Author Topic: Teaching Assistants at Hopkins (Read 4030 times)

xavysg91 · « **on:** November 06, 2007, 01:42 AM »

Hello!

About what percent of classes at JHU are taught by TAs?

Because other local universities here brag about not having graduate students teach undergrad classes, unlike other of the bigger universities (i.e. Harvard, Stanford, JHU, MIT, etc). What is the difference between having a professor teach the class versus grad students teaching the class?

Thank you very much.

~Xavy

JHU_Tanmay · « **Reply #1 on:** November 06, 2007, 12:47 PM »

According to the admissions website, the official percentage of classes taught by professors is 96%. I can think of a few times when classes are taught by grad students
* Foreign language classes where there's a professor who coordinates the course, but has graduate students lead each of the individual sections. This allows you to have a much smaller class (~20 students) where you can actually practice speaking instead of being in a huge lecture with a single professor.
* Writing classes - same as foreign language classes - the small class allows you share your writing and get critiques from a small group
* Dean's Fellowship courses - Grad students are allowed to come up with their own courses and the dean's select a handful each semester that are actually taught. Most of the time, these are in the grad student's area of research or interest
* Intersession classes - I think there's a lot more flexability with Intersession classes, especially some of the non-academic, more "fun"-type classes. I think any graduate student (or even an undergrad) is allowed to propose a class to teach during Intersession. (Intersession is an optional month of classes in January - tuition and housing are already included in your semester's tuition, so there's no extra cost and it's a chance to either take a 1 or 2 credit class in a completely random academic field or take some less academic, more fun classes like Ballroom Dancing, Wine Tasting, Jump Roping etc)

I remember when I applied, my parents were always asking about the percentage of classes taught by professors. So far at Hopkins, I've only had one class (a foreign language class my freshman year) taught by a grad student. But that said, I don't think having courses taught by TA's is a bad thing at all. Especially in the case of foreign language, they're fluent in the language, and they're a lot younger than professors, which, at least in my experience, has made the classes more casual and engaging. It's a lot easier to have a discussion about politics, life at Hopkins, whatever (in my broken French) with my TA who's just a couple years older than me.

Also, at Hopkins and most big universities, for most of the larger classes, you'll break down into smaller groups once a week (called sections or recitation sessions depending on what college you're at) where you go over the material, get questions answered, get extra help etc with a TA.

JHU_Kate · « **Reply #2 on:** November 06, 2007, 07:30 PM »

To add to Tanmay's response, when I took IFP (Introduction to Fiction and Poetry Writing) I and II both semesters last year, both courses were taught by grad students in the Writing Seminars department. When I first set foot into my IFP I class as a fall semester freshman, I was disappointed to find out that I had a grad student teaching my class, only for me to realize that despite being a grad student, he was a great teacher for IFP. My IFP II teacher was also good.

Also, when I took Elementary Latin (a two-semester course) last year, my teacher was a grad student in the classics department. As with IFP I, I was a little disappointed in the fall semester last year when I found out that my Latin teacher was a grad student and not a professor, but he was excellent. He also taught the "Power, Glory, and Gladiators" course that I took during Intersession last year. My classmates in both courses agreed that despite being a grad student, he carried himself like and seemed to have the knowledge of a young professor.

Speaking of Intersession courses, the "Noir" course (it was about film noir and pulp fiction) that I took in last year's Intersession was taught by two grad students as well. Furthermore, while I'm not sure about the academic one-credit/two-credit courses offered during Intersession, I do know that non-credit courses (e.g., jump roping) may even be taught by undergrads.

Last but not least, as Tanmay said, in all my courses last year that were taught by TAs, classes were somewhat casual because of my teachers' younger ages (compared to the ages of most professors here).

JHU_Jackie · « **Reply #3 on:** November 06, 2007, 11:49 PM »

I have a class where the Professor teaches two 1.5 hr lectures and we have a TA. We don't even have section for the class! She is just there to help and advise us on our term papers.

