BrownParent

One upper division class she TA'd (because she wanted to sit in on it again) was only 12 students, so they had very good access to both a TA and the Prof. I don't think having TA's run lab sections and hold office hours is a negative. The TA's are vetted and it is a selective process.

LakeClouds

It sounds like TAs, both graduate and undergraduate, are the norm at Brown. I have mixed feelings about classes being taught by TAs instead of profs, but I'm really upset that this was misrepresented in the information session. To insist that all classes are broken-down and sections taught by profs is dishonest when this is clearly not the case.

bruno14

Here's what you're missing: classes are *not* taught by TAs. The TAs are there to facilitate extra problem sessions and sections where you do more discussion (depending on the material). In my experience, TAs do not teach new material; instead, they help you understand the material that's already been presented. I'm a fan of this strategy.

LakeClouds

The admissions staff was asked several times to clarify and still insisted that professors, not TAs, lead the recitation sections and the example was a large class with multiple break-out sessions. This is clearly misleading.

Uroogla

The official statement on undergrad TAs can be found here: http://brown.edu/Administration/Dean...Guidelines.pdf

If the admissions officers did say that, then I agree that it was misleading, as it is simply untrue (and TA-lead sections are clearly permitted by the faculty handbook).

I have recently looked into how other top computer science departments function without as many undergrad TAs as Brown's has (or with none at all). For the most part, their grading is automated, which requires a massive infrastructure and enough supervision to be sure grades are being assigned correctly. There is a movement in the department in that direction for a number of courses, but it's too early to say how effective it'll be, and the TA program continues to grow rather than shrink.

cardinalred

Was it a tour guide that said that or someone who actually works in admissions?

LakeClouds

Admissions staff. And they were question by several parents who found the comment hard to believe but insisted it was the case at Brown. What I'm gathering is that this is the policy on paper but it's not what is done in practice.

Uroogla

LakeClouds, it's definitely not the policy on paper. The link I provide above explicitly says that undergrad TAs may teach discussion sections.