Second, they feel that working in large lab groups is a hindrance to learning. Students prefer to work in pairs. In many lab courses, grades are based largely on post-lab reports. However, our panelists reported that in most of their lab courses, they were not formally taught how to write a lab report nor were the teacher s expectations made explicit. Most learned by trial and error what was expected.
Students are concerned about variation in grading across multiple sections of the same lab course.
Our panelists made a number of suggestions with regard to these issues. First, a team of two or three T.A.s might be responsible for writing and grading the quizzes for all the students in the course for a particular week. Second, T.A. training for the course might include a workshop on grading students. Our panelists noted that it would help students if the materials from the lab and lecture course coincided. If this is not possible, however, they feel the lab T.A. should have a syllabus of the lecture course and be attuned to when certain topics are covered in the lecture course.