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Instructor of Record | Instructional Team | Seminar | Studio | Clinical | One-on-One | Course/TA Supervisor | Knowing Your Audience

Faculty and TAs at Ohio State can find themselves in various teaching contexts. Faculty can have sole responsibility for a course, co-teach, teach as part of a team (sometimes with TAs), or teach with a combination of all of these. They may also teach in the studio, lab, or clinical setting, or work one-on-one with students in independent study courses. Some TAs will teach independently, although many will teach a recitation, lab, or studio course. Others will be graders. Most teachers will work one-on-one with students during office hours. Faculty will sometimes teach seminars or supervise TAs. This chapter will present information about each of these teaching contexts, helping you better understand the potential duties involved and providing you with strategies for success.
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Teaching as the Instructor of Record

As the instructor of record, you assume full responsibility for a course. This is the most common type of assignment faculty receive. In some instances, TAs are given the responsibility as instructor of record for the course, usually under the indirect supervision of a faculty member or TA supervisor.

If you are the instructor of record, you are required to make many decisions about the course, such as establishing teaching and learning goals, choosing methods for achieving these goals, and assessing how well these goals are achieved. These decisions are constrained by the placement of the course in the curriculum and departmental demands for content. You are also likely to have responsibility for developing a course syllabus, ordering textbooks, delivering instruction throughout the quarter, keeping records, meeting with students during office hours, and assigning grades. Sometimes this role will also include supervising and coordinating the work of TAs.

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