Harmon D. Maher, Jr.
Professor, Dept. of Geography and Geology
University of Nebraska
554-4807, harmon_maher@mail.unomaha.edu

A lab is a traditional form of active and experiential learning, which has some traits that set it apart from other forms of education and give it a distinctive character as a T.A. assignment. The lab T.A. often works closer with students for longer periods of time, and often has greater pedagogic responsibility. Safety, equipment, and other considerations also can distinguish the lab setting. Accordingly, it can be worthwhile to consider what specific challenges may arise in this setting, and what may be methods of dealing with these challenges.

The challenges/solutions listed below are not in any specific order. They are simply thoughts that derive from workshops with new T.A.s, from discussions with colleagues and students, and from my experiences as a lab T.A. and professor. Not all of the solutions suggested here may be appropriate for individual cases - you are of course responsible for thinking through which approaches you will or should take. This document will present possibilities. I encourage people to send me feedback so that I can improve this document. Finally, please do not find the number of concerns disheartening - I have generally found labs an extremely rewarding experience, but perhaps some of the below can make it even more so.

Statement of concern: While honesty is an issue throughout academia, labs provide a different context. They are often conducted in a less controlled environment and involve group work, and there is more opportunity for students to cheat or to be confused about what is not acceptable. Copying others work is probably the biggest concern. Many studies show that cheating is not rare!

Possible solutions:

• Inform students of cheating policy of University at the beginning of the course, and since you have some discretion, the specific policy for the lab. The last should be done in consultation with your advisor. This requires that you give some prior thought to the issue. It does not work well to figure it out as your are being confronted with a case of potential cheating.
• Make it clear to the students what can be worked on jointly, and what they will be individually responsible for.
• Document any cheating instances carefully, a paper trail is very important. Experience suggests that there is a good chance the student will challenge your assertion. These days your word against the student's may lead to a dismissal of the charges.

Lab safety

Statement of concern: Safety is a primary concern for some labs, since they deal with hazardous substances or equipment. An accident is bad news all around. Some students do not have an innate understanding of what is safe and what isn't, which puts the brunt of the responsibility on the T.A..

Possible solutions:

• Go over safety procedures in class the first day.
• Know who to call in an emergency, where the eyewashes are, the nearest phone, and so on. Make sure the equipment is working properly.
• Do not be tolerant of horse play and impress upon the students the importance of safety. Perhaps consult with your advisor beforehand on what to do if a student persists in unsafe behavior.
• Consult with your advisor in writing about any specific concerns.
• If something happens, even if it seems relatively inconsequential, report it to your advisor or other appropriate people.
  

Student time management during the lab

Statement of concern: Labs can require completion in a set amount of time. Some students may still be struggling to finish well after the scheduled time, and you want to go home to study for the big test tomorrow. For some labs it is not possible for the students to finish the lab at some later time (due to equipment availability).

Possible solutions:

• Run through the lab on your own so you are sure that it can be done in the time given, and if it is too long consult with your advisor on appropriate changes.
• Give students a rough timetable of how they should be progressing through the lab.
• Try to help those who are lagging, without giving them an unfair advantage or truncating their learning experience.
• Make clear to the students (and yourself) what the consequences are if they run out of time.
• Try to identify what may be causing some students to lag.
  

Performance, math and/or science anxiety

Statement of concern: Some students may be interested and very much want to succeed in the lab, but are greatly hindered by math or science anxiety, or by 'performance' anxiety. This is a real barrier for some students, and should be taken seriously. They may be quite well prepared, but still uneasy about using their knowledge and skills.

Possible solutions:

• Take the time to help them achieve initial success. Coupled with positive feedback this may decrease subsequent anxiety.
• If the lab format allows, pair the student with a student who has some of the 'teacher' in them, who is enthusiastic and successful. Sometimes people are less anxious if working with a peer instead of an authority figure.
• Point out resources that are available (e.g. tutoring, Schaum's outlines, etc.).

Academically unprepared students

Statement of concern: Labs may be based on the assumption that all students will have certain knowledge and skills, which they may not. In Geography and Geology stories of students who are not familiar with the mathematical concept of slope, nor with the idea of latitude and longitude, nor with the concept of scale, and who are not familiar with the Periodic Chart are just some examples of assumed knowledge. There may be a lack of appropriate prerequisites for the source, or poor lab design, but in intro labs it can also be basic science illiteracy.