JHU_Lauren · « **Reply #4 on:** November 08, 2007, 09:09 PM »

It is really interesting how other schools do boast that they never allow graduate students to teach their courses - I can understand how that would give them an edge over other schools {whose graduate students aren't as accomplished} but that claim doesn't really mean anything negative for Hopkins at all. When I, as a high school student, thought about TAs teaching classes, I always thought, "I'm going to be paying all this money so that someone like six years older than me can teach me?" But all that changed when I walked into my first class - French - that was going to be taught by a TA. I learned SO much in my first day alone! My French TA is actually European {or Canadian French .. I can't really remember :unsure: Either way, he KNOWS his French!} and got his undergraduate degree from University of Pennsylvania {I think}. On top of being more than qualified, he has the best personality .. it's so much fun to go to class with him! He asks good questions that help us understand the material better and, which is very important, makes us laugh and connect with what we learn.

This semester, I have three courses that are, at least in part, taught by graduate students: Intro. to Fiction and Poetry, Adv. Intermediate French, and my section of History of Occidental Civilization. My TAs are extremely intelligent - you know that they are the best of the best, for them to be grad students here! They're professional, know the material, and command respect like a professor but, at the same time, they feel much more approachable because they are so close to you in age. To have a young person teaching some of the material puts a fresh spin on a class that, otherwise, might feel stale.

Also, as just an aside .. in my limited experience with the differences between TAs and professors, I find TAs a bit more lenient with due dates/extensions/absences. ;) Just something to keep in mind!

JHU_Josh · « **Reply #5 on:** November 11, 2007, 04:09 PM »

I also think that since the TAs are students too they understand their students better.

Plus they are usually much younger and laid back which makes it easier to ask questions and talk to them so it is not a huge drawback.

JHU_Liny · « **Reply #6 on:** November 12, 2007, 07:36 PM »

most of my classes have been taught by professors (with the exception of IFP and expos - two writing classes) - I mainly have the TA's review stuff with me when we divide for sections

but on that note, i agree with josh...the great thing about TA"s is that they're younger and have been through what we're going through more recently, so they definitely understand us better and try to make things easier for us...and to be clear, TA's are crazy smart too..haha it's a rigorous application to be a TA and they only allow you to be one if you know what you're doing...so rest assured that they'll know their stuff :-)

Admissions_Daniel · « **Reply #7 on:** December 18, 2007, 05:31 PM »

I actually got a message from the mother of a current freshman at Hopkins (Class of 2011) talking about teaching assistants. I thought I would share because it can add to this discussion. Do know that this message was unsolicited and I am copying the text of the email word-for-word:

Quote

As my son's first semester at JHU comes to an end, I wanted to put a plug in to admissions for TAs. I have always heard the bad side of a university with graduate students - that graduate students get priority with faculty and with research. However, having graduate students as TAs, especially in the science and math departments, has been a great experience for my son. While the JHU faculty professors are readily available to undergraduates and bring experience and brilliance to their classes, my son has found that TAs bring freshness and enthusiasm. Since the graduate students tend to be closer to undergraduates in age and have recently taken the same courses, the TAs can relate well to difficult concepts and homework problems. They are definitely an asset. I know from my son that the math graduate students man a math help room for undergraduates. And, the physics department has something called the PUC Lab where physics students hang out. TAs also hold office hours and are often available in off hours. As for humanities, one of my son's favorite classes was with a very popular political science instructor. Although this class was very large, the presence of TAs made this popular professor's class available to more students.

I really believe that colleges/universities with graduate students have gotten a lot of negative comments for not being "undergraduate only" schools. Although I don't ever recall graduate students being spoken of as an asset, I am very pleasantly surprised and happy about JHUs graduate students' participation in the undergraduates' education.

JHU_Jermaine · « **Reply #8 on:** January 12, 2008, 10:33 PM »

I agree with that parent. T.A.s are really an asset to Hopkins.

While I wouldn't want a T.A. teaching some of my upper-level classes, Calculus II, IFP I and IFP II, Introduction to African-American Literature in the 20th Century, Physics, Biology, Organic Chemistry, and all the other classes in which T.A.s served a role wouldn't have been as stress-free (as if Orgo was stress-free, but...). The physics and math help rooms, not to mention the countless other review sessions run by T.A.s were priceless. I think it all depends on the area you're talking about though. For IFP and the English class I took last semester, for example, I didn't really notice that my Professors were graduate students (they were really that good!). On top of this, I feel like graduate students have a better sense of Hopkins life, and are willing to go the extra mile to help you out. Ideally, as in my science classes, there'd be a professor and several T.A.s for students to go to (as in Biochemistry)...So, from good personal experience with T.A.s, I'd definitely say T.A.s are important, because they add balance.

