Math GTA Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated 8/28/06

• Getting Hired, Getting Paid
  • What are the minimum requirements to be able to be a GTA?
  • How do I get started?
  • I want to swap my Math 109 class with someone for a Math 70 assignment.
  • I thought you used to leave our paychecks in our mailboxes. What happened?
• Course Content
  • What sections of the text are we covering this year?
  • What should we emphasize?
  • What can we skip?
  • Can I see what past GTAs have tried?
• Starting the Year
  • What's the difference between Math 59 and 60?
  • What are the First Year Experience sections?
  • Do I need lesson plans done before the year starts?
  • What is Blackboard?
  • How do I activate my Blackboard course?
  • How do you keep grades?
  • Do I have office hours? How long and where?
  • What phone number and other contact information should I give to my students?
  • How many students will there be? What do I do about the wait list?
  • What is Math 700?
  • What is the GTA Orientation and is it optional?
  • What should I put in my syllabus?
  • Are the monthly GTA meetings required?
  • What are the Add, Drop and Withdrawal deadlines this year?
• Our Students
  • What is EO 665?
  • If students test into Math 70, can they delay taking it until Spring semester?
  • Who are these students?
  • What student prerequisites do I have to check?
  • The prerequisites are confusing? What are the ELM cutoffs? Two of my Math 70 students had ELM scores below 42, which I assume is a probably a scheduling mistake on their part. One student has an ELM score of 310 listed!! Is this likely a clerical error, or does it mean something that you know of?
  • Do our students have e-mail?
  • How many students typically pass the course?
• Privacy and Harassment
  • I hand back quizzes by passing the pile around the class and letting students grab their own. Is that okay?
  • I've posted my student's grades on the web using the last four digits of their Social Security number (same as their Student ID) for anonymity. Someone said that's not okay. Who's right?
  • Okay, we can't use the old student IDs to post grades because they are tied to Social Security numbers. What about the NEW student IDs introduced in 2005?
  • I know the university is super-cautious with grades. One of my student's parent wants to discuss the student's poor progress with me. How do I deal with this?
  • Any thoughts on sexual harassment?
• Disabilities
  • What facilities do we have to help diagnose or support learning disabled students?
  • One of my students is telling me a week before the midterm that he has a disability and wants to take the exam in a special place. What should I do?
• Missing Class, Holidays and Other Special Days
  • I want to cancel my Wednesday class before Thanksgiving. That's okay, right? (Or: I want to cancel the Friday before Spring Break or Thanksgiving Week.)
  • What is Advising Day and how does it affect me?
  • I want to give an early final exam and let my class skip exam week. I hear everyone does it.
  • I want to give a take home final. What do you think?
  • I want to give a non-cumulative final exam. What do you think?
  • I have to miss a class. What should I do?
• Discipline
  • What's the most common discipline problem?
  • What should I do if I finish lecture early?
  • My students tell me that since they were good today, I should let them out 15 minutes early. Is that normal?
  • I'm enjoying teaching my class. They think I'm a nice person, and they are teaching me how to teach them. But I did what they told me and they still bombed the assignment. What should I do?
  • I have a small group of students who won't stop talking in class. There is one 'ringleader' in particular who seems to be challenging me. She talks aggressively, curses and blames me for her trouble in class. I am considering some options: kicking the students out when they interrupt me; talking to each group member individually out of class; walking out on the class; deducting points; assigning seats to split up the group. What should I do?
  • I am going to talk individually with some students in my class who are disruptive. I want to tell them I'm going to kick them out of class if they disrupt it again. But I only can catch them for a few seconds at the end of class. How should I approach this?
  • What happens if a student becomes aggressive or won't leave the class when I say so?
• Exams and Cheating
  • I'm having trouble going over quizzes in class. The class seems restless and bored, even though some of them bombed the quiz!
  • I made the midterm too hard, and my class is crushed. What should I do?
  • How hard should my midterm be? Final? Quiz?
  • One of my students claims she has quiz anxiety! What should I do about it?
  • I caught a student cheating during a quiz/midterm. What should I do?
  • One of my students came back with a chapter test that he claimed I'd graded wrong. Sure enough, I had marked a bunch of problems wrong that he did correctly. I am pretty sure he changed the answers after I returned it, but I can't prove it. What should I do?
• Evaluations and Videotaping
  • Are mid-semester evaluations required?
  • Are end-of-semester evaluations required?
  • I've heard I can get my class videotaped. How does that work?
  • I'm going to have my class videotaped, and I'm terrified? What should I do? Isn't my class going to freak out?
  • I look terrible on video. I'm so depressed.
• Grading
  • How does this Web Grading thing work?
  • C-, D, F and NC. I'm a little confused with the Math 59 and 60 grading. When I was assigning grades on the web. I noticed that I could only assign grades 'A' to 'C-'. Do I assign a 'C-' (which is a non passing grade)to someone who actually receive a 'D' or do I assign 'NC' for no credit?
  • What is a W?
  • What is an INC?
  • Does the grade in 59/60/70 count in a student's GPA?
  • One of my students never comes to class. However, she turned in a midterm and did fantastically. Can a student like this pass?
  • One of my students did almost no homework all year. He aced my three chapter tests, but then he bombed my final. He is mad and claiming that he really knew the material. He is complaining to the chair and everyone else.
  • One of my Math 60 students worked SO hard. But his grade is not quite high enough to pass. I know he doesn't know the material, but he did work so hard, and I feel so bad for him. Should I have some faith and pass him?
• This FAQ
  • Who wrote this FAQ?
  • I still have questions. Where else can I look?

