Rutgers Teaching/Instructional Assistant

September 2024—May 2025

As a Teaching/Instructional Assistant, I was given the incredible opportunity to support and foster student learning directly. My official job position was titled “Instructional Assistant (IA),” although I was more commonly referred to as a Teaching Assistant (TA). As a TA for an introductory Communication course, one of my responsibilities was attending the weekly lecture and assisting in-person and on Zoom (the course is considered “hyflex” and students can choose to participate online or in-person, or both). The course usually holds about an average of 250 students. I was responsible for only a portion of the students, although I encouraged any student to reach out if they needed me for support/to assist in understanding the course materials and assignments. I held weekly Office Hours, where students could attend in-person or online.

A very significant element of my position as a TA was grading student assignments. Thanks to clear and concise direction from the course instructor, I had a very solid understanding of how he expected the instructional team to score assignments. I consistently provided timely and high-quality feedback, letting students know where they did well and where they could improve for next time. I always hoped to see my students succeed, and it made me very happy to see many students make significant progress in their learning and communication skills.