Finishing the Semester
Prepare for a successful end of the course
Final 2-3 weeks of the semester
Prepare for the final weeks
- Address what to do if a TA has a student who is failing.
- Remind TAs of their contract dates, and through what date you are expecting them to be available.
- Offer guidance or policy on administering and reading student evaluations.
Prepare for final grading
- Be sure everyone is aware of final grading deadlines.
- Clearly communicate a timeline for when final assignments will be graded.
- Plan for final grade submission and share relevant resources. Include a deadline for when all final grades will be entered and your course policy on graded assignments.
Campus resources
Final 1-2 weeks of the contract
Close out your time together
It can be helpful to discuss highlights and challenges of the semester to guide your future courses.
Depending on your course context, you might hold a final team meeting or close out your work together in another way. Possible items to cover include:
Review the learning objectives. What progress did students make on these goals? Were there any objectives that were particularly challenging?
Were there any course topics or materials that should be updated for the future?
How was the flow of the curriculum?
Were the grading tools, such as rubrics, effective?
Were there any tools or resources that would have made the TAs’ jobs easier?
What did everyone on the teaching team learn about themselves as teachers?
What was each person’s highlight from teaching this semester?
Anything they plan to change for the next time you teach?
What skills or experiences did you gain that are transferable beyond TA work?
Any recommended course schedule changes?
Make plans for next steps if you’re working together next semester.
Clarify post-semester responsibilities
Consider TA workloads and their appointment time period. TAs should not work after their appointment ends. Communicate how to:
- Handle Incompletes, if applicable. Who decides if a student may take an Incomplete, and who will monitor their completion?
- Address any post-semester emails from students to TAs. (It may be helpful for TAs to include their contract end date in their email signature.)
- Organize materials to ensure you have access to course documentation (e.g., attendance records, student work, etc.).
As relevant, remind your team to connect with department administration for end-of-semester logistics.
Gather feedback
If you ask, “What could we do better?” your teaching team may help you improve your course for the future. One way to do this is with a short answer online form. It’s important to remember the power dynamics that may exist between you and your TAs, so consider seeking this feedback anonymously.
Address unresolved concerns about TA performance
If you still have concerns about a TA’s performance as the end of the semester approaches, it’s important to formally document those concerns. This allows the department and future supervisors to understand potentially ongoing issues, and it provides the TA with concrete steps to improve their performance. Contact your local HR to get started.
Consider nominating excellent TAs for awards
Nominating TAs for awards is a great way to recognize their hard work and talents. Your department and/or School/College may have local TA awards. The Campus-Wide TA Awards require nominations to be coordinated at the department level, so talk to your department staff.
Instructor example: Reflective practice
Jeanne Schueller, Teaching Professor and German Language Program Director in the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+, conducts closing 1-on-1 meetings with the instructors she supervises. By meeting individually, Jeanne gains valuable insights into the specific challenges TAs faced and rewards they experienced. Facilitating an open dialogue between the course supervisor and instructors is essential to creating trust and fostering an environment in which TAs feel comfortable sharing their concerns. Having a clearer understanding of TAs’ experiences through these end-of-the-semester conversations also assists Jeanne in making programmatic and curricular changes.
What if?
If your teaching team does not have the time to meet during the final contract weeks, you might gather feedback for the future and support TA critical reflection through:
- Sending an email with a few specific questions.
- Offering a 1-on-1 meeting, either remote or in-person.
Encountering potential academic misconduct can be challenging at any point in the semester. The situation may be complicated by the end of the semester and teaching contracts.
If you (or your teaching team) suspect academic misconduct, you might:
- Contact the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards for support.
- Make a clear plan for who will handle the situation. Most often, this will be the lead instructor.
If grading challenges arise at the end of the semester, consider UW grading deadlines and the end of teaching contract time.
To handle grading challenges like a dispute, an Incomplete, or an extension, you might:
- Consult relevant university and school/college policies, such as:
- Create a plan in collaboration with a teaching team member.
- Identify the point person to carry out the plan (and consider TA contract dates).
Review these instructions for entering and submitting final grades or changing a grade in Faculty Center.