Online teaching assistants from Instructional Connections can be hugely helpful for your distance learning and online courses. Especially in light of the current rapidly changing academic world due to the continued impacts of COVID-19.
Instructional Connections built a model of flexibility and providing customized support due to the course and curriculum needs of each of our University partners through the use of our online teaching assistants.
However, this leads to some of the most common questions we get from the Colleges and Universities we support. Some of these questions are, what can our online teaching assistants do? What are their responsibilities? And how can our online teaching assistants best help remote learning environments and student success?
Let’s look at Instructional Connections as a whole, as well as our online teaching assistants’ roles and responsibilities to best answer these questions.
Who We Are: The History & Mission of Our Online Teaching Assistants
First started in July 2010, Instructional Connections wanted to be a better provider of instructional support services to colleges and universities which offered online courses and degree programs. We did this by providing online teaching assistants or academic coaches.
No other North American company works the way we do. And while many online support companies are solutions looking for a problem, we provide support in any way our clients need.
Our online teaching assistants and support services are flexible to each college and university we work with. And this means, more and more often, our partner colleges and universities are requesting additional ways we can support them.
What We Do: Roles & Responsibilities of Our Online Teaching Assistants
- Our online teaching assistants will complete any inter-rater reliability activities that are prescribed by your faculty. This ensures that that the TAs grade to the faculty’s standards and expectations.
- Our online teaching assistants are able to grade assignments per a detailed rubric and faculty direction. Our TAs grade materials with substantial feedback and return them within 72 hours of the due date. Which means no more waiting for grades and no rushed grading for your faculty or missed deadlines for online submissions of graded assignments.
- Our online teaching assistants will monitor and participate in asynchronous discussion threads per the direction of your faculty. They will facilitate conversations, answer questions, and help the students discuss deeper into the subject matter. For many online courses that are largely writing and discussion-based, our online teaching assistants are invaluable! Our TAs save your faculty time while helping students understand the material.
- Our online teaching assistants will answer and respond to all inquiries, emails, messages, and calls within 24 hours, seven days a week! Even if their answer is to simply let the student know that they will have to perform their own research or consult with the faculty. No correspondence will be left unanswered for more than 24 hours, even on weekends.
- Our online teaching assistants actively participate in weekly faculty and online teaching assistant conference calls. That way, they may review the faculty’s expectations, grading, rubrics, failing or at-risk students. This also allows for discussing any issues in the class, scheduling, or upcoming needs and assignments.
- Finally, our online teaching assistants maintain compliance with all university policies and regulations, including FERPA.
Our Online TAs Become Tremendous Resources to Students in Their Related Field
Under the leadership and direction of your faculty, our online teaching assistants can assist with grading, management of discussion threads, approved announcements, and day-to-day tasks. Additional responsibilities may include course issues related to distance learning, as well.
Plus, each of our online teaching assistants is a highly qualified, experienced professional in the appropriate academic discipline. Each and every one has earned at least a Master’s degree. Each teaching assistant also, has 14 years of industry experience in their field of instruction.
This means our online teaching assistants possess the academic credentials and the experience to become an immediate asset to your faculty and students.
How Our Online Teaching Assistant Model Works
1. Understanding Your Needs
We first understand what each college or university needs relative to instructional support needs. We strive to understand all missions that each school desires through in-depth meetings.
2. Recruiting Online Teaching Assistants
Additionally, we recruit, screen, pre-qualify, and present online teaching assistant candidates. Each candidate has been vetted and is available in our pool for approval by university partners.
3. Assigning Online TAs
We assign online teaching assistants and other support staff to courses and programs. This is based on university, college, or even course-specific needs for distance learning. We understand the hurdles and benefits of online programs and distance learning. Which is why we work hard to help you manage your distance learning courses for optimal student success.
4. Training Online Teaching Assistants
We train candidates on learning management systems used by our university partners and orient them into courses and your distance learning programs. Additionally, we are happy to work closely with faculty on the best practices of how to work with and use their online teaching assistants. We want our partners to understand our model, and us to understand how course objectives and outcomes are met.
5. Organizing Our Online Teaching Assistants
Next, we independently contract, manage, and pay our online teaching assistants. This means we handle all organization of staffing provided to fulfill the service needs on behalf of university partners. This eliminates universities from adding additional human resources and payroll overhead.
6. Accountability of Our Online Teaching Assistants
Additionally, we ensure accountability by having supportive leadership staff who work directly with the university’s administration and faculty. This ensures that our TAs meet the faculty member’s expectations, rubric, and goals fully. We strive to meet expectations through our services and our online teaching assistants.
7. Support Throughout the Semester
Finally, we provide continual support to each distance learning course using our online teaching assistants. From start to finish. We are there throughout the semester for our university partners.
