Task 1c

My role as a teaching assistant for the Life Science 151 module is similar to the duties outlined for a Senior Officer. My duties include the setup and collections of practical material, presentation of practical’s, to act as a demonstrator and the cleanup of labs. During practical’s, I ensure that students adhere to health and safety regulations. The lecturers are responsible for the theory component of Life Science and ensure that the correct teaching practices are conducted in the classroom.

With the lecturer, I assist with invigilation of theory and practical tests. The lecturers are responsible for marking theory tests, and the TA’s for the practical tests. The collation, submission and marking of tutorials and practical’s are carried out by tutors and demonstrators. At the end of every term, TA’s process and upload students marks onto the University’s Mark Administration System. TA’s are also responsible for the development of material for computer literacy classes, tutorials and some practical’s. This is done in collaboration with the lecturers. Together, we develop learning materials for the development of students in the Life Sciences, using literature to inform our approaches to student learning. Students’ disciplinary approaches are stimulated through reading, reasoning and writing material in their tutorials, practical’s and lectures. TA’s  are also expected to be present lectures to students when the lecturer is absent.