Common Issues with TAs and Suggested Resolutions

Common Issues

  • Late on Grading duties
  • Missed Office Hours
  • Complains about the number of work hours per Week
  • Rude to Students
  • Doesn’t know material
  • Out of the country (See TA Organization)

Standard Resolution Techniques

In general, it is easy to remedy these issues if you have established a rapport with the TA, and are sensitive to any issues they may be going through. See Ben Brewster’s Leadership Tips for help doing this. Keeping these tips in mind, here are some possible remediation paths.

  • Send reminders and Inquire with Empathy
    In general, when you send a reminder about a pre-determined task, it is easy to cause offense. If you inquire about any lateness with empathy, it is far more likely to generate a positive outcomes.
  • Request a meeting to discuss
    If reminders haven’t been doing the job, it’s best to sit down face-to-face (or virtually face-to-face) to have a discussion about why the tasks aren’t being completed. Once you have established reasoning, it’s usually possible to work out a solution. This may take the form of shifting of responsibilities or deadlines with another TA to find a place where your TA can function at a higher level, or it may just be a place for them to let you know what they’re going through and build your relationship with them.

NOTE: It is vital that you document this process. Keep the emails, and write up some notes after any meetings.

Alternate Resolution Possibilities

From time to time I’ve had to resort to more extreme measures to get the wheels back on the wagon. I wouldn’t suggest jumping into any of these early, or using any of them frequently, but they can be useful in the right situation.

  • For GTAs, speaking with their advisor can radically shift their priorities. This will likely destroy any rapport you’ve established.
  • Shifting their duties, as mentioned in the upper section, can be an efficient and practical method, but coordinating this with the other TAs is sometimes quite difficult.
  • If all else fails, ask for a replacement GTA or recruit an undergrad TA to take over the duties which are being neglected.

TA Evaluation

Part of the reason we keep records of these interactions is for TA evaluation. For undergrad TAs, having this information will let us track which of our undergrad TAs are performing at a high level. For GTAs, you’ll want to submit this information to Assoc. Head Glencora Borradaile at the end of the term with the GTA evaluation system. If you are having issues with a GTA and you’re able to identify these issues early in the term, and have already taken steps toward resolution which have failed, you can utilize this evaluation system for Off-Cycle TA Evaluations to streamline corrective processes and enable proper tracking, in accordance with the GTA union guidelines. It is possible for GTAs to lose their appointment. For more info on TA evaluation, see the page on TA Organization.