3 Learning the context of your course

It is important to understand how the teaching and learning goals and objectives of the course you are currently teaching or planning to teach dovetail with the broader educational arc of the departmental curriculum. To help you understand how each course fits in your department, consider consulting with your course supervisor if you are a TA, or the departmental executive officer (DEO) if you are an instructor of record. A survey course designed for any student, for instance, is bound to differ in its goals, content, structure, and requirements from a course intended for upper-division majors. Previous course syllabi, past exam questions, textbook organization, and conversations with other instructors or peers can provide insights into the course goals and key concepts.

💡 Please reflect:

Your course planning process will be informed by situational factors—the conditions affecting course design and delivery. Identifying them will help you develop the foundation of the course and make the course context more integrated, inclusive, and equitable. You might consider class size, course level, mode of delivery (online or in person), students’ academic profiles, technology access, and your own experience with teaching the content.

💡 Consider these questions to explore and identify the situational factors of your course:

📚 For TAs

Establishing expectations with the course supervisor

If you are a TA, take a few minutes to draw up a list of questions for the faculty member supervising the course. These discussion points can help you clarify and establish expectations between you and the course supervisor. Here are some examples:

• Do you have particular goals for the section of the course that I will be teaching?
• What kinds of decisions can I make on my own (for example, regarding lesson planning, setting assessments, excused absences) and when would you want me to consult with you?
• What is the procedure in this department for handling issues such as grade appeals, plagiarism, etc.?

Take a moment to develop your questions or adapt these examples to your own context. Reach out to your supervisor to share your questions and discuss expectations for the course.

💡 Draft your questions for the course supervisor: