Flexible discussions enabled them to form and develop ideas, but they still wanted to enter the exam with a sense of the right and wrong approaches to the material. Students did not receive forced participation rules well, especially when students were just talking for credit. Students feel more responsive when TAs encourage free conversation instead of passive answers to their own questions. TAs who prompted written means of participation as well as spoken responses helped students learn more. The general topic of technology use in sections engendered varied reactions.
Some people feel less inhibited using e-mail, while others didn t like reading lengthy posts.
Some panelists thought e-mails were most useful when the TA read them first and selected a few for discussion. Students report that voluntary newsgroups for questions posted and answered often work well, especially for quick feedback. The Web, they said, was best for posting news and notes. Some students said they would like to know the criteria by which TAs are chosen to teach classes. They have noticed that experienced TAs are generally better section leaders and suggest that TA training should be required by all departments.