CSC280/480, Spring 2023, What to Do If Your TA Does Not Show Up at Workshop, ROH, or Office Hours

CSC280/480, Spring 2023: What to Do If Your TA Does Not Show Up at Workshop, ROH, or Office Hours

ROHs and Workshops

The TAs know how very important each ROH and workshop is, and know they need to arrange coverage if for some extraordinary reason they cannot make it to a session. However, in the case--which should ideally never happen, and our deepest apologies if it ever does happen--that you show up for a ROH or a workshop and even six minutes after its scheduled start time the TA is not there, here is what to please do. (Note: Of course, this does not apply to any weeks when ROHs and WS have been announced as not being held, e.g., the weeks of the two midterms and the final week of the course might (or might not) be of that sort.) Oh... please do be aware that if a meeting is via Zoom you get to a meeting before the ``host'' connects to the meeting, you might be in a waiting status until the host signs in (or you might not, depending on how the meeting was configured). That does not mean the meeting will not happen. It just means that the host has not signed in yet. Please wait six minutes, and then follow the instructions below.

ROHs

If there is another 280 ROH meeting at the same time, then try to Zoom to it, let that ROH's leader know that your ROH TA has not shown up, and merge in with that group for the ROH period, and do remind the ROH TA to mark you as having attended. Otherwise, meet yourselves, discussing yourselves whatever is assigned if something was assigned, and otherwise discuss with each other questions you have or do exercises on and practice on whatever we have most recently covered. Regardless of which of those two subcases happened, please make utterly sure to have each of the students in your ROH send an email to csc280staff "at" cs.rochester.edu at the end of the ROH period, stating WHICH ROH you are (date/time/scheduledTA), listing by full name all students in your ROH who showed up as far as you know, and mentioning what happened (e.g., the scheduled TA did not Zoom-arrive, so you merged with the same-time ROH of [TAname], or that you met on your own as there was no same-time ROH); that email will help us ensure that you get the proper attendance credit for having attended, and will help us find out what happened and prevent repeats.

Workshops

If there is another 280 workshop meeting at the same time, then (with our apologies) walk over to that other workshop and let that WS's leader know that your leader has not shown up, and merge in with that group for the WS period, and do remember to ask the WS leader to mark you as having attended. Otherwise, (a) first send a quick mini-email to csc280staff "at" cs.rochester.edu mentioning simply that you are the WS of day/time/TA and it is 6 minutes into the WS and the TA is not there (that mini-email might help the TA, or someone else, zip over to your recitation room!), and then (b) please meet yourselves there, discussing yourselves whatever is assigned if something was assigned, and otherwise discuss with each other questions you have or do exercises on and practice on whatever we have most recently covered. Regardless of which of those two subcases happened, please make utterly sure to have each one of the students in your WS send an email to csc280staff "at" cs.rochester.edu at the end of the WS period, stating WHICH WS you are (date/time/scheduledTA), listing all students in your WS who showed up to the best of your knowledge, and mentioning what happened (e.g., the scheduled TA did not arrive, so you merged with the same-time WS of [TAname], or that you met on your own as there was no same-time workshop); that email will help us ensure that you get the proper attendance credit for having attended, and will help us find out what happened and prevent repeats.

NonROH Office Hours

The TAs also know well the importance of being there for each office hour (or arranging for someone to cover it for them if for some exceptional reason they cannot make it). But if it is six minutes into an office hour and the TA has not showed up, then (and with our deepest apologies for a case that should never happen): (a) if there is another CSC 280 office hour at the same time, please attend that one; (b) if there is an ROH happening at that same time, let the ROH leader know that you have come to [TA name's] nonROH office hour but they have not shown up and ask if you can (if the ROH's material is on or close to what you are seeking help on) join the ROH to get help via attending it; or (c) if neither of those work, then email csc280gradta "at" cs.rochester.edu an email of the type about to be mentioned except mention that none of (a)/(b) worked and so you'd like a grad TA to write you back to arrange a mutually good time for a one-on-one meeting.

Regardless of which of (a)/(b)/(c) happens, do make sure to please send an email to csc280gradta "at" cs.rochester.edu specifically letting the grad TAs (and me as I see that alias too) know what office hour (TA name + date + time) the TA did not show up for even though you waited six minutes; and let us know which of cases (a)/(b)/(c) this is, and if it is (c), send to csc280gradta "at" cs.rochester.edu your available times during the coming three days so a grad TA can work with you to find a time to meet with you to give you office-hour help. That email will help the grad TAs and me most effectively try to ensure that what happened does not happen again.