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A story about dealing with a TA who is inconsistent and unfair when grading assignments. <\/p>\n"},"library":"H5P.AdvancedText 1.1","metadata":{"contentType":"Text","license":"U","title":"Untitled Text"},"subContentId":"f0e2a5aa-bf9b-4d8d-b0f7-fed236961525"},"title":"Teaching Incon(ass)istant by Joshua White"},{"content":{"params":{"text":"

Going to university I never thought that my biggest barrier would be a teaching assistant. I knew that the criteria for my papers and other academic submissions was more strict and held to a higher standard, but I never imagined a TA being the source of my problems. In one of my first years at Trent I had a TA in a politics course. They ran my seminar and graded my assignments; they were the main point of contact outside of lecture. I hold myself to a high degree of academic success, and thus I am always looking to improve my work and expand my realm of perspective. On one of my papers (worth 20% so coming out of high school that was a big deal) I received a mark lower than I had hoped, and there was no feedback included. I approached the TA wanting to know what I could have done better and essentially the answer I got was, \"your mark is common for people transitioning to university, most people don't get high grades, don't worry about it\". Obviously this did not sit right with me. After some investigating I discovered that other members of my class had received the mark I was aiming for, and that their work was no different than mine (me and my classmates agreed on this). So the question remained: why did this TA refuse to help me?<\/p>\n"},"library":"H5P.AdvancedText 1.1","metadata":{"contentType":"Text","license":"U","title":"Untitled Text"},"subContentId":"63df705b-4fa5-499b-8cb4-77c09e890ca3"},"title":"The Wicked Problem"},{"content":{"params":{"text":"

I did overcome this problem, but to the detriment of my already limited support from the TA (so really nothing changed he just started being rude and LESS helpful). I had to approach the Professor of my class in order to resolve this issue. Thankfully they were kind enough to review my work, and understood from my class participation and office hours visits that I was serious about my education. After they reviewed my previously returned grades, all my assignment marks increased to the higher percentage I believed I had worked towards. Afterward, the professor spoke with me and assured me that my work was not the issue, and stated they spoke to the TA about their inappropriate lack of work ethic.<\/p>\n\n

Now, that all being said, I am pretty sure the TA is still around and nothing ever came of this.<\/p>\n\n

My advice to anyone facing a similar issue would be to: <\/p>\n\n

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Ensure your work is actually at the standard you think it should be. If you are disgruntled because you are unhappy with your mark, that is different than knowing you were graded unfairly.<\/p>\n\t<\/li>\n\t
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Verify your quality of work with other willing classmates. Keep an open mind and be prepared to learn that your work may not be all that you think it is. However, knowing where you stand among your peers gives you a basis to work from. Knowing their grades and quality of work forces the TA to have consistency and fairness in their marking process.<\/p>\n\t<\/li>\n\t
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Speak to the professor in a professional and solution-oriented way. Do not go to the prof trash talking the TA or without a solution; this will only make the professor inclined to side with the TA, or believe you are just unhappy with your mark. Being proactive and professional shows that your claim is legitimate and coming from a place of genuine concern. <\/p>\n\t<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n"},"library":"H5P.AdvancedText 1.1","metadata":{"contentType":"Text","license":"U","title":"Untitled Text"},"subContentId":"7f901fba-fd70-4ec1-a094-e0fca2838a62"},"title":"Finding a Solution"},{"content":{"params":{"text":"
You are responsible for your academics, and that includes the quality of your work. Most professors and TA's are not out to get you, and are operating in your best interest. It can be challenging to swallow the academic pill of \"maybe my work is not as good as I thought\"; but, you also know your average marks better than anyone. Do not let a TA convince you that an outlying mark is what you deserve if it is not consistent with your quality of work. Be honest and real with yourself, but say something if you think there is an issue. <\/p>\n"},"library":"H5P.AdvancedText 1.1","metadata":{"contentType":"Text","license":"U","title":"Untitled Text"},"subContentId":"79ecc3ee-37c7-4e05-b832-275a8c24801f"},"title":"Final Thoughts"},{"content":{"params":{"text":"
White, J. (2021, October 6). Teaching Incon(ass)istant<\/em>. Liberated Learners. https:\/\/wicked.liberatedlearner.ca\/navigator\/teaching-inconassistant\/<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n"},"library":"H5P.AdvancedText 1.1","subContentId":"5b4ed3a6-2590-4afc-9a50-a48a1d67074c","metadata":{"contentType":"Text","license":"U","title":"Untitled Text"}},"title":"APA Reference"}],"hTag":"h2"}

Liberated Learner Wicked Problems- Teaching Incon(ass)istant

Liam Peart