Managing your time

Assessing coursework is likely what will take up most of your time as a TA. Knowing the course assignments, due dates, and weighting of assignments (all found in the course outline) will allow you to budget the time relative to the amount of grading you will have to do in your role.  Ensure you monitor and track the amount of time you spend grading and alert your instructor early if you anticipate you will need more hours or less work so that you are able to fulfill your work within the allotted hours outlined in your contract.

Some tips to manage your hours include:

• Verify with your instructor if you have an allotted amount of time to spend on grading each student for the entire semester.
• Work with the instructor to schedule your grading time ahead of due dates.
• Be sure to take some time to re-read the assignment description, and if you can, read a few assignments before beginning to grade them to get a sense of the kinds of submissions students are likely to produce.
• Time how long it takes you to grade one assignment or section so that you have a better estimate of how long it will take to grade all the required assignments. Note: It will take you longer to grade when just starting out, and you will get more efficient with more practice!
• Work in short, concentrated bursts (using, for example, the pomodoro method)  to ensure you are being as efficient as possible with your time.
• Keep track of common feedback for the assignment that can be reused. This is something that the instructor would likely know.
• Try to prioritize your feedback if you find yourself writing a lot of comments for a specific student as too much feedback can overwhelm and demotivate them. Make sure your feedback is focused on aligning with the assignment or course’s learning outcomes. See additional tips on our CTL assessment page here. 

Sample grading workflow

An example grading workflow for a large class assignment could look like this.

1. Ask the instructor for excellent, good, adequate and poor examples before grading, or start to identify them on your own as references for your grading standards and criteria.
2. Skim a sample of submissions before diving into your grading. Looking at several at-a-glance will help you get a sense of common issues, calibrate your expectations, and determine your strategy.
3. Grade one question or topic at a time in one sitting, making sure to stay within the allotted time for each student. Focusing on one topic or criteria at a time can reduce cognitive load.
4. Set three goals for grading each student’s work: highlighting what was done well, pointing out errors or areas of weakness that need correction, and providing ways to improve.
5. Indicate major issues with a specific example and explanation. Avoid over-marking and rewriting students’ assignments.
6. Unless this is a language class, avoid correcting every grammar and punctuation mistake. Make a note of the major areas of concern and add a comment at the end of the paper. If you notice consistent issues that hinder clarity, a suggestion is to direct the student to writing support at the Student Success Centre. 
7. Once you’ve reviewed all assignments, sort them into their corresponding groups (excellent, good, adequate, poor, or fail) to cross-check yourself and with other TAs, if applicable. This will help you stay consistent and decide on borderline cases.
8. Consult the instructor when you require help to determine a grade or write specific feedback.
9. Save your work the way you and your instructor have determined. Typically, the instructor may review and publish the grades themselves.