When a student is assisting a faculty member (which is the usual situation for at least the student's first two semesters), the faculty member should gather enough information to be able to evaluate the student's teaching performance; such information may include observation of the teaching assistant's ability to conduct a class, review of student evaluations, and discussions about the assistant's grading. Once a student is teaching a course without any direct faculty supervision, he or she may still request that a faculty member review and evaluate such information about the student's teaching, so that the faculty member might eventually be in a position to write a letter of recommendation discussing the student's teaching.
Each semester the Department Head will designate one faculty member to act as a mentor for each course taught by graduate students. The mentor's role is to help the T.A.'s in improving their teaching skills, and in formulating and applying appropriate grading standards. To this end the mentor will review the T.A.'s work and also observe some of the T.A.'s classes. The faculty mentor will meet with graduate students who are teaching that course to help them choose appropriate texts and develop a syllabus. The mentor should make sure that graduate students are familiar with departmental guidelines and recommendations for the course. During the semester, mentors will meet at regular intervals with T.A.'s to discuss the planning and grading of assignments, problems that might arise during the semester, and other matters relevant to teaching the course.
