Insight Editorial TeamDisclaimer: The content on this website is strictly the property of Insight, IIT Bombay. Content here cannot be reproduced, quoted or taken out of context without written permission from Insight. If you wish to reproduce any content herein, please contact us:
Chief Editors: Adarsh Prajapati (adarsh.p@iitb.ac.in), Shivam Agarwal (22b2720@iitb.ac.in)
Mail to: insight@iitb.ac.in
This article is part of the Freshie Feature program and focuses specifically on teaching assistants (TAs) for first-year courses.
Teaching assistants (TAs) are crucial in higher education institutes, acting as intermediaries between professors and students. They help clarify concepts, provide guidance, and facilitate a smoother learning process. While some students find their TAs approachable, knowledgeable, and supportive, others struggle with inconsistent grading, communication barriers, or a lack of responsiveness. On the other hand, TAs face their own challenges—balancing teaching with their academic workload, handling diverse student needs, and navigating limited training and feedback structures.
For many first-year course TAs, the motivation to take up the role stems from a passion for teaching, a desire to mentor students, or the need to strengthen their academic credentials for future research.
So, what makes a TA effective? Does their ability to connect with students matter more than their technical expertise? Are students proactive enough to utilise the support available to them?
To explore these questions, we conducted eight interviews with TAs across different disciplines and a student interview to understand the diversity of experiences. This article highlights key challenges and opportunities for improvement in the student-TA relationship, aiming to create a more effective learning environment for first-year students.
How Teaching Assistants (TAs) Enhance the Learning Experience for Students
Whether by providing clear explanations, collaborating with students to find solutions, or identifying struggling students and offering extra help, TAs make learning more effective and inclusive for everyone. Here’s how TAs contribute to making the learning experience better for students.
1. Ensuring Clear and Effective Explanations
One of the primary responsibilities of a TA is to explain concepts in a way that resonates with students. Many TAs adopt a structured approach, dedicating time to teaching the necessary theory before solving tutorial problems. A TA described their method as:
“If they did not study the concept, at the start of 10 minutes, I will say the basic things to solve those. And after that, I will explain small questions leading up to the tutorial problems.”
Beyond structured teaching, some TAs focus on creating an approachable and comfortable atmosphere so that students feel free to ask questions. One TA emphasised this by saying:
“So, what I did was to make sure that they feel that I am not equivalent to a professor; I am just someone who knows slightly more than them. So, they can be free to ask doubts.”
2. Helping Students When They Struggle with Questions
Inevitably, there are moments when students struggle to understand a concept or when even TAs themselves may not immediately know the answer. In such cases, TAs use different strategies:
Providing an Overview for Advanced Questions: Sometimes, students ask deep questions that require knowledge from future courses. Instead of leaving them unanswered, TAs provide a high-level understanding. One TA explained:
“There are times when some students ask deep questions, which require knowledge of a second course in this subject. Now, answering those questions is usually difficult. What I do is just give them an overview that this will be covered if you take up a second course.”
Problem-Solving Alongside Students: In hands-on courses like CS101, some TAs prefer working through problems with students in real-time. One TA described their approach:
“Since I’m a TA for CS101, which is a very hands-on course, I try out stuff with the students if I don’t know the answer upfront. Then, we figure it out together.”
Addressing Language Barriers: To assist students who struggle due to language differences, TAs ensure that they are paired with someone who speaks their language. A TA explained:
“Suppose if a student knows a certain language, we usually have a TA who also knows that language. So, we can pair them up.”
3. Identifying and Supporting Struggling Students
Our institutions have introduced help sessions to support struggling students. One TA shared how quiz scores were used to identify students at risk of failing:
“We use their quiz scores as a criterion. If they are below a certain threshold, like if they are in the F category, then the professors and TAs email them, informing them that they may fail and encouraging them to attend help sessions.”
Additionally, TAs take a proactive approach by engaging students directly in solving problems. One TA described their method:
“I go around the class and ask them to solve random questions. If they face difficulty, I guide them. Some of them solve questions on the board randomly.”
Challenges Faced By The TAs
Although many recognise that being a TA comes with its own set of challenges, the extent of the workload and responsibilities involved might still be underestimated. Balancing TA duties with academic responsibilities can sometimes become quite overwhelming. A TA may be required to invigilate during midsems and endsems right before their own exams. Most TAs felt that their workload is initially light, but as the course progresses, it increases significantly.
There were mixed reviews about the mandatory “TA 101” course on Moodle. Some TAs found it helpful, while others viewed it as a burden since it adds an additional requirement for those who simply want to become TAs. However, the course can be completed fairly quickly. Some TAs were also dissatisfied with the low stipends and delays in receiving their payments.
Despite all hurdles, most TAs continue to show up not because they have all the answers, but because they genuinely care about helping others learn.
Suggestions By The TAs
- A TA emphasised the importance of having a structured feedback system to assess their performance. They suggested that without proper feedback mechanisms, students may not engage effectively with the course material. Regular feedback would help TAs improve their teaching methods and understand the areas where students struggle. Direct or indirect feedback also serves as a form of appreciation for their efforts.
“if we, as TAs, don’t get feedback from the students directly, we don’t really know if we are doing something wrong. We can only guess what we are doing. If it’s coming on a personal level also, that shows a bit of gratitude to help out. That’s a motivation for the TAs.”
“There’s something called feed TA portal, which is in the making.” - While most TAs are knowledgeable, there is a possibility that some may lack effective teaching skills. Some TAs suggested introducing a course to train TAs in effective teaching methods, which would help them communicate concepts better to students.
“There are TAs who have a lot of knowledge, but they are unable to express it. They are unable to convey it to the students. So, it would be nice to have a course where they teach them how to teach.” - TAs observed that many students focus on solving tutorials only a few days before the exams rather than engaging with the material throughout the semester. This approach leads to short-term retention rather than long-term understanding, which is especially problematic in foundational first-year courses.
“If you do that, you might get good grades, but in first-year courses where you will require the knowledge later, solving tutorials a few days before the exam may result in forgetting much of the material after the semester.” - The TAs noted that the stipend has different levels of significance for different students. For some, it does not make a difference due to their family background, while for others, it serves as an important financial support and a motivation to earn independently. At the same time, they pointed out that some individuals may become TAs primarily for the stipend rather than focusing on teaching.
“For some of them, it’s just that they want a stipend, and that’s why they teach. It’s not because they teach and then get the stipend. I think this is an issue. And that is, I think, what segregates good teachers and bad teachers.”
The Students’ take
When asked what would help the student-TA relationship flourish, one student expressed the opinion that students should be given a choice of which tutorial batch they would like to join.
“Not all students resonate with the same TAs. One might find TA X to be better, and another might find TA Y better. So I think if we were given a choice of which tutorial batch to sit in, the tutorials would be more beneficial.”
Apart from this, most students were of the opinion that the existing system is quite functional. And most of the students do not attend tutorials, which is their own decision.
“I don’t think there is a negative part from their side. They were friendly, and they cleared my doubts whenever I asked. So there is nothing that I can suggest to them.”
The students said that the TAs were available on WhatsApp or through email for clearing doubts during exams, and they had an overall good experience with them.
Conclusion
While TAs serve as essential guides, their effectiveness depends on a balance of subject expertise, communication skills, and approachability. At the same time, students must take an active role in engaging with their TAs, seeking clarification, and utilising the support available to them. By fostering mutual respect, clear expectations, and active participation from both sides, institutions can bridge the gap, ensuring that the student-TA relationship enhances the learning experience for everyone involved.
