Assistant instructors (AIs) can play an essential role in supporting your course. They support student learning, enhance faculty efficiency, and gain valuable professional development experience along the way. When managed thoughtfully, the faculty-assistant instructor partnership creates a stronger, more engaging learning environment for students and a meaningful growth opportunity for graduate students.
This following are recommendations collected from the resources mentioned below in the reference section.
Core Principles of a Strong Partnership
The faculty–assistant instructor relationship is most successful when approached as a collaborative teaching partnership. Here are some guiding principles:
- Clear Expectations and Roles
Both faculty and assistant instructors need a shared understanding of their responsibilities. Clarity reduces confusion and sets everyone up for success. - Faculty as the Ultimate Authority
While assistant instructors play an active role in teaching and assessment, faculty ultimately carry the responsibility for the course administration duties, including grading and alignment with institutional policies. - Professional Development Opportunity
Serving as an assistant instructor should be a learning experience. Faculty should connect assigned tasks to professional growth, teaching skills, and career preparation whenever possible. - Consistent Communication
Regular check-ins, open conversations, and transparency help prevent misunderstandings and make problem-solving much easier when issues arise.
Setting Up for Success
Before the Semester Begins
Early connection is key. Meet with your assistant instructor before classes start to set expectations, share goals, and establish communication methods. Some items to cover:
- Course goals and learning outcomes
- Roles, tasks, and boundaries
- Meeting schedules and communication channels
- Workload expectations (respecting weekly hour limits)
- Familiarity with technology tools
- Academic integrity policies
- An introduction plan so students understand the assistant instructor’s role.
Please see https://blogs.iu.edu/luddyteach/2023/08/16/quick-tip-working-with-ais/for a checklist developed by Dr. Angela Jenks and Katie Cox , in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Irvine.
Having these conversations upfront helps everyone enter the semester with confidence.
During the Semester
- Regular Meetings
Weekly or biweekly meetings provide a chance to prepare for upcoming lessons, review grading approaches, and troubleshoot challenges. - Grading Consistency
Provide rubrics and sample feedback. Calibration or grade norming activities where everyone grades the same sample are especially effective for ensuring fairness. - Office Hours
Encourage assistant instructors to hold consistent and accessible office hours at different times of day to accommodate students. - Mid-Semester Check-In
Use this time to gather feedback, review workloads, and adjust if necessary.
End of the Semester
Wrap up with a reflective meeting. Discuss what worked well, identify challenges, and preserve useful materials for future iterations of the course. These conversations also strengthen the mentoring relationship.
Supporting Assistant Instructor Development
Faculty aren’t just supervisors, they’re mentors. Assistant instructors benefit when faculty take the time to:
- Coach them on teaching strategies and classroom management
- Encourage them to set professional development goals and build a teaching portfolio if they are interested in pursuing a faculty position
- Provide opportunities for peer observation and self-reflection
- Direct them to school and university-wide teaching resources
By positioning the role as both service and growth opportunity, faculty help assistant instructors build skills that last well beyond a single course.
References
- (Best Practices and Guidelines for Graduate and Teaching Assistantships, n.d.)https://www.tgs.northwestern.edu/funding/assistantships/graduate-and-teaching/best-practices.html
- (How Do I Work with Teaching Assistants Effectively? : Center for Teaching & Learning : UMass Amherst, n.d.) https://www.umass.edu/ctl/how-do-i-work-effectively-teaching-assistants
- (TAs and the Teaching Team | Teaching Commons, n.d.)https://teachingcommons.stanford.edu/teaching-guides/foundations-course-design/course-planning/tas-and-teaching-team
- Working with teaching assistants and a teaching team: Center for Teaching Innovation. Working with Teaching Assistants and a Teaching Team | Center for Teaching Innovation. (n.d.). https://teaching.cornell.edu/teaching-resources/designing-your-course/working-teaching-assistants
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