Teaching Assistantships at Dartmouth
At many universities, teaching assistant positions are limited to graduate students. However, at Dartmouth, classroom TAs are usually undergraduates! Dartmouth's undergraduate focus doesn't only mean that students have one-on-one time with professors, but also gives undergraduates the opportunity to TA and get experience assisting in a classroom setting. In this post, I want to share my experience working as a TA for the class "Politics of Israel and Palestine" in the Department of Government surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict.
I decided to be a TA this term after the professor of the course reached out to me to let me know that he could use an assistant to help him manage the course. I hadn't had a course with this professor since my freshman spring—at Dartmouth, it is truly easy to form relationships with your professors due to small class sizes and the institution's emphasis on undergraduates. Since I was interested in the course content and was looking forward to the opportunity to make some money, I was happy to TA for the course. All undergraduate TAs at Dartmouth are financially compensated for all of their time towards the course, allowing students to simultaneously build professional skills while making money.
As a TA, most of my responsibilities are centered around the logistics of the course. Since it is a large course by Dartmouth standards (60 students), there is a lot to keep track of in terms of course questions, attendance, and logistical issues, so my presence helps to alleviate some of those responsibilities from the professor so that he can focus completely on teaching. Aside from being an additional resource for students, I also help the professor look through assignment submissions, helping to synthesize and evaluate students' writing. So far, I have found it really valuable to get more insight into how a professor assesses and interacts with student writing, and I definitely think my own writing skills will benefit by the end of this experience.
TA positions exist in virtually every department at Dartmouth, from computer science to history. Students can be TAs during both on terms and off terms, depending on their workload in the term. Moreover, being a TA is only one way to get paid while getting involved in academic work at Dartmouth. Research assistantships, drill instructing, and tutoring positions are all similar positions available to students to help develop their writing, teaching, and communication skills. The effort of Dartmouth faculty towards providing professional development opportunities for their undergraduates is definitely one of my favorite things about attending Dartmouth.