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TEACHING ASSISTANT  INSTRUCTIONS
These may be updated during the first two weeks of the course.

Recitation Class:
1. Return all old homework assignments and quizzes at the beginning of class. Make sure ALL homework is returned before an exam!

2. Spend the first 45 minutes answering any questions the students might have. In the interest of time, you may have to decline certain questions to deal with more important ones. I would encourage students to work in groups and put the problems on the board themselves to save time. You can even ask them to write the problems they wish to see on the board before the class starts.

3. Give a 10 minute quiz at the end of class. The students are allowed to use only their homework assignment and a calculator to do the quiz. NO notes or books are allowed! The quiz you give them may be Xeroxed, but I prefer simply writing the problems on the board and have them copy the problems.

The Quiz
1. The quiz will be e-mailed to you approximately the night before the recitation. If you do not receive the quiz in time, you should make up one of your own!

2. The quiz will consist of 3 problems each worth 3 points. The homework itself will be worth 1 point for a total of 10 points. 

3. Collect both their homework and their quiz. I ask that they put the quiz on top of the homework, and that their section number appear next to their name. They may leave when they are done. You should not collect old homework or give make-up quizzes.

Grading:
1. Quizzes: For each of the three problems do the following:

Subtract 3 points for no work, no clue. NOTE: you should also mark the problem wrong if there is a correct answer with no work.
Subtract 2 points if the answer is mostly wrong, but the idea is there. Just a formula might be an example.
Subtract 1 point if the work is mostly there, but the answer is wrong.
Mark fully correct only if the work is there and the answer is entirely correct.
If there is an arithmetic error, but everything else is correct, mark the problem with the words "OK", and give full credit.

2. Homework is given full credit if work is shown for a majority of problems. Subtract a point for no homework, or just answers to problems with no work.
Using a calculator to solve problems is acceptable IF ALL work is correctly written out explaining every aspect of the calculator's use. If it can't be followed exactly, it is wrong!

3. I will ask you to record your grades on Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. I will want totals at least twice: once after the first exam, and once in the end when you will add up 10 quizzes for a score out of 100%. I will also need your opinion of a scale for your class.

4. Note: You should not collect any homework before an exam. You may collect a quiz. Please give me all quizzes and homeworks that have not been picked up by students by the hourly exams.

Other Responsibilities of a TA:
1. Office hours. Please let me know as soon as you have set convenient office hours for your students.

2. Exam duties include proctoring for each of the hourly exams and grading afterwards. Be sure you are free for the exam dates posted on my web page, and that you will have time afterwards to devote to grading. You will grade 1 page of the exam for each recitation you teach, and two pages of the final for each recitation section you teach.

3. You will have to check your e-mail before class to get the quizzes. If I have not sent them, you may have to remind me. Should there be a problem, and you can't reach me by phone, you should administer your own quiz using the provided guidelines.

4. Finally, if you find you can not meet these responsibilities, or it is taking too much time- PLEASE contact me immediately. I may be able to make some changes.

Grading Exams
1. A grading key will be provided.

2. Always mark the number of points wrong next to the problem, and put the total wrong for the page in the bottom right corner. A check is given for full credit.

3. Calculator problems must detail all steps to receive any credit. Correct detail with a wrong answer may be given full credit.

4. If a problem is correctly executed with only arithmetic mistakes, you may mark the answer as "OK" The student should know that the answer is wrong but was given full credit for work shown.

5. You may also give up to  half credit for a correctly finished problem that has been crossed off by the student and replaced with a wrong answer.