Getting Hired, Getting Paid

• You need to be a graduate student in mathematics with a GPA of at least 3.0.
• You need to give us a reliable way to be reached over the summer and winter breaks.
• You need to have passed Math 700. You can take it concurrently with your assignment. If it's not offered in your first semester, you need to take it in the next semester it's offered. If you took the REAL 890, you don't need to take 700.
• You have to attend the orientation and the weekly meetings.

• You need to contact Cray Tubbe <ctubbe@sfsu.edu >, the Math Office Manager, about getting signed up as a teacher, getting office space and keys, getting a textbook, etc. - DM

• Trading classes is not exactly the same as trading sections of the same class. I need to be involved. Please copy me on your offers to trade, and I will decide how to make a swap. - DM

• The university says paychecks cannot be put into mailboxes. You will have to pick them up at the desk and sign a sheet saying you got it.
  
  If you want a friend to pick up a check, send a signed note with the person stating their name. They will sign for the check and we will retain the note. If it's someone we don't know, we'll ask for ID.
  
  This system covers actual paychecks and the vouchers received by those with direct deposit. Sorry to bring the bad news that our old, relaxed system is no longer allowed. I understand that this makes it hard to get paychecks after hours. Let me or Shira know if you need to make special arrangements. -DM

Course Content

• In Math 59 and 60, Chapter 2 sections 2-7, Chapter 3 all sections, Chapter 4 sections 1-6, and 8, Chapter 5 all sections, Chapter 6 section 6.6 and a few problems in 6.7, and Chapter 7 sections 1-4. -JK
• In Math 70 Chapter 2 review parts of sections 1-8 , Chapter 3 sections 1 and 2, Chapter 4 sections 1-3, 5, 7, Chapter 5 sections 1-5, Chapter 6 section 1-4 and 6, Chapter 8 sections 1-4. -JK

• What to emphasize will be an important part of the discussion at the orientation and follow-up GTA meetings. -JK
• In general in Math 59 and 60 the emphasis should be on linear equations and inequalities and their graphs, solving equations, solving systems of equations and writing equations to represent problems. -JK
• In general in Math 70 the emphasis should be on exponential, and quadratic functions and their graphs, solving exponential and quadratic equations, and writing equations to represent problems. -JK

• Again we will discuss what is most important at the meetings, but definitely skip the material that is in the sections that are not listed above. -JK

• Yes! First of all, the Teaching Notes contain many lessons people have tried. Furthermore, in TH 916 (the copy room), there are binders for each of Math 60 and 70 with activities and lessons that past GTAs have tried. Leaf through these and get inspired!

Starting the Year

• The obvious differences are that 59 has an extra weekly hour and the 59 students scored lower on the ELM. Less obvious is that there is a lot of support structure for these students. Here is a word from Tony Johnson, ILP Program Director:
  
  Welcome back for a new and challenging semester. Once again we would like to ask you for your cooperation and assistance in completing progress reports for your ILP students who may need some extra attention. We would like to receive the progress reports as soon as possible. The sooner we address our students needs the better their chances for success.
  
  We are in the process of welcoming back or tutors and finalizing their schedules for this semester. If you are interested in having an in class tutor please let us know and we will attempt to assign a tutor to your class to assist you at least once a week. If you would like special arrangement as far as in class tutoring times or hours available per week please inform me as soon as possible.
  