JHU_MichelleB · « **Reply #9 on:** January 15, 2008, 11:57 AM »

To add some perspective on just how qualified the TAs are here- for Introduction to Fiction and Poetry (IFP), you're being taught by students getting their MFAs in Fiction writing or Poetry. For admission to the program, they receive HUNDREDS of applications, and do you know how many they accept each year? 5 poets, and 6 fiction writers. You better believe that the people teaching you in your IFP classes are the best of the best writers.

AND they are really great about deadlines and extensions. My IFP TA, a fiction writer, gave me 5 extra hours to complete my final when I asked, no problem. She also emailed me the take-home final exam when I flew to LA to see the Spice Girls in concert and missed class. AWESOME.

JHU_Jessica · « **Reply #10 on:** January 16, 2008, 12:11 AM »

I fell for the whole plus of having a school with no classes taught by grad students when I was looking at colleges. I definitely thought this must be a plus. Well, I hope that no students reading this fall for that "positive" stat, and this is why:

I had the same TA as Michelle for IFP and I must say that I really liked the relationship between her and the students. This relationship wouldn't have been made if she had been a professor. E-mails were more casual between one another, we were able to talk freely about popular culture. Though we definitely showed her respect, there was also a nice down to earth feel that came from the class.

I also must add that in my Calc I class this past semester the class depended on the TA to learn a lot of the material. Much of the class was having a hard time grasping the concepts from the professor, who liked to prove just about everything with crazy symbols. Each week our TA broke down the material and made it so much easier to understand. He also had review sessions for us and extended office hours. His office was packed at these times. I mean so packed that we had to move to different rooms to fit all of us in, and some of us were still sitting on the floor. I think this really shows, visually, that TAs are helpful in teaching undergraduates.

JHU_Phil · « **Reply #11 on:** January 16, 2008, 07:27 PM »

TAs can really add to a class. They are more available than a professor and are typically more approachable.

TIP: Want good grades? Go to section.

JHU_Dominique · « **Reply #12 on:** November 22, 2008, 01:55 AM »

My calc TA is wonderful and I will miss him next semester. He actually taught us a method of integration that was much simpler and better than the way the professor taught it...and sometimes TA's have good hints about what may be on the exams in the class.... :ph43r: (go to section!)

JHU_Brian · « **Reply #13 on:** December 01, 2008, 08:13 PM »

I have to echo Dominique's sentiments about good TAs... I have TAs for sections in my Calc II and Physics classes, and both are great. I am definitely going to ask my physics TA if she is TAing a Physics II section next semester. She really is great at explaining problems, even at 8AM on Fridays when our sections meet.

JHU_Jessica · « **Reply #14 on:** March 12, 2009, 09:35 PM »

I just wrote a blog entirely on this topic.

Check it out here: http://blogs.hopkins-interactive.com/jessica/2009/03/why-should-graduate-students-be-a-part-of-undergraduate-education/

JHU_Dominique · « **Reply #15 on:** March 12, 2009, 11:12 PM »

My Chem lab Ta is great, I email her at least twice a week before chem lab assignments are due and she always answers, no matter how much I annoy her haha

My calc ta is pretty good too, he is 26 and just received his math phd, and he says he is bored with it so now he is going for one in physics.....these people are brilliant!! B)

JHU_Wafa · « **Reply #16 on:** March 13, 2009, 02:29 PM »

I was initially one of those people who was hesitant about taking a class with a TA, but my experiences so far this year have been nothing but complimentary to the TAs at Hopkins. My chemistry lab TAs for last semester and this semester were exceptionally helpful and were not at all hesitant in helping their students.

My class Trauma, Melancholia, and Ethnic Identity in American Identity is taught by a PhD student who is perhaps the best literature teacher I have ever had. Ever. He sees concepts in novels that surprise me, and I learn something every single class.

Point of interest, though, is that since TAs are not professors, nor in some cases PhDs yet, you are supposed to call them by their first name - this is so much more uncomfortable than I expected! The power dynamic is a bit shaken, but it is exceptionally beneficial in getting help and communicating with them.

JHU_Julia · « **Reply #17 on:** March 26, 2009, 10:41 AM »

I agree, TAs are definitely an asset to the classes they teach. They are more readily available than professors since they typically only TA one class per term and they really are there to help you. So many times, I have emailed TAs with a question about a paper at 10pm the night before it was due and gotten answer by 11. They are a great resource to have but it is up to you to seek out their help, so don't be shy!

JHU_Dominique · « **Reply #18 on:** April 10, 2009, 01:29 AM »

Wafa that class sounds so cool!

We have TA's for Intro to Pub health, and they offer tons of complementary views and stories to what we learn in class. Today was exceptionally good--I learned a lot of things I woudn't have learned in the class itself =]

JHU_Brian · « **Reply #19 on:** April 28, 2009, 06:42 PM »

Just to add on to Wafa's point about calling TAs by their first name:

Don't think you are flattering them by calling them Mr. X or Ms. Y! They will probably just get flustered and correct you - they will also probably wonder if they look old as a result! I know someone did this to my Physics TA last semester, who was a first year PhD student right out of undergrad!

JHU_Dominique · « **Reply #20 on:** October 20, 2009, 05:12 PM »

Also remember that for social science/humanities classes with TAs, a lot of them will directly grade your papers and assignments...so getting to know them and asking questions is not a bad thing =]

JHU_Sarah · « **Reply #21 on:** October 23, 2009, 08:35 PM »

My physics TA is one of the most helpful people that I've encountered so far at Hopkins. Also, the TAs run a help room for physics, calculus, and several other subjects where students can just stop by and ask the TAs questions about the material. So far this semester I've gotten help from like four different TAs in the help room in addition to my TA that teaches us every Tuesday morning. Physics is actually my best class right now, which is definitely a result of all the help I've gotten from these TAs because I was never very good at physics in high school. There's no way I would have the same level of understanding of the material without the TAs!

JHU_Cate · « **Reply #22 on:** October 24, 2009, 09:15 PM »

My calc professor, Chenghao Chu, is a visiting professor who received his PhD just last year. Even though he hasn't had much experience instructing a course, I really like him. I have had a slew of good and bad math teachers and professors in my math career, and Prof. Chu makes things really clear to me. He really takes time to drive home the important concepts in the course. He also makes funny little math jokes that everyone laughs at, which really adds something to the whole nerdy atmosphere to the class. My calc TA is also very helpful. Each week he just gives us a break down of the simplest way to approach all the material we've learned that past week. It's always helpful when someone is there to show you the fast and easy ways.

JHU_Kate · « **Reply #23 on:** January 28, 2010, 11:21 PM »

I know that Tanmay mentioned this in one of the earlier posts on this thread, but I just wanted to reemphasize Dean's Teaching Fellowship Courses. These are courses that graduate students design and teach under the supervision of their departments; thus, which Dean's Teaching Fellowship Courses are offered changes each semester! One of the courses that I took last semester--"Children and Childhood in the Ancient Mediterranean"--was a Dean's Fellowship Teaching Course, and it was among the best ones I've taken here. For those of us who were majoring or minoring in Classics, it was a great way of looking at our field of study from a different perspective; for the people in the class who weren't majoring or minoring in Classics, it was an enjoyable. (I say this after having talked to quite a few people who were in that class with me--we all loved it.) I've also had a few friends who have taken other Dean's Teaching Fellowship Courses in the past, and they've enjoyed them as well. The graduate students who teach these courses must undergo an application process before they're approved to teach these courses, and they're usually more senior graduate students in their fields; also, these courses tend to focus on specific topics within the graduate students' respective fields that usually aren't emphasized in other courses. Thus, this usually means that if you take a Dean's Teaching Fellowship Course, you're in for an intellectual treat. :)

You can even view information about the Dean's Teaching Fellowship HERE.

JHU_Dominique · « **Reply #24 on:** February 04, 2010, 09:43 PM »

Some TAs are a miss, others are a hit. Unfortunately my orgo TA was VERY unprepared and we ended up leaving in 15 minutes instead of an hour and twenty minutes. Good TAs have some kind of material prepared to go over and can answer questions well...so yea. But on the bright side, there are other TAs that know their stuff and you can go to their sections sometimes and email them and whatnot.

Hopkins= go after what you want! Builds character. :)

Username:
Password:

Welcome to the Hopkins Forums!

Author Topic: Teaching Assistants at Hopkins (Read 4030 times)