TA Guide: Topics of interest to international TAs

Distinct characteristics of U.S. universities include:

• Student backgrounds:  American students come from various backgrounds – while many UW–Madison students enroll immediately after high school (secondary school), some are returning adult students or transfer students from two- or four-year institutions.
• Typical pre-college preparation: High school curricula vary widely from state to state and even within a single city. The university admits students who have demonstrated the ability to succeed here. Nevertheless, some students arrive already having earned college credits while others come from under-resourced areas where access to specialized STEM coursework or courses for college credit was limited. This variation is a key reason why you may notice different levels of foundational preparation among your students.
• Liberal arts tradition: Unlike some countries where students focus solely on their major, U.S. universities emphasize a liberal arts tradition, requiring students to study across disciplines.
• Freedom of expression and academic freedom: Freedom of expression is central to the educational process in U.S. institutions. For information on the First Amendment and free speech at UW, visit Free Expression at UW–Madison. Academic freedom is another important principle – at UW–Madison, it’s often referred to with the phrase “sifting and winnowing,” (a metaphor encouraging students and researchers to critically examine ideas, separate fact from fiction, and pursue the truth) which is memorialized in a plaque outside Bascom Hall.
• University costs: College is a major expense for most American families. Because UW–Madison is a state university, students from Wisconsin pay less in tuition than students from out of state. While many students receive financial aid, about one-third of UW–Madison students take out loans to pay for college.
• Student privacy: A federal law, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), protects students’ academic records, including grades and other information about their participation in courses. All first-time TAs have access to training to help them understand how to follow this law.
• Accessibility and disability accommodations: A federal law, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), requires that students with disabilities have equal access to higher education. The McBurney Disability Resource Center works with instructors, TAs, and students to ensure students receive appropriate disability accommodations. Digital course materials (such as information in Canvas and lecture slides) are required by law to be accessible. Learn more about making digital course content accessible.
• Assessments: In the U.S., college courses typically use multiple, structured assessments throughout the semester rather than a single, semester-end assessment. This provides ongoing feedback, allows students to demonstrate their understanding incrementally, and enables instructors to track student progress and adapt teaching methods accordingly.

The U.S. classroom environment is highly interactive. Expect open communication from students in the form of questions during class.

If English is not your first language, it’s helpful to acknowledge this at the start of the course. Let students know that you value clear communication, encourage them to ask you to repeat or rephrase things, and let them know you’ll do the same for them.

Prepare for student questions and opinions

Navigating student inquiries in the classroom, lab, or during office hours is a core part of the TA experience. Oftentimes questions come up in the classroom which cannot be answered in detail on the spot, and that’s OK. Familiarize yourself with common phrases and conversational structures that acknowledge student inquiry but keep class moving at a steady pace. 

Additionally, sometimes challenging moments can occur during class. When handling difficult situations, remember that you don’t have to resolve it immediately – it’s fine to pause. For help navigating these moments and to learn more about your role in guiding class discussions, visit Navigating Classroom Dynamics and Disruptions.

Maintain appropriate boundaries

American undergraduate culture is highly informal. Students may dress casually, sit casually, and address you by your first name. However, do not mistake this casualness for friendship. The instructor-student relationship must remain professional and role-based. TA trainings will help you understand university policies and expectations for you and your students’ behavior.

• Your speech: Maintain professional communication by using polite and direct speech with students. Address students by their preferred names and pronouns (if known) and ask them to do the same to you. Avoid using profanity, teasing, commenting on student appearance, and making jokes regarding personal characteristics such as sex, race, religion, disability, or politics.
• Digital communications: Communicate with students via UW-approved platforms, e.g., Canvas or university email.
• Physical space and touch: Maintain professional physical boundaries by standing a comfortable distance from students, gesturing away from them, and avoiding unnecessary closeness. Never touch a student.
• Personal relationships and socializing: UW Policy strictly prohibits dating or romantic relationships with any student you currently teach/grade or anticipate teaching/grading. To avoid perceptions of bias, refrain from socializing with students in person or on social media.

Be both approachable and authoritative

Use community building activities

Ice-breakers are brief introductory activities used at the start of the semester to learn students’ names, lower participation anxiety, and build a collaborative learning community.

Continuing to use ice-breakers during the semester maintains that sense of community. While poorly designed ice-breakers can be uninteresting or seemingly pointless, effective ones can genuinely enhance the effectiveness of group discussions and even foster lifelong learning communities.

Share relevant stories about your graduate career

Such stories can showcase your passion and expertise, making you more approachable and relatable to students. These stories can also ignite non-majors’ interest in the subject and offer career insights for upper-division students.

Office hours

Office hours – also called “Student hours” or “Student help sessions” – are scheduled times outside of class where students visit you to get assistance with course assessments and tasks. To help them feel more comfortable, feel free to meet them in an on-campus public area, such as a campus library, or have them come to your TA office. To maintain a professional environment, make sure you always keep the door open during your office hours. For more information, please visit Holding Effective and Inclusive Office Hours.

Give supportive feedback

Be supportive in situations where students answer incorrectly or are struggling to understand a concept. Smile and make eye contact to more effectively engage students. When offering criticism, think about how you are delivering it as well as the substance of what you are saying.

Advice from an ITA: “The ‘Feedback Sandwich’ technique might be familiar to American TAs or students from some other regions. But it was new to me and it took some time before I realized it is a great way of giving constructive feedback. The technique involves structuring feedback in a way that starts with positive feedback (praise on the strengths), followed by areas for improvement (constructive criticism), and then concludes with encouraging remarks for next steps. This structure helps to balance critique with encouragement, making the feedback more palatable and effective in promoting learning.

Negotiating grades

Grade negotiation is when a student asks for a higher score on an assignment. It is a good idea to have a proactive plan in place before this happens – if it’s not already addressed in the course syllabus, speak to your lead instructor about adding some language. If you are confident that your grade is accurate and fair, remain calm, and reinforce the class policy. If the course has a grading rubric, share that and explain the grade. Policies and rubrics are helpful because they shift the conversation from a personal negotiation to an objective review of the assignment criteria. This empowers you to guide the student back to the learning objectives rather than defending a score.

Navigating graduate school while adapting to a new country is a massive transition. It is completely normal to experience moments of cultural fatigue or “imposter phenomenon” (the feeling that you don’t belong or aren’t qualified). Remember that you do not have to hide your vulnerabilities to fit in. Cultivate a support system. Finding a community that understands your unique perspective can be a great comfort – consider joining student organizations that cater to the international community and participating in group counseling and wellness workshops.

Protect yourself in and outside the classroom

• Boundaries: If a student behaves in ways that make you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, contact your supervisor right away. If you feel able to in the moment, you are allowed to set a boundary, e.g., saying “Let’s keep our conversation focused on the course material.” Just as you maintain appropriate boundaries with students, they need to do the same with you. Learn more about responding to disruptive student behavior.

• Discrimination: University policy prohibits discriminating against or harassing someone based on their national origin or factors such as race, ethnicity, and gender identity or expression. If you experience or witness this, please see Student Support Information about Harassment, Discrimination and Bias.

• Scams: Scams targeting international students are common. Scammers use calls, texts, emails, or even specific platforms you might use daily on your phone, e.g., WeChat or WhatsApp. They pose as police officers or other government workers from the U.S. or your home country, threatening your visa status if you do not pay them. Remember: Official government and university agencies will never demand immediate payment, wire transfers, or gift cards over the phone or a messaging app. Find more information from International Student Services on avoiding scams and fraud.