Possible solutions:

• If time permits, fill in the missing gaps for the students; teach them what they need to know. However, considering other demands this may not be possible, or may not be the best use of your time.
• Direct the student to appropriate reference material, after kindly informing them they have some catching up to do in this particular area. If a persistent problem exists, develop or obtain supplemental material to help the student catch up.
• Direct the students to the various sources of tutoring or help such as at the Learning Center. Some departments have tutoring services.
• Possibly pair the student with another student who has a bit of the teacher in them and remembers the relevant background. However, make sure that this won't compromise the second student's learning experience.

Lack of guidance for the T.A

Statement of concern: I have seen every approach from rigidly designed labs where the T.A. has little discretion and is mainly following extensive instructions to the T.A. being given full responsibility for lab design (from breathing-down-your-neck to see you at the end of the semester guidance). For an experienced T.A. being left to one's own devices can be quite a blessing, but for novices it can be a source of real frustration and abdication of the advisor's responsibilities.

Possible solutions:

• Request more guidance. Be as specific as possible with regard to a request for guidance - with what exactly is it that you need help?
• Read how published lab materials handle the assigned lab. However, remember your other time commitments.
• Seek guidance elsewhere (other T.A.s or profs) after making an honest effort to with your advisor. I hope and believe most of you will find your profs quite ready to help.
  

Implementing less than optimally conceived labs

Statement of concern: For many reasons such as imperfect conception, inappropriate audience, poor translation into a new context, labs will have flaws. Yet it is your job to effectively implement these flawed labs.

Possible solutions:

• Familiarize yourself with the lab before hand so you can spot problems.
• If important information is missing, provide it to the students in the form of a mini-lecture, handout, or other reference material (you likely don't have the time or the background to revise the entire lab).
• Consult with your advisor about possible changes to the lab itself. It is important to give feedback to your advisor when things don't work effectively.
• Consult with other T.A.s to identify possible problems ahead of time, and ask for their past solutions or ideas.
  

Antipathy to lab material

Statement of concern: If a lab course is a college requirement, not all students will be motivated by natural interest. Sometimes the antipathy has religious or philosophic roots. The negative comments or behavior of these students can affect other students.

Possible solutions:

• Take the time necessary to help the student to successfully complete of lab. Such success may reduce the antipathy.
• Be ready to argue, in a constructive fashion, for the relevance of the lab. Don't apologize for the lab exercise or the subject matter.
• Acknowledge that the subject matter can be challenging and foreign to some, but through exploration and experience can be mastered to varying degrees.
• Just be enthusiastic toward science and the lab.
• Ask yourself which students may truly benefit from your time, and spend little of it with the whiners.
  

Student - T. A. relationships

Statement of concern: One good thing about labs is that the joint experience and effort often allows the students to develop a sense of disciplinary community, to connect with their academic peers. T.A.s are often drawn into this. You must remember your role as teacher, evaluator, and the power/authority structure involved. How do you handle friendships, romantic or sexual overtures in such a setting?

Possible solutions:

• Do not engage in any romantic or sexual relationships with your students.
• If appropriate discuss why such relationships are inappropriate. That can be part of a student's education.
• Keep a paper trail if a student makes continued romantic or sexual overtures after being informed that they are inappropriate, and consult with your advisor, or other appropriate university officials immediately.
• Be aware of the appearance of favoritism. Be professional.
  

Student frustrations with group efforts

Statement of concern: Due to the expense of materials, and limited facilities, it is common that students work collaboratively in labs. This is generally a good practice, for much intellectual endeavor is a collaborative enterprise. When the work is collaborative there is potential for a student to carry the group, or a student to do little and parasitize.

Possible solutions:

• Discuss with students what their individual responsibilities to the group are; i.e. educate the individual on how to collaborate.
• Reassignment of individuals to groups may work in some cases, but remember that reassignment of the student may just move the problem to another group.
• Allow problem students to work on their own if conditions allow.
• Use peer review within the class to modify individual grades based on group evaluation of an individual's contribution (literature available from Dr. Harland on campus).
  

