Teaching Assistant Orientation Mechanical Engineering Spring 2009

1. Teaching Assistant Orientation Mechanical EngineeringSpring 2009

2. Outline • Responsibilities • FERPA (Student Record Security) • Worksheet • Breakout groups (Recitations, Labs) • Using WebVista for Grades • Handouts: contact sheet, FERPA summary, breakout topics

3. General Job Description TA appointment dates: January 8, 2009 through May 24, 2009 Last final date: Saturday May 16, 2009 25% appt = 10 hrs/week • grading • teaching labs • recitations • copies • office hours • preparing homework solutions • creating and maintaining course website Possible tasks

4. Responsibilities to Course Instructor • Check with instructor on a regular basis • 1-2 days before an exam • 1 week before homework due • 1-2 weeks before lab starts • Immediately after HW or exams are turned in • Attend class when possible • Check in before class starts (i.e. beginning of semester) • Be available for grading final exam • Return graded materials in alphabetical order and within 1 week or less from the due date

5. Responsibilities to Students • Recitations: prepare presentation, practice, be on time • Labs: be sure equipment is running, review prelabs, lab writeup requirements, BE SAFE • Homework solutions: Prepare solutions, do not copy from solution manual • Office hours: Be on time, review solutions ahead of time • Grading: Always use a secure site (WebVista, Moodle) that has backup • BE VERY CLEAR with students about DUE DATES (check with instructor if you’re not sure) • Follow FERPA guidelines for student record security

6. What is FERPA? Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records.

7. FERPA: Educational Records This means the education record includes, but is not limited to: grades, transcripts, WebCT information, advising information, financial aid information, student information in UM Reports and the Data Warehouse, and student photos. If you have student information in your possession, you have a legal responsibility to protect it. 

8. Rules of thumb regarding student data... • Always check to see if a student has suppressed his/her information before giving out information to a third party (if you can see the information on the directory look up on the One Stop, it is not suppressed). • Never post grades by Social Security Number, student ID number or any other way in which the student could be identified by a third party. • Examinations, term papers, blue books, or any other graded materials containing personally identifiable student information (e.g., name, student ID number) should be distributed directly to students or made available for pick up in departmental offices in a manner that ensures the privacy of each student's grade. • Do not share student class schedules with others. • Protect student data as if it were your own.

9. Application to ME Classes • Emails: Use bcc • Grades: • Record grades on a secure site • Do not save grades to a laptop (must be encripted) or flashdrive • Delete grades after 1 year • Returning Hw, Exams, Labs: • Return in an envelope, or other to the individual • Do not leave unattended (outside office door, etc)

10. Breakout meetings • Recitation TA’s: ME 1130 • With Albin and Josh • Lab TA’s: ME 1134 • With Ben and Nick

12. Overview of WebVista • Why use WebCT • Secure grade posting • Secure homework solutions • Potential for online quizzes and grading • Easily restrict due dates • Caution • Organize information into folders • Learn with online tutorial • Course instructor must request a site

13. Quick tips for posting grades on WebVista • See webvista link that includes training manuals for details http://uttc.umn.edu/training/resources/webvista/ • Posting and viewing grades • In the teaching tab, select Grades • Select the view all tab • Reorder columns, hide columns, releasing grades to students, import columns in this view • Importing a column from excel • Excel file must be in .csv format and must have the user id (student id) • Excel file entries must be text or numbers, no formulas allowed • Choose comma as the separator from the drop down list • Select import and decide which “new columns” you would like to create (i.e. add to your existing grades) • Exporting data (resulting file will be .csv format) • Select comma delineated and unicode (UTF-8)

14. To Do List • Take the FERPA tutorial • http://onestop.umn.edu/staff/ferpa_tutorial/index.html • Request a moodle or webvista site for grades • Check and update your course web page on our ME site • http://www.me.umn.edu/education/courses.shtml • Work with instructor to develop a secure method to record grades and return homework

15. Lab Breakout • Grading • Identifying plagiarism • Lab preparation • Sample data (when there are problems with experiment) • Helping students work in groups • Getting students to participate • Handling questions • Returning labs • Office hours

16. Recitation Breakout • Grading • Identifying plagiarism • Solution Preparation • Hints for learning names • Posting materials on course website (timely) • Preparing for a recitation • Getting students involved • Handling questions • Office hours (what to do with many students) • Attending Class