  We will contact you to arrange a short visit to your class from one of our representatives or me to inform your student's about the importance of your class, EO 665, and the tutoring services available to them. If you have any questions please give us a call at X82407, e-mail us at tjohnson@sfsu.edu , or visit our office we are located in HSS 340.

• You can find out more at their web site.

• No, but you really should plan out a good chunk of the year beforehand. You should look over the material in the official syllabus and think about what themes you want to emphasize and develop.

• Blackboard is an online class that is automatically created by the university for your class. That means all your students and you have access to the class as soon as you make the course available (dig into the Course Settings). You are not required to make any use at all of Blackboard. Other TAs have used it to distribute grades (since each student can only view their score, and with your permission, the class average); as a gradebook (there are options to weight different assignments in different ways); as an online office hour; as a class question forum; a way of distributiing documents electronically.

• DM says:
  • Open www.sfsu.edu
  • On the left, click on "Information for ... Faculty"
  • On the right, click on "SFSU Class Services"
  • Enter your ID and PAC, then click on "Blackboard"
  • Click on your class in the right panel
  • On the left side, click on "Control Panel"
  • Under Course Options, click on "Settings"
  • Click "Course Availability"
  • Under "Make this course available", click "yes", then click "Submit"
  • Now log out of Blackboard. Your course should be available.

• There is no standard way; you should find a way that you are comfortable with. Some people use Blackboard (see the Q on Blackboard); others use an Excel spreadsheet (that's what I use); some swear by various software packages. Some people had success last year with Gradekeeper.

• You must offer at least one office hour per 3 unit course. They should be held in your office, naturally. You should coordinate with your officemates to avoid overlapping office hours. - EH

• I would avoid giving a home number, and instead offer an e-mail address with a campus phone. Your office does have a phone number!
  
  The SFSU phone system can be confusing. The first (white) section of the SFSU Telephone Directory contains detailed telephone instructions for D-Term phone users (i.e. voice mail user's guide, phone functions, etc.)
  
  If you are experiencing telecommunications difficulties or require telecommunications assistance (i.e. require a new extension, do not know your extension, need to transfer an extension from one room to another, etc.) please send the following information to statmath@math.sfsu.edu:
  
  * Your full name
  * office location
  * current phone extension (if you know it)
  * nature of the problem/nature of request.

• The class population is capped at 40 to ensure your effectiveness and physical comfort of the room. Since that number is already too high, you should do your best not to let more students in. The department will open enough sections for everyone to have a section.
  
  On the first day, some official students may not be there. If they aren't there by the end of the class, drop them and give their spot to people on the wait list. You need to give the new open spots either through some random process or in the wait list order. You are not allowed to give priority to seniors or another other criteria. - EH
• If you decide to let someone in, you will need to give them a permit number (sometimes called an add sticker since before Fall 2006 they came on awful stickers). Here is a memo that describes how to handle permit numbers electronically.

• This teaching workshop is required for all GTAs who have not taken it before (unless they have taken the 890 REAL course). The goal of this workshop is for graduate student instructors to develop and refine their teaching. Teaching is not only presentation, but it is also course planning, classroom decision making and post-instruction reflection. We will work on these skills in the context of the classes we are teaching. A secondary goal is for us to contribute to an archive of our experiences in the classroom for ourselves and future teachers.

• NO, it isn't optional. You need to attend, and you need to bring a draft of your course syllabus.

• There are a number of non-obvious things that people are required to put in their syllabus, so I would start from the standard syllabus we give you and work from there. - EH
• As you know, the University requires you to prepare a syllabus for each of your classes. You can print the syllabus and distribute it to your students, or you can post the syllabus to a web site publicized to the class. The minimum required is an explanation of your grading system, but I ask that you include much more.
  
  I like to include all my assignments and exam dates in my own syllabi. Students appreciate knowing what they have to do for the semester, and the syllabus keeps me on schedule.
  
  Whatever else you include, please keep the standard text on: Incompletes, Withdrawals, Disabilities and Religious Holidays. - DM

• Yes, they are part of your official job. If you have to miss one, let Judy or Eric know as soon as you know there is an issue. - EH

• You can find the Academic Calendar online.

Our Students

• It is the name of the CSU systemwide executive order which says entering students need to either test out of the requirement by achieving a high score on ELM, or pass algebra through Math 70 in their first calendar year at SFSU (including summer semester) or they will have to complete the requirement at a community college and transfer back in.

