Nailing the TA interview: Using a rubric to hire teaching assistants

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

Where would we be without them? Teaching assistants (TAs) make it possible for us to deliver high-quality large-scale computer science courses with relatively few faculty. Though their responsibilities vary by institution, TAs often play a crucial role in student learning. The use of teaching assistants in computer science courses is a common and longstanding practice and, yet, little has been published about how to choose the best TAs among those interested in the job. This paper describes the development of an interview rubric in use by faculty teaching a large introductory computer science course to score applicant responses in a formal in-person 30-minute interview. We describe the motivation behind developing such a rubric, the initial development process, its refinement based on feedback provided by students about their TAs, and the preliminary results of implementing this hiring system.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationITiCSE 2017 - Proceedings of the 2017 ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
Pages128-133
Number of pages6
ISBN (Electronic)9781450347044
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 28 2017
Event2017 ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education, ITiCSE 2017 - Bologna, Italy
Duration: Jul 3 2017Jul 5 2017

Publication series

NameAnnual Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education, ITiCSE
VolumePart F128680
ISSN (Print)1942-647X

Conference

Conference2017 ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education, ITiCSE 2017
Country/TerritoryItaly
CityBologna
Period7/3/177/5/17

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Education
  • Management of Technology and Innovation

Keywords

  • Course management
  • Course staff
  • Hiring
  • Hiring practices
  • Hiring rubric
  • Job interview
  • Large courses
  • Teaching assistants

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Nailing the TA interview: Using a rubric to hire teaching assistants'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this