Graduate : GTA Resources
Frequently Asked Questions | GTA Resources
In-House GTA Guidelines and Questions
- How do I reserve a VCR or arrange for my class to meet in 301 MR?
- How do I cancel one of my classes or get a substitute to proctor an exam?
- How do I post midterm and final grades?
- Other than posting my students' final grades online, do I have any other responsibilities related to my teaching assistantship at the end of the semester?
- Are any copies of first-year composition textbooks available in the department?
- How do I order desk copies of textbooks?
- How do I become an EN 103 teacher?
- What should I do if one of my students has a disability, or if I think one of my students has one?
- What if one of my students is not on my class roll and it is past the drop/add date?
GTA Resources and Guidelines
How do I reserve a VCR or arrange for my class to meet in 301 MR? To reserve a VCR, contact Carla Blake in advance and she will reserve it for you. Contact Angie Barnette if you are interested in reserving 301 MR for your class.
How do I cancel one of my classes or get a substitute to proctor an exam? Provide Carla Blake with the information on which class is cancelled and when, and she will post the information. If you let her know in advance, she can proctor an exam for you.
How do I post midterm and final grades? Log in to Faculty Services at tideguide.ua.edu, using your birthday and year of birth—not including the month—as the PIN. Once you log in, there are options for posting grades, as well as a tutorial on how to do so.
Other than posting my students' final grades online, do I have any other responsibilities related to my teaching assistantship at the end of the semester? Yes. You should turn in a copy of your gradebook and final exam with your name on them to Carla Blake in 207 MR.
Are any copies of first-year composition textbooks available in the department? Yes. There are copies of various composition textbooks and other teaching materials in 207 MR that are available as resources for GTAs.
How do I order desk copies of textbooks? Give Carla Blake the title and/or ISBN# and she will order it. If it is not already an approved textbook, it will be necessary to get Dr. Taaffe's approval before ordering it.
How do I become an EN 103 teacher? Turn in a proposal in 207 Morgan. If your proposal is selected, you will be eligible to teach EN 103—providing, of course, there are enough sections to go around.
- Proposals should include the following: 1) a description of your approach to teaching writing and a sample lesson plan. 2) a brief description of the texts you would use and your rationale for using them. 3) a list of courses you have taught. 4) a description of any relevant awards you may have won or material you have published, and appropriate evidence of teaching ability (e.g., student opinion surveys, reports from faculty who have visited your class or summarized your evaluations). 5) a sample of your own prose--either scholarly or creative.
- The primary focus of the course must be expository writing; assignments are to include at least six papers, one of which genres (poetry, fiction, and drama), but it may be organized around themes, periods, genres, the Web, the literature of a particular region or ethnic group, special topics or problems, or any other concept that would be of interest to bright students. You need not provide a detailed syllabus, but do include a list of works to be covered. A conventional textbook, like Robert and Jacobs, is perfectly acceptable, but you are free to design a course around other texts as long as they are readily available or in the critical sophistication of your approach: EN 103 should be intellectually adventurous and challenging, but not a graduate seminar.
What should I do if one of my students has a disability, or if I think one of my students has one? Contact the Office of Disability Services at 348-5175 for what steps to take.
What if one of my students is not on my class role and it is past the drop/add date? Write a letter to Academic Records requesting to add the student.