• No. EO 665 states that if you need to remediate, you must begin in fall, or first semester. - Karen Kingsbury

• They've all seen algebra before, probably multiple times. Many of them will resent being placed in your class and think they don't need you. Some of them are returning to school after time away, and they will be learning the hard way what they need to do to succeed in college. Certainly, if your class is all lecture format, many will find it boring and probably confusing, no matter how engaging you are. The students have all seen the material before, multiple times. It is hard to sit still and quiet for an hour or hour and a half. It is important to mix the class format up, with some kind of active thinking from them. This could mean group activities, student presentations, even trips outside.

• The students have either tested in via ELM, or (for Math 70) they have gotten a C or better in a prerequisite class (59 or 60). This means a C- is NOT good enough to take Math 70. That grade is meant to indicate a passing effort but not enough mastery to go into 70. Don't make exceptions... you are only hurting the student.

• The ELM changed scale in 2002, so that 310 score is an old one (and a low one at that). A 41 would be a borderline score, lower is definitely 60 territory. See Official Score Cutoffs for more details. - EH

• Yes, every single one has an e-mail account provided by the university. However, note that not every one has HOME access to e-mail. There are computer labs on campus they can use to check e-mail. However, if you want them to check their e-mail or the web regularly, you should tell them in advance so they can plan to do it. Don't take for granted that all your students have casual internet access. - EH

• We hope all of them! That would be wonderful. Historically, about 80% of the students pass Math 59, 60, 70. Almost everyone who fails is someone who skips class and doesn't do homework. Those are the students you'll need to put some effort into coming to class. - EH

Privacy and Harassment

• Remember, the key idea is that students should not be able to figure out each other's grades without permission. So if put the student grade in a big circle on the front page, you method is NOT okay. If you discreetly put the grade on the last page, that is better. The best way is to put the grade on the last page, and also to hand it back to them yourself! It's a great way to learn their names faster, and they do appreciate the fact that you know who they are. - EH
• I have students fold their papers in half lengthwise and put their name on the outside. Then I hand back an alphabetized stack.-JK

• I regret to say, you cannot use any part of a student's ID or name to index publically displayed grades. In the past, we did post grades by those digits on our doors and on the web. Now there is much greater sensitivity to privacy issues, and it's not allowed at all. I still do post student grades to the internet, but I randomly assign ID numbers to them and give them their number on a slip of paper in class.

• Suzanne Dmytrenko from the Office of the Registrar says: Sorry, you can't use the new SFSU ID publicly in association with any non-directory information. This means that if you wish to send an email with the SFSU ID and Name (both 'Directory Information'), this is ok. But you can't use the SFSU ID and post it next to a grade.
• Looks like a student's name is publicly associated with the new ID, so we can't use it to anonymize grades... - EH

• This is a university and the students are treated as independent adults. It may seem cold, but I suggest you keep your relationship to being just with the student unless your student authorizes you to discuss his/her work with someone else. After all, the parental involvement could be unwelcome.
  
  Here is one GTA's careful e-mail response to a parental offer to help:
  
  Thank you for your email. While I appreciate your concern, I am not at liberty to discuss a student's progress, or grades, with anyone other than him or her. The University has very strict rules about this. I can say that I look forward to meeting with (Student) and outlining a plan for his success. I am very dedicated to helping each of my students, and will continue to make myself available to assist them outside of class and beyond my office hours as needed. I trust (Student) will keep you apprised of his situation.
  

• Obviously, don't do it, and don't take risks around the edges of questionable behavior. We had an incident a few years ago when a GTA said inappropriate things to students. He thought he was making jokes, but the students thought he was offensive. So take to heart the standard warning about maintaining a professional relationship with students. Office doors should be kept open unless the student asks that the door be closed. GTA's have to know not only to behave themselves but not to put themselves in a position where they could be accused of misbehavior. - DM

Disabilities

• The campus program in charge is the Disability Programs and Resource Center, in Student Services Building, Room 110, 415-338-2472.

• Strictly speaking, if the student didn't warn you in the first couple of weeks, then you aren't obliged to give him any accomodation. (You DID put that in your syllabus, right?) However, we do want to give students their best possible chance at succeeding, so I suggest you do try to accommodate them. - EH
  
  Mary Bravewoman adds:
  
  A student must have first registered with the DPRC (Disability Programs and Resource Center), before they are provided with any accommodations. It is the job of DPRC to verify the student's disability; yousimply need to see proof of the verification.
  
  The DPRCdoes provide testing accommodations for students witha CATAV (Classroom and Testing Accommodation Verification form). However students must show you this form, and then DPRC requests a copy of your exam be sent directly to their office in advance, sometimes as much as 4 weeks early.
  
  If your student is making a last minute request, then you need to make sure she is entitled to the accommodation. Ask to speak with her DPRC counselor and for verification of her disability.
  
  It is the responsibility of the student to make their instructors aware of their special needs early in the semester. However, sometimes students try to get by without taking advantage of their accommodations until they get in too deep.
  
  In any case, you should personally deliver your exam to DPRC, and insist that the proper protocol be followed in the future. I hope this helps, and let me know if you have any more questions.
  
  You can contact DPRC at
  
  Disability Programs and Resource Center
  Student Services Building, Room 110
  415-338-2472

Missing Class, Holidays and Other Special Days

• In case there was any question, you are not authorized to make cancel classes or make them optional the day before a holiday. I don't want our students going home saying that their math teachers think education is less important than extra vacation. -DM
• Realistically, some students do skip Wednesday class (sometimes for good reason). But you shouldn't skip the class yourself! So I would take care to catch up students on the material upon their return (either in class or out). - EH
• In Fall 2006, SFSU is experimenting with giving all Thanksgiving week as a holiday. This will probably mean some students will want to skip the class before Thanksgiving Week. It's still not okay. - EH

• All classes are cancelled on Advising Day (except those that only meet once a week). That means you. Plan for it, and announce it in class. - EH
• Starting Fall 2006, it appears that Advising Day is no longer during the school year. But keep an eye out for it in case it pops up in the calendar again! - EH

• This is absolutely not allowed. To discourage this, according to Academic Senate policy F76-12, "all classes are expected to meet during the final examination period whether an examination is given or not". Please adhere to this policy to show our students that we value their time in the classroom. Please notify your Chair if special circumstances require you to make an exception to this policy. Note that making yourself available in your office does not meet the requirement. You must hold a class where attendance is required during the scheduled final exam time for your course. - DM
  
  Another reason not to is that when one class gives exams in the last week, it messes things up for all the other classes as those students are too distracted during the last two weeks to participate fully. - EH

• Please don't. Take-home exams are notoriously hard to secure from cheating, and you will have to meet during exam week anyway, so it won't save anyone anytime (see the question on early finals).

• Please don't. Math 59/60/70 are structured so that the later material builds on the earlier material. It is logically impossible to give a non-cumulative exam. However, your students might think it _is_ possible, and not study earlier material, which can only hurt their grasp of the later material.

• The best thing to do is to get another GTA to cover your class. You can return the favor someday. Second best is to get an experienced ex-GTA to cover your class. A distant third is to cancel class. In any case, you need to inform the department, even if you get a substitute. -EH
• When you miss a class, even if you get a substitute, you should tell me. It's best to inform me ahead of time, but if that is not possible then tell me as soon afterwards as possible. -DM

Discipline

• The most common ones are listed in this section. Many of these are different facets of the same phenomenon: a GTA doesn't feel comfortable exercising their power in class. They want people to see that s/he is a "nice" person. As a result, they don't quiet students who interrupt them or others or are otherwise rude, or they allow vocal students to get their way about details like homework length/difficulty or how the class should be organized. This results in a downhill slide where the GTA's authority is undermined by the loud, and the quiet feel helpless and unprotected by the GTA. This is actually a very common phenomenon for first or second time teachers.
• A lack of authority can worsen the restlessness and boredom of a class. But what causes the restlessness? Certainly, if your class is all lecture format, many will find it boring and probably confusing, no matter how engaging you are. The students have all seen the material before, multiple times. It is hard to sit still and quiet for an hour or hour and a half. It is important to mix the class format up, with some kind of active thinking from them. This could mean group activities, student presentations, even trips outside.

• This should not happen because you should always plan more than you think you will be able to do.
• If you think you might hit a natural stopping point before the end of a class hour, have a 10-minute problem ready for groups or pairs to solve together or have a review of skills quiz ready for them to take and check themselves. These are things you can prepare ahead of time to write on the board if you have extra time.
• Another idea is to always look ahead and prepare a preview questions for the next lesson. Something to get them started on what's next. If you collect it you can use it to judge their readiness for the next section and adjust your plans accordingly.
• If you are finishing early you may be lecturing too much. It is important to engage the students in solving the problems themselves. They should spend some class time working together on problems and presenting their solutions to each other. This generally takes time, more than when you do the explaining, but it is important for them to learn to put their thoughts into words, and when you are lecturing they are not getting a chance to do this.

