the use of Generative AI. Discuss how you will ensure consistency and calibrate standards in grading (e.g. review grading rubrics and/or examples from past classes). What should members of the teaching team do to create fairness and uniformity in grading? One effective way to do so in courses with multiple TFs is for TFs to grade assignments by students not in their sections.
  • Generative AI: Discuss policy on how your course will handle the use of Generative AI.

Throughout the Semester 

  • Reflect: Discuss how things went the previous week.
  • Plan: Define the main learning goal(s) for the week.
  • Clarify: Discuss the relationship between lecture and section goals.
  • Assignments: Clarify how readings & assignments relate to the week’s learning goals.
  • Content: Discuss how particular aspect(s) of the course material / readings that the teaching team wants students to grapple with.
  • Anticipate: Discuss what members of the teaching team expect to find challenging in the coming week, and how to help students engage with the material.
  • Teaching Challenges: Review strategies for addressing disengaged students and other student-related challenges (students who are not participating, doing subpar work, etc.).
  • Grade: Discuss assignment rubric and/or grade a sample assignment together, particularly when grading on qualitative criteria. Review policy on the use of Generative AI. Discuss assignment rubrics and/or grade a sample assignment together. Ensure that the grading cap is applied across the course as a whole, and not by section or TF.
  • Student feedback: Determine how and when to collect student feedback.

 

For a printable version of this list, see: What to Discuss at Teaching Team Meetings

Additional Resources: