How To Work With Online Students
The TA’s responsibilities will vary depending on the needs of the course and of the students. You will often be an intermediary between the students and instructor, to relay concerns and questions or to provide answers to students. You may also be asked to grade students’ work, manage the course Canvas site, run sections or hold office hours, and/or assist during the class meeting online or in the classroom. Your role will be determined by the instructor. Large classes may have multiple TAs; the number of TAs for a class is decided by the Extension School Academic Administration.
COURSES USING ZOOM WEBINARS
- These are courses offered by FAS that are cross-listed at DCE for the Extension students.
- DCE students are given the option to watch live but are not required to do so.
- No interaction is allowed between the FAS and DCE students.
- The DCE students cannot turn on their cameras or microphones.
- The chat can be used to send questions or comments.
- Breakout rooms are not available.
If you are present for the class, you should join the meeting as a Panelist but not join audio (or leave audio if you joined it) to avoid sound problems. This will allow you to interact via the chat with those students who are watching live online. They will be able to type in questions or comments, and you can either answer them or relay any that are appropriate to the instructor. If the class does an exercise or small groups, you may act as the facilitator using the chat to work through the same exercise or problem with the online viewers.
COURSES USING ZOOM MEETINGS (3 TYPES)
1) FAS courses which are cross-listed for the Extension Students, but the instructor has obtained permission from FEAA (the DCE office for Faculty Engagement and Academic Affairs) for the students to interact.
- DCE students are given the option to watch live but are not required to do so.
- The online students are not allowed to turn on their cameras or mics in the main Zoom room.
- The chat can be used to send questions or comments
- Breakout rooms are allowed
If you are teaching in this type of course, you should attend a breakout room training to become familiar with the technology. Note that breakout rooms are not recorded. If you are present for class, you should join the Zoom meeting as a co-host without joining audio. This will allow you to answer or relay questions or comments in the chat while the class is in session. If the class does an exercise or small groups, you can facilitate the exercise in the chat with the online students, or create a breakout room and take the online students into it to also do the activity. Students are able to use their cameras and mics in the breakout room. While you are in the breakout room, you will need to turn on your audio so that you can interact with the online students. You will also need to keep track of the time that the breakout room should close and students return to the main room. When you return to the main room, you should “Leave Audio” to avoid audio problems.
Note: if you want your FAS and DCE students to interact with each other during class, talk to your producer in advance - this will need to be approved by the HES administration.
2) DCE Web Conference courses with On-Demand Option (DCE students only)
- Students are allowed to attend the live class or to watch a recording at a later time.
- These courses will always be recorded. They are post-produced and posted for students on a special page of the website, “Course Videos”.
- During the meeting, students are strongly encouraged to have their cameras on and to respond in class when invited to do so.
- There may or may not be breakout rooms used for the whole group to do activities or solve problems. The instructor should discuss plans for this with you so that both of you can support the activity.
Both types of cross-listed courses and the DCE Web Conference with On-Demand Option will be recorded and the videos subsequently posted for viewing by the DCE students. These classes will have a producer who oversees posting of the course videos on a page of the Canvas website titled “Course Videos”. Videos will be made available to the FAS students only if the instructor has requested it. However, as one of the teaching staff, you may request video access for your own use from the producer. The producer also acts as a liaison for the teaching staff to locate needed resources, provides answers and help for questions or problems, offers limited help with Canvas, or can refer you to the Instructional Technologies team for more extensive help.
3) DCE Web Conference courses (DCE students only)
- All students and the instructor attend class online via Zoom.
- Students are required to attend every class, unless given an excused absence, and are expected to actively participate in class.
- Students should have their cameras on and use their microphones to speak.
- Classes are recorded at the instructor’s discretion and may or may not be posted by the teaching staff.
If you are a TA for a live web conference course, your instructor may ask you to attend all of the classes. During class, you would answer students’ questions in the chat, or let the instructor know when a student has a question or comment. You might also create and manage breakout rooms and help with other logistics. If classes are recorded, you or the instructor can publish the recordings using Gather.
Sections are typically held each week.
In large courses with more than 1 TA, usually each TA runs a section.
TAs hold sections for online students in Zoom.
Sections can be recorded, at the instructor’s discretion.
In many courses, TAs hold weekly sections to help students work on assignments or problem sets. Sections can also be used to discuss topics that were presented during class to deepen the students’ understanding. And, they are often where students get help to prepare for exams or work on projects. Some students feel more comfortable asking for help during a section meeting with a TA , rather than asking the instructor in a larger class setting. Section time should be spent helping students understand what has already been taught; not for introducing new material or to give a lecture.
HOW TO CREATE A ZOOM SECTION MEETING
On your Canvas course website, use Gather to create a meeting with no fixed time so you have one meeting you can use all semester
For courses with more than one TA, each TA often has their own Zoom Section meeting link, although in some courses, the TAs use the same meeting for sections.
PLAN WHAT TO COVER DURING SECTION
- Consult with the instructor or evaluate Canvas assignment submissions to see what students are finding challenging
- Look at discussion board posts to see if students have questions or misconceptions
- With the instructor's permission, have students complete a survey in Canvas that asks if they were confused about anything discussed during class or if they struggled with a particular homework question
- The Harvard DCE Department of Teaching and Learning Website has Teaching Tips on a variety of topics, including:
Harvard's Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning also has many resources for instructors and TAs
- The Harvard DCE Department of Teaching and Learning Website also has web conference resources, including: