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CS 3100 TA Operations Plan

Overview​

With 500 students, 3 instructors, and 25 TAs working 10-15 hours/week, we need a flexible system that ensures core responsibilities are covered while allowing TAs to contribute based on their interests and strengths.

Core Responsibilities (Required for All TAs)​

1. Grading (4-8 hours/week, variable by assignment cycle)​

  • All TAs participate in grading rotations
  • Peak grading periods: 3-4 days after each Thursday deadline
  • Reduced grading load during non-deadline weeks

2. Office Hours (2-4 hours/week)​

  • All TAs hold regular office hours on Pawtograder
  • Mix of in-person and virtual hours
  • Coverage needed especially before assignment deadlines

Specialized Roles Menu (Select 1-2 based on interest/availability)​

Category A: Student Support & Intervention​

A1. Assignment Postmortem Facilitator (2-3 hours/week)​

  • When: Week after each major assignment deadline
  • Activities:
    • Identify students who struggled (scores <70%)
    • Host individual or small group review sessions (1-6 students)
    • Walk through common pitfalls and solution approaches
    • Provide targeted resources for improvement
  • Best for: TAs who enjoy teaching and one-on-one mentoring
  • Peak demand: Weeks 3, 5, 8, 13, 14, 15, 16

A2. Group Project Mentor (3-4 hours/week, Weeks 11-16)​

  • When: Module 3 (group assignments)
  • Activities:
    • Support project teams as needed
    • Review weekly team surveys, perform team check-ins
    • Review team progress on Pawtograder
  • Best for: TAs with strong communication and project management skills
  • Peak demand: Weeks 12-16

A3. AI Coding Assistant Specialist (2-3 hours/week)​

  • When: Starting Week 5 (when AI tools are introduced)
  • Activities:
    • Engage with students to learn about their experiences with AI tools
    • Improve course materials to help students use AI tools effectively
  • Best for: TAs experienced with GitHub Copilot, Cursor, etc.
  • Peak demand: Weeks 5-9

Category B: Content Development & Quality Assurance​

B1. Assignment Playtester (3-5 hours per assignment, 1-2 weeks before release)​

  • When: Before each new assignment release
  • Activities:
    • Complete assignment from scratch using only student instructions
    • Identify ambiguities, errors, or unrealistic time estimates
    • Test autograder functionality on Pawtograder
    • Suggest improvements to rubrics and instructions
    • Document edge cases
  • Best for: Detail-oriented TAs who enjoy problem-solving
  • Schedule: Ongoing; 2-3 TAs per assignment
  • Assignments to test: A1-A5, GA1-GA3 (9 total)

Category D: Lab Facilitation (High Priority Role)​

D1. Lab Facilitator (Primary role - often 2+ labs per facilitator)​

  • When: Ongoing throughout semester
  • Activities:
    • Staff lab sessions and help with in-class activities
    • Enhance lab materials with additional examples
    • Coordinate with instructors on lab improvements
  • Best for: TAs who enjoy teaching and have strong reliability
  • Commitment: This is often considered a primary role due to its importance. Lab Facilitators frequently hold multiple lab sections. Reliability is critical - lab sessions require consistent attendance and cannot be missed without advance planning.
  • 15 labs throughout semester

Category C: Community & Culture Building​

C1. Discussion Forum Moderator (2-3 hours/week)​

  • When: Ongoing, with peaks before deadlines
  • Activities:
    • Monitor Pawtograder discussion boards
    • Respond to student questions within 12 hours
    • Escalate complex questions to instructors
    • Identify common confusion points for FAQ updates
    • Foster positive community culture
  • Best for: TAs with quick response time and clear communication skills
  • Peak demand: 48 hours before each deadline

C2. Study Group Organizer (2 hours/week)​

  • When: Ongoing, especially before exams
  • Activities:
    • Organize and facilitate peer study groups
    • Create study guides and review materials
    • Host exam prep workshops
    • Match students with study partners
    • Run "code review clubs" where students review each other's work
  • Best for: Socially-engaged TAs who enjoy building community
  • Peak demand: Weeks 4, 10-11, 16-17

Staffing Model & Load Balancing​

Grading Surge Staffing​

To meet the 3-4 day turnaround requirement, we need surge capacity:

Assignment TypeEst. Grading HoursTAs Needed (Surge)Timeline
Individual (A1-A5)250-350 hours15-18 TAs3-4 days
Group (GA1-GA3)40-60 hours8-10 TAs3-4 days
Exams100-150 hours12-15 TAs5-7 days

Surge Week Schedule (Post-Deadline):

  • Days 1-2: Heavy grading (8-10 hours for surge TAs)
  • Days 3-4: Completion & recalibration (4-6 hours)
  • Other specialized duties paused or reduced during surge weeks

Non-Deadline Weeks:

  • Grading: 2-3 hours (re-grades, late submissions)
  • Office Hours: 2-4 hours
  • Specialized role: 3-6 hours
  • Total: 10-12 hours/week

TA Selection Process​

Initial Onboarding (Week 0)​

  1. TA Interest Survey: All TAs complete survey indicating:

    • Preferred specialized roles (rank top 3)
    • Availability during surge weeks
    • Technical strengths (Java, JavaFX, AI tools, etc.)
    • Office hour preferences (in-person vs. virtual)

  2. Role Assignments:

    • Every TA gets at least 1 specialized role
    • Assignments balanced across course timeline
    • Critical roles (Playtester, Exam Writer) have backups
    • Roles can be swapped mid-semester with instructor approval

  3. Training:

    • Grading calibration workshop (all TAs)
    • Pawtograder platform training (all TAs)
    • Role-specific training (specialized TAs)

Communication & Coordination​

Weekly TA Meetings (1 hour)​

  • Attendance required for all TAs
  • Review upcoming deadlines and surge staffing needs
  • Share insights from specialized roles
  • Coordinate coverage gaps
  • Calibrate grading standards

Pawtograder Integration​

  • Grading assignments: Auto-distributed through platform
  • Office hours: Scheduled and tracked on platform
  • Discussion moderation: Integrated with platform forums

TA Discord Server​

  • Quick coordination and coverage swaps
  • Share resources and best practices
  • Specialized role channels (e.g., #playtesters, #group-mentors)

Quality Assurance & Feedback​

TA Performance Metrics (tracked on Pawtograder)​

  • Grading turnaround time
  • Office hour attendance and student satisfaction
  • Specialized role deliverables (e.g., playtesting reports submitted on time)
  • Discussion forum response times
  • Consistency with grading rubrics

Mid-Semester TA Feedback​

  • TAs provide feedback on role assignments
  • Adjust allocations if TAs are over/under-loaded
  • Identify what's working well and what needs improvement

Recognition & References​

  • Acknowledge TAs who went above and beyond
  • Provide recommendations for future teaching opportunities (available throughout the semester, not just at the end)
  • Provide job references - we can speak to your technical skills, your communication skills and your leadership skills, as demonstrated through the project that you work on
  • Collect testimonials for TA training improvements

Critical Success Factors​

  1. Flexibility: TAs can swap specialized roles with instructor approval when needed
  2. Clear Expectations: Every role has documented responsibilities and time estimates
  3. Fair Distribution: No TA consistently overloaded; surge weeks balanced across semester
  4. Recognition: Specialized contributions valued alongside core grading/office hours
  5. Platform Integration: Pawtograder centralizes assignments, grading, discussions, and metrics
  6. Instructor Support: Instructors provide backup during emergencies and calibrate quality