As a PhD student and teaching assistant I am often frustrated that students don’t receive a good value for their time spent at exercise classes. There is always a mix of students, some of them are struggling with the basics while others want to learn about solutions to more difficult exercises. The teaching assistant cannot satisfy them all and so most of the time, students are bored and waiting until their question is addressed.
Inspired by the British universities where students often have small tutorials with professors or PhDs I would like to introduce similar sessions for the superconductivity course that I’m teaching next semester. Instead of giving a 1.5 hrs-long exercise class, I would meet groups of 3-4 students at a shorter 45 mins sessions. Students would receive individual feedback on their solutions, have chance to ask specific questions about the exercises or discuss course material. More informal atmosphere while sitting at a round table would encourage students to communicate with the teaching assistant, identify problems causing the most troubles and potentially discuss among each other.
I am planning to ask the course’s lecturer if he would be in favour of this idea. This would certainly require more time for me as a TA but would be manageable for our class size (~ 20 students expected).
I would be grateful for a feedback from bachelor and master students about what they frequently miss at their exercise classes and if this idea could improve their learning experience. At the same time, I may need more information about the administrative side: perhaps there are faculty regulations regarding the students’ contact time with the TAs – would this idea be in line with them?