• Please don't do that, because it's a terrible idea. First, there isn't enough time as it is to cover what we want in the depth we want. Second, we don't want to treat class as some kind of punishment to relieve them of. If you do want to do something light, maybe give them an extra credit math puzzler once or twice. Third, once you let them out early once, they will beg you twice as hard the next time. Furthermore, it causes peer pressure to not ask questions towards the end of class, which is very bad. I've never let a class out early in my life. - EH

• I'm glad you are feeling so positive! It's not always bad to take suggestions from the class. However, I am worried about the phrase 'teaching you to teach'. These are students who know what is comfortable for them, but not what actually helps them understand. Also loud students often speak only for themselves and not for the quiet people in class. And as you saw, even if you do what they tell you, they don't often get it! They aren't experts at their own learning.
  
  My concern for new teachers is this: if you take too much advice from your class, they will lose respect for you. Some of them may think you are someone they can boss around.
  
  Here are a few warning signs:
  - they interrupt you to make their suggestions;
  - quiet students look unhappy with the interrupters;
  - they argue with you when you ask them to do some work;
  - they keep pushing you to change little things, like rescheduling tests, grading easier;
  - they spend the class doing homework;
  - they treat you like you don't know the normal way of doing things.
  
  Believe it or not, it really bothers many students if you are a "pushover". Some of them like to test you early on, to see how much they can manipulate you. And if you are too much of a pushover, it hurts the learning of the whole class, and the morale in the class.
  So, I'm not saying there is a problem (yet) in class. But this is something to watch very carefully. Every year, this is the biggest discipline problem: teachers not using their authority and having the class become loud, lazy and out of control. - EH
  
  When I taught my first class here, I wanted to be a likable teacher but I ended up being a "pushover" teacher. I wish I was warned ahead of time. I'm glad our new instructors are getting the advice now. - Stephen Chou

• I would personally have a talk with the 'ringleader' first outside of class, right away. I'd say, it's very distracting for other people to have you talking in class when I'm talking or especially when your peers are talking. I'm getting complaints from other students. Do you think you can stop the talking in class? It's okay to ask questions, but you can't disrupt the class. Then I'd warn them that I was going to start telling people who talk to leave.
  
  Then I would explain to the class that there were complaints that the class was too noisy to learn in, etc., and then do it for as long as it took for there to be an environment you can learn in. If by some freak reason someone refused to leave when I asked, I would ask again, and if they still don't leave, tell them you will call campus security (8-7200). I doubt it would escalate past that. If it did, that's when campus security should get involved. There's a phone in every class and 911 works on it. - EH
  
  I also suggest that someone observe the class, partially in case new eyes could see a solution and partially to have a witness in case the student had to be dropped. I also offer to speak with the student, nominally to give her an opportunity to voice her complaints about the class but really to give me the opportunity to warn her about the consequences of her misbehavior. - DM

• I think it would be good for you to frame the whole issue as 'Classmates are getting distracted. So I'm going to start asking people to leave class if they're disruptive. I'm going to treat everyone the same way. I'm worried you aren't in the habit of being quiet, and I don't want to lose you from the class. We don't have time to talk now, but can you meet me after class at office hours?'
  
  So it's less a threat then a 'this is the way it has to be; now how can I support you?' feeling. There's no guarantee in any case that they'll respond rationally. But stay cool and keep in mind, it's true that you don't want to lose them and you'll do what it takes, short of messing up the class for everyone else. Good luck, and don't take whatever happens personally. - EH

• These cases are extremely extremely rare. In practically every case, there will be warning signs so you can alert Judy, Eric or the Math Dept chair. We will stand with you, so please contact us with any discipline worries. If this extreme case should happen, note that there are phones in every classroom, and campus security can be reached by dialing 8-7200. They have a website you can look at too. Also, you can dial 911, which goes to campus security (and not to outside 911 as a previous version of this answer suggested).
• Call campus police at 911 to remove the student if the student will not quiet down or leave. At that point the Student Judicial Officer Donna Cunningham gets involved. She might have a student suspended from campus for a couple of weeks and then hold hearings to decide on the final disposition of the case. Donna's office, the police and the campus counseling service work closely together, and if a student is disrupting a class or threatening an instructor that is where to seek help. An instructor should not try to handle such a situation by themselves, nor should they take punitive action on their own accord. -DM
• GTA's should not put themselves at risk. They should never be alone in an office or an empty classroom with an angry student. If a GTA feels threatened by a student (an unusual but not unknown occurance), the GTA should try to break off the contact and report it to Judy, Eric or the Math Dept chair. If the students will not leave, the GTA can offer to "consult the Chair". Sometimes angry students like to talk to someone in authority. Usually the staff and I can calm the student or at least get help. - DM

