The purpose of this online training is to acquaint you with the expectations and responsibilities of being a TA. In these units we will explain what is expected of you, the rules you will be expected to enforce in the lab, and the general responsibilities you have as a TA. These units are not intended to be comprehensive; rather they are intended to serve as both a reference and a list of minimum requirements that you are expected to uphold.
Being a TA requires a great deal of maturity and takes a great deal of time. We would like to thank you for agreeing to perform this job, and are grateful to you for your desire to become a TA. Please be aware that this job will place demands on your time. You will be expected to prepare beforehand and be ready to answer student’s questions. If there are solutions or other preparations to be performed, you are asked to prepare these before lab as soon as you can.
You will need to be mature when performing this job, since you will be called upon to enforce safety rules. The best way to enforce the safety rules is for you to be an example to the students in your lab. Unfortunately, sometimes being an example is not enough; you will have to enforce the rules and require the students obey the rules. In this training, you will become acquainted with the rules you will need to enforce and obey.
The crucial requirement is for you to be constantly aware of safety. You need to be aware of potential safety hazards in each lab and constantly emphasize these to your students. You will need to be diligent in reminding them of burn hazards from heating test tubes to adsorption hazards of organic chemicals, so make sure you know the hazards of the lab before you start.
Again, we would like to thank you for agreeing to be a TA and wish you the best of success in your endeavor.
– The Chemistry Department –
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