Students requesting exceptions (late labs, etc.)

Statement of concern: Because of the character of students at this urban institute (work, family and school obligations) this is more of a problem than at other universities. Labs, where continued involvement and performance are necessary, run into schedule and life conflicts more often.

Possible solutions:

• Have a detailed, written formulation on the lab policy with respect to late labs and lab absences and make the students aware of the policy from the first.
• Be consistent in granting of exceptions and be aware of setting precedents.
• If possible build some appropriate slack into the lab (e.g. lowest grade dropped or the like).
• Develop alternate exercises if appropriate, but make sure you consult thoroughly with your advisor.

Lab T.A. assignments that are too time-consuming

Statement of concern: You are hear to further your education and training, to gain experience in teaching, and to further the University's teaching mission. Your assignment is 20 hours a week, but it is possible that this turns out to be insufficient for completion of your assigned duties (although this is not common in my experience). Some averaging may occur; e.g. 25 hours this week, 10 next, etc..

Possible solutions:

• Keep a detailed time sheet and document the amount of time you are spending and how you are spending it.
• Do not wait till the end of the semester to make the problem known.
• Be prepared to defend how you are spending that time.
• Approach the relevant powers in a constructive fashion, explaining that you are spending too much time and asking them how you can reduce it to the prescribed 20 hours or less.
• Make sure you understand the extent of your T.A. duties from the start.
  

Labs that do not correlate with lecture material at the time

Statement of concern: Some students will expect a correspondence between the two as the semester progresses, and will express frustration if there is not.

Possible solutions:

• Explain to the students that since lecture and lab are two different learning modes with somewhat different goals, they proceed at different paces and it may not be possible to keep them synchronized. Students can also be made aware that the lab is designed to be 'self-sufficient' if that is the case.
• Talk to your advisor and try to synchronize the two more if there is a need to do so (e.g. if lecture material is necessary for lab completion).
• If the lab assumes they are synchronized and that the student has obtained relevant information beforehand from lecture, then provide supplemental material to fill in the missing pieces necessary for completion of the lab.

Equipment failure

Statement of concern: If the equipment fails then the lab can come to a complete stop. What then? It may also cause delays when acquiring new functioning equipment. Some students may not be able to stay late to finish the lab.

Possible solutions:

• Test out the equipment before lab.
• Know where replacement equipment might be

Grading of subjective material

Statement of concern:

Often T.A.s for intro courses grade only multiple choice or fill-in-the-blank type student efforts. However, lab reports, or sketches, or write-ups involve more complex judgments during grading. Students may demand justification for the grade received. This can be compounded by the fact the student may be more willing to challenge a T.A. as an authority figure, than a professor.

Possible solutions:

• In consultation with your advisor, develop as specific grading criteria as possible.
• 'Grading sheets' with point attribution for various components of the lab project may help you be consistent (I've got examples). Also give feedback to the students as to grading criteria. Students especially appreciate it if this information is given before handing in the lab.
• Peer review (grading by classmates) can be used to establish 'consensus'. However, this assumes the students have the necessary expertise to conduct a review.
• If possible give examples of past top-notch work, so students can see what is considered A work.

Responding to criticism of the professor or other T.A.s from a student

Statement of concern: Since you work more closely with students and represent a sort of 'intermediate' authority figure, students may be more likely to express frustration with the course, or with the instructor. You may or may not sympathize with the student, but may be uncertain how to respond.

Possible solutions:

• Avoid getting into gripe swapping sessions, which may be gratifying, but are often unproductive.
• If you think the criticism is unwarranted, then you might engage the student and try to explain why it is unwarranted, but do so in as positive a manner as possible.
• Try to sort out with the student what their objective is. Do they just want to talk about it, or do they want some recourse? If they want recourse you might explain some of the options (e.g. talking to the professor, or talking to the department chair.).
• If the criticism or frustration involves unprofessional behavior, discretely discuss the matter with the department chairperson, treating it is an allegation. However, it will always be better if the student brings their complaint directly to the chairperson, and that the T.A. avoid being a go-between.