Exams and Cheating

• It is hard to go over quizzes and tests when you return them. Most students don't pay much attention once they know their score. This is annoying, since the ones who made mistakes should be paying the most attention. By the time you return the papers, the problem is not fresh, and those who can remember the problem can often figure out their mistake pretty quickly.
  
  The best luck I've had is going over the quizzes right after they've turned them in. I ask people to help me solve it on the board. People want to know since they've just been working on it, and want to know if they got it right. -EH

• Some people give some tough extra credit assignments to let people make up credit. I have allowed students to re-write their exam perfectly to gain a rebate of 1/3 the points lost. One GTA told their class that they would have the same or similar problem in one week, and that their quiz scores would replace their exam scores on the problem. I think the general idea is to give students a way to do legitimate work to earn grade credit. RESIST the urge to say you'll be 'nicer' or 'easier' on the next exam. Your next exam is going to be as hard as you think is appropriate to measure their learning. Don't give them the feeling that the difficulty of exams correlates with how kind you are.

• This is always hard to judge the first time you give a test. You should talk with other GTA's and compare midterm questions for levels of difficulty. Preparing midterms and final exams will also be a topic for discussion at the GTA monthly meetings.

• A lot of students get nervous for quizzes and tests. If this student's test anxiety is actually connected to a learning disability, then she needs to get tested and certified by the DPRC (Disability Programs and Resource Center). See the question in "Disabilities" on midterm accommodations for more information.
  
  I don't know any magic solutions to quiz anxiety, but here is something I've done in the past. I've given hard quizzes in this format: they work on it by themselves for 5-10 minutes. Then they draw a line on the page and put down their pens. I give them 1 minute to 'cheat'. They can talk to anyone they want, but they can't write anything down. Then I say stop and they can add whatever they want to the quiz, under the line. Their work still counts for credit, so they have no incentive to cheat.
  
  Good things: they have intense incentive to work together, briefly. They can see how they did without help and how well they do with a little bit of help. I can see the difference too. People seem to like it, and it does give them some practice being under pressure. - EH

• The official university policy is quite fearsome and escalates quickly to expulsion. It will be better if it doesn't get to that point. I suggest that if you think you've caught students cheating, you e-mail me, Judy Kysh and the Chair, about the situation, and we'll handle it on a case-by-case basis.
• I had a case with a student cheating once. I was sure of it since he turned in a carbon copy of the paper of the person next to him right down to the mistakes that came out of left field. Plus, I had seen him looking at her paper on other quizzes. At any rate, in finding out what to do, I eventually got turned over to the Vice Chair of Undergraduate Affairs. He told me to pull the student aside, and show him the papers and that I had suspected him of cheating and that the issue has been passed on to the Vice Chair of Undergraduate Affairs. It worked! It was pretty obvious that student wasn't even entertaining the idea of cheating anymore. Sometimes all you need is a little scare tactic without actually accusing. - Amy Morrow

• In this case I would say there isn't enough evidence he cheated to actually accuse him. But, the next time I handed back his test, I would xerox it before returning it. People have been silly enough to be caught the second time around.

Evaluations and Videotaping

• Not officially, but they are a very good idea! The end-of-year evaluation is way too late to help improve the class. You should give an informal anonymous evaluation. Here are some typical questions:
  
  What are some good things in this class that we should keep doing?
  What changes in this class might help you learn better?
  Something customized to your class that you are actually curious about.
  
  You don't have to take all the advice they give you, but you may want to acknowledge the feedback and explain why you are (and aren't) making changes in class. - EH

• YES! You should find them with instructions in your mailbox with a few weeks notice. If you need more scan sheets, instruction sheets or pencils, let the front desk know and they will help out! I would suggest not waiting until the last possible day to do them... you never know what might happen. - EH

• Yes, you can have this done for free! You wouldn't have to show anyone else the tape. Some people have found it to be a very helpful thing to see what you look like in class. You might even include the tape in a teaching portfolio in the future...
• Anyway, if you are game, send me a few possible dates and times and places for taping. I will arrange that somebody shows up with a camera, tapes the class, and hands you the videotape as they go. However, you must let me know all of the information: dates, times and rooms. - EH

• First, remember that no one but you is going to view this tape. Second, the students can already see your performance. You are the only person in the room who can't see yourself. If you want to improve, you have to see how you appear to others.
  
  The class usually relaxes after a few minutes, particularly if you tell them that this tape is for you and won't be used to judge them. In fact, you will probably relax after a few minutes, as you have a class to teach! You'll get involved in your work. Occasionally you'll notice the camera, but you need to repeat the contents of the previous paragraph to yourself... - EH

• Hey cheer up! Everybody thinks they look weird on video. The classroom is not exactly a Hollywood set. Furthermore, everyone finds odd tics or mannerisms that annoy. First, remember knowledge is power. You can do something about the things you see. Make a list, and concentrate on changing one or two at a time. Second, remember that your students are mostly trying to understand the difficult math you are discussing or facilitating. They aren't concentrating at the way you stand or talk, the way you do when you watch yourself. So, find things to improve. But don't obsess. We're all doing our best, and the best you can do is to keep improving. - EH

Grading

• I've posted instructions for using the web grade system. Everyone, first-time user and experienced user, should log on now to see that the system will allow you to enter grades for all your classes. Don't wait for the last day and find that the system doesn't work for you. If you encounter a problem, please come to the office right away. - DM

• Students who have earned D's or F's must receive the grade NC. They are not allowed to take Math 70 without a C or better in Math 59 or 60.
• That leaves the C- as a confusing grade. A student with a C- in Math 59 or 60 cannot take Math 70, but must take or re-take Math 60. Try to avoid giving C- grades. That will require a decision on your part as to whether the student is prepared to take Math 70 based on his or her work in your class. If they are prepared they should be getting a C or better, if not then they should get No Credit. - JK

• Don't give this grade. A W is a Withdraw. This happens when a student has a very good reason for leaving the class after the drop deadline. You especially shouldn't try to get exceptions to give a student a W after the Withdraw deadline. As a rule post-withdraw-deadline exceptions are only made in the case that the student entirely withdraws from university. - EH

• An INC is an Incomplete, meaning the student has a year to complete the requirements of the class. This is a very rare grade in 59/60/70 since students are usually trying to beat the clock. To give an INC, you need to fill out a form describing the student's grade if they don't complete the work, and an explicit set of tasks (usually something like the final and maybe a couple of homework assignments) the student needs to do to complete the course. In my experience, these mostly turn into Fs. It's better to avoid these if you can. - EH

• The course will show up on the student's transcript but will not be included in the GPA calculation or in the units earned toward graduation. However, note that we can't stop some other schools that recalculate a student's GPA by their own formula. SFSU's GPA formula is explicit and straightforward. -EH

• If class participation and quizzes are part of your formula, then you should assess this student in your normal way. It is very very rare for a student to be able to score well on the final without attending class. In fact, if a student comes only for tests, we suggest you start asking for ID the next time you see an unfamiliar face in the exam room. It has happened that people hire 'ringers' to take tests on their behalf.
  
  On the other hand, if a student does manage to ace ALL the exams and do little homework, I would be inclined to pass them. They probably tested into your class by a weird fluke and knew the material. - EH

• Don't worry, we'll all back you up. You surely have documentary evidence of their lack of class participation and homework as well as the bad final (right?). If a student had worked hard all year and done well up until a bad final, I might give the student the benefit of the doubt (if their aggregate grade was passing).

• I feel your pain. But if you pass your student up to Math 70 out of pity, he will fail Math 70 and probably won't have a chance to pass it on a second try in the summer since his Math 60 is so weak. If you have them take 60 again next semester, he'll have a shot at finally getting it and then having a real shot at passing Math 70. Pass the students who know the material; otherwise, you are setting them up for worse failure in the next class. - EH

This FAQ

• The questions are all ACTUAL questions asked by GTAs over the years. The answers came from Eric Hsu (EH), Judy Kysh (JK) and David Meredith (DM), with help from other GTAs who are credited along the way. Karen Kingsbury is the SFSU Orientation and Retention Director. Unmarked answers were probably written by Eric Hsu.

• 1. Ask your fellow GTAs or ex-GTAs.
• 2. Ask Eric Hsu, Judy Kysh, or the Acting Chair, Eric Hayashi.
• In any of these cases, you should e-mail Eric Hsu so he can add your question to this document.