Duties of the rookie

The rookie will cooperate with the mentor in conducting the class and fulfilling the assigned duties. Possible duties for the rookie are described below.

Scheduling:

As soon as possible, the rookie will meet with the mentor to develop a schedule of duties for the semester. The rookie should also borrow a copy of the textbook and solutions manual from the front desk in MSCS 401.

Class Attendance:

The rookie should attend the first class and other classes according to the mentor's guidelines. Be sure to arrive in class promptly.

Office Hours:

The rookie will hold office hours or tutor as directed. Note that the tutoring technique used in office hours is different from in-class lecturing in several ways. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Do ask your student's name during office hours.
2. When students ask you about a particular homework problem, try to do as little of the work for them as possible, letting them do as much as possible. It is preferable to ask leading questions and give hints rather than doing the problem for the student.
3. Questions such as ``How did you start that problem?'' ``What example in the text is related to that question?'' ``What is the definition of that term?'' can be effective at training students to use their textbooks as a resource and teach them what questions they should be asking themselves.
4. If it is necessary to do an example problem, and if time permits, try changing the numbers or doing a related problem, then letting the student try the actual homework problem themselves.

Grading:

The rookie will grade the assignments and/or quizzes the mentor assigns, following the procedure given by the mentor. The rookie will assist the mentor in grading exams. Some suggestions for helping your grading to be as fair and accurate as possible are as follows:

1. It is often quickest to grade problem #1 on everyone's paper, then all of the problem 2's, etc. This method is often most accurate as well, since it is much easier to compare various solutions to just one problem.
2. For accuracy, make a scoring rubric by writing out a complete, correct solution to the problem and assigning some proportion of the available credit to each major step. Then award points to students for correct completion of each of these steps. Make notes on the rubric of how you assigned partial credit in any ambiguous cases. Students in the same class tend to make common errors, and keeping accurate notes helps to ensure that identical solutions will be treated in the same way on each student's paper.
3. Remember that the grade you give serves two purposes: to give the faculty member information on how much of the work on the assignment each student has completed correctly, and to let the students know which subjects they have learned well and which require further study.

Examination Questions:

The rookie may help in preparing exams or quizzes, as determined by the faculty mentor. The wording of examination questions should be as similar to the textbook's as possible, in order to minimize confusion. The level of difficulty should be comparable to that in the textbook, as well. Think about what were the main points of the given section of the course in composing examination questions.

Review Sessions:

Your faculty mentor may ask you to conduct sessions to discuss homework or to review before an exam. Before announcing such a session, you will need to ask at the front desk in MS 401 for a classroom to be assigned to you at the appropriate time. To prepare for your session, make sure to DO all the homework problems that were assigned (don't just look them over!). Some suggestions on how to conduct your session are as follows:

1. Discuss the main points of the given section(s) with your faculty mentor in advance.
2. You might try making a list on the blackboard of all of the problems that the class would like you to solve in that session. You won't necessarily be able to solve them all, but you will be better able to spread out the ones that you choose to discuss so that they touch on all of the major topics for the session, avoiding unnecessary duplication.
3. When solving homework questions, speak loudly and clearly, write as much detail on the board as you would want the students to write in their notebooks, and make eye contact with the class periodically. You should try stopping at least a couple of times during each problem to ask the class ``what is the next step?''
4. At the end of your session, make a note of which problems you solved for the class and of how many students attended, and give this to your professor.

Lecturing:

Toward the end of the semester, if the faculty mentor deems it appropriate, s/he may ask you to plan and deliver at least one lecture in front of the class. Rookies should observe the faculty member's lectures carefully and keep his/her format, pacing, and level in mind when planning. Review your lecture plan, including your explanations and selected examples, with your faculty mentor in advance. How much time during your lecture do you plan to spend on each topic?

Feedback:

Ask the faculty mentor for feedback whenever you think it would be helpful. You may also ask the faculty mentor to do a brief survey of student opinions, if you would find that helpful.

Questions:

Ask the mentorship coordinator or the Associate Head if you have any questions about the program.