Grading Once More
The professor and I agreed to a manageable workload for me: I facilitate and grade 4 of the 8 assignments that the students will be turning in, roughly every other week. I was given the choice, and selected the parts of web design that interest me most. Which means that this week, I'm grading CSS work. While I don't use it daily, it is something that came easily to me when I took this course.
Facilitation means that not only do I grade, I interact in the discussion board, providing feedback publicly that should engage others in commentary. Within the class, there are a decent number of professionals, so the caliber of work is such that even as a tough grader, there isn't much to deduct. The bonus is that the students who work with web design are charged with bringing something new to the table, to challenge themselves. This makes me happy, as I'll learn some new things from those more talented.
That part of the experience is what prompted me to volunteer to TA. What I didn't consider, the bonus part, is that while I built out courses in the LMS we now use, I had to do every step for this course and now am using all the features as an instructor. Practical experience that will definitely come in handy soon enough, when professors ask me how to set up their grade book, or whether they can comment as they view assignments. Developers don't typically get end user experience.
So once again, while I am an instructor, I'm probably learning more than the students!
Facilitation means that not only do I grade, I interact in the discussion board, providing feedback publicly that should engage others in commentary. Within the class, there are a decent number of professionals, so the caliber of work is such that even as a tough grader, there isn't much to deduct. The bonus is that the students who work with web design are charged with bringing something new to the table, to challenge themselves. This makes me happy, as I'll learn some new things from those more talented.
That part of the experience is what prompted me to volunteer to TA. What I didn't consider, the bonus part, is that while I built out courses in the LMS we now use, I had to do every step for this course and now am using all the features as an instructor. Practical experience that will definitely come in handy soon enough, when professors ask me how to set up their grade book, or whether they can comment as they view assignments. Developers don't typically get end user experience.
So once again, while I am an instructor, I'm probably learning more than the students!
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