Organizing Your Class

Syllabus

Your lecturer should have a syllabus, and ideally you should have a copy of it before the course begins. It is not unusual to get a copy at the same time as the students. You should also have a syllabus for your discussion section. Do not write or present your syllabus before the lecturer. Wait until you know exactly how they want to do things, since their policies trump yours.

A syllabus is more than a list of dates and topics. It should include your contact information (name, office number, office phone, e-mail), your office hours, policies, grading scheme for your discussion section, etc. The lecturer decides policies first. Your policies cannot contradict the lecturer's policies. If you have a problem with your lecturer's policies, discuss it with them outside of class or talk about it with your TA coordinator. You talk about your syllabus in class and give your students a hard copy. This is everything you can realistically do to make this information available to the students. It also prevents them from saying, "But I didn't know..."

Course Website

A course web page, for one, is a great place to keep a copy of your syllabus. In general, it can be an invaluable resource. It is a readily available place for students to find out about policies, assignments, test dates, etc. If you have no idea how to make a web site, start here or ask someone who does. Even though you aren't required to make a course page, it is very easy, it is good professional development, and you will be doing your students a huge favor.