Umaine Teaching Assistants
TAs at the University of Maine fall most often into three categories (though exceptions do exist), although the specificity of the requirements and expectations varies by department and appointment. We have broadly outlined these below, but one of the first things you should do is review with your teaching supervisor what your role will be and the expectations of you in that role before you begin your work together. (Regardless of your role, you will likely be referred to as TAs or graduate TAs.)
Types Of TAs
Instructors of record
An Instructor of Record (IoR) serves as the primary instructor for the course, which may or may not have a course coordinator. As the primary instructor, the Instructor of Record generally has greater agency, and is responsible for managing course content (usually in UMaine’s learning management system Brightspace*), running classes with different learning activities, performing assessments of learning, and holding office hours. Often (but not always) Instructors of Record are a part of a cohort teaching similar classes with a faculty supervisor who will provide varying amounts of course content and guidance on teaching.
*Brightspace is the recommended and supported learning management system (LMS) used at UMaine
Teaching Assistants
Teaching Assistants (TAs) are typically responsible for overseeing one to several laboratory and/or recitation sections associated with lecture courses. Due to the nature of teaching standardized labs, Teaching Assistants tend to have less agency in their teaching than IoRs, often using predetermined materials, schedules, and lesson plans. TAs for large enrollment courses are likewise often part of a cohort with context-specific training provided by the faculty supervisor. The amount of work that TAs must perform in Brightspace (such as grading and organizing content) is highly variable across TA assignments. TAs are expected to hold office hours and often play a critical point of contact in large enrollment courses. That being said, a teaching assistant and an instructor of record could have nearly identical responsibilities, with the only difference being that an IoR will be listed as the instructor in MaineStreet (where students register for classes).
Graders
Some TAs will serve a primary role of grading assignments in courses. These appointments have little to no interactions with students other than providing feedback on assignments and occasionally holding office hours. However, graders have in-depth opportunities to examine student thinking, problem solving, and learning over the semester.