University of Arizona-- What does a TA do?

[ladystardust]

So, on Thursday I was admitted to the University of Arizona as an MA student, and awarded a Teaching Assistantship (yay!). The director of the program was very friendly and (of course) knowledgable but I was too flustered to think of the right questions to ask and concerned I would ask questions that everyone else just already knows. Anyway, I wasn't able to ask for a real description of what a TA does, and feel silly calling him back to ask at this point. In my research, I have seen that the job description ranges from grading to independently teaching a course. 

 

My question is, does anyone know what a TA at the Masters level at the University of Arizona (with no previous experience) would be expected to do their first semester? I want to make sure I am very prepared to do well in whatever duties they assign me! Any info would be much appreciated.

[Roquentin]

Call the director.

[Francophile1]

Well..First of all congratulations! Ta's actually vary according to programs. Some (like me) teach full on classes, design on lesson plans etc. Others might just assist a professor with grading..etc.

And yes even though you have no previous experience they might ask you to teach your own classes with guidance of course. You should verify this.

[ladystardust]

Thanks you all. Looks like im just going to have to bite the bullet and call back. 

[lifealive]

Congrats! Arizona is a great program.

 

I have a professor who went there, and he said that they taught sections of freshmen comp. That's probably what you'll be doing; it's a very standard assignment for first-year TAs. You'll probably be responsible for designing and grading one or more sections of writing 101 or a comparable class.