- Teaching Assistant – Math Grading
Spring 2021 Semester
Job Title: Undergraduate-Level Mathematics Grader
Salary: $300/week for 15 weeks (+ performance-based bonus at end of semester)
Hours per Week: ≃20, depends on employee’s efficiency
Contact: Prakash Bhave, pvbhave@ncsu.edu
Job Description and Required Skills: I am seeking a reliable, methodical, and detail-oriented NC State
student to assist me in teaching applied math to first-year students in the Agricultural Institute. Between 40 and 50 students will be enrolled in the course (spread across 3 sections) this semester. I will provide answer keys for weekly problem sets and quizzes. - Primary functions:
- Grade all submitted problem sets and quizzes in a timely manner while following instructor’s
guidelines for quality
o Wednesdays at 1:45 PM – collect completed assignments from instructor; grade them
neatly and thoroughly on your own schedule; scan the graded work to a PDF; return
paper copies and electronic copy to the instructor by Friday at 9:00 AM
o Fridays at 3:00 PM – collect completed quizzes from instructor; grade them
meticulously on your own schedule; scan the graded work to a PDF; return paper copies
and electronic copy to the instructor by Monday at 9:00 AM
- Occasionally, use own judgement to determine whether alternative answers are acceptable
- Raise concerns regarding trends in student performance and provide feedback to instructor - Necessary skills, abilities, and qualifications:
1. Minimum grade of B+ or higher in at least one NC State math course
2. Fluent with spreadsheet software – e.g., use of basic formulas in MS Excel
3. Capacity to learn course content at a level sufficient to solve all math problems independently,
and to evaluate student work fairly and objectively
4. Sufficient skills to diagnose the source of student errors on multi-step word problems
5. Solid understanding of significant digits, rounding, and units of measurement
6. Ability to write constructive comments on problem sets and quizzes
7. Familiarity with Moodle8. Must be respectful, courteous, prompt, and completely dependable
9. Ability to maintain confidentiality
10. Interest in mathematics and agricultural education is desirable. - Basic expectations: With employment, come responsibilities and expectations. The grader is an
important component of the instructor’s pedagogical efforts, so s/he is expected to act responsibly and
professionally.
1. be polite and courteous at all times;
2. be helpful, both to the instructor and to students in the class;
3. be punctual for all scheduled appointments; and
4. complete and return all requested work in a timely and conscientious manner. - Specific expectations:
1. It is expected that the grader will set aside sufficient time for grading and complete it on the
pre-determined schedule. Being busy is not an excuse for failing to complete grading by the
agreed time.
2. In most cases, the instructor will prepare an answer key (MS Excel) for the grader to use. In a
few cases, grader will prepare their own key that the professor will double-check before grading
begins.
3. Grader is expected not only to evaluate whether the final answer is right or wrong, but also
annotate at what step within the problem a student made their error so that partial credit can
be awarded objectively and impartially.To Apply:
1-paragraph statement of interest,
Name and contact information for 1 professional reference,
Resume or CV (need not be tailored for this position; can be full-length)Submit all of the above to pvbhave@ncsu.edu no later than Monday, January 18 at 5:00 PM.
Tue. January 19: brief written exam to assess knowledge of underlying math concepts (semi-finalists)
Wed. January 20, 2:00 PM onward: Interviews of finalists and selection of candidate.
Grading duties begin Friday, January 22 at 3:00 PM.
Contract ends on May 7, 2021.