In this paper, we evaluate the impact of Teaching Assistants (TAs) on student grades. We analyze student performance for 6 instances of 2 introductory computer engineering courses, encompassing 12 unique TAs and approximately 800 students. The courses involved both utilize teams of TAs in their instruction, but do so in very different ways. One course relies heavily on TAs in mandatory discussion sections, while the other utilizes TAs to administer lab sections. Within our analysis, we evaluate TA impacts on the grade categories they assign for their own students as well as those grades that are communally or independently assigned and analyze their effect on overall grades. Through our analysis, we determine that those TAs involved in mandatory lab portions of a class have much more impact through their direct assignment of grades, while those TAs involved in mandatory discussion sections have a greater influence on grades that are independently or communally graded. Based on these observations, we discuss how both TAs and instructors can use this information to further the goal of equity among their students.
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