header

The other side of the classroom: My time as a TA

One of the ways I made my way through the Masters of Science in Information Technology was by working as a Teaching Assistant for the Florida State University School of Information (iSchool). At first, I decided to do so to explore if I had a future in teaching. It was a great decision; I learned a ton about the world of academia and the content of the courses I was helping teach. The first of these opportunities was working with longtime iSchool mainstay Dr. Mark Jowett on his Advanced Database Management course during the Spring 2022 semester.

LIS 3781 - General Course Information

This course explores various topics in database management systems (DBMS), using a typical commercial DMBS (e.g., MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle), as well as non-relational data repositories (aka “NoSQL” databases). Administration, Security, stored procedures, triggers, transactions, functions, data mining, data analytics, data warehousing, and remote access to databases are some of the topics covered. The student is expected to demonstrate an understanding of these database concepts through creating, deploying, and utilizing various relational database designs.

My Responsibilites as a TA

I had a wide band of responsibilities in Advanced Database Management that mostly involved interfacing with the students in the course. My primary task was to grade the work done by students to the specifications of Dr.Jowett in a timely manner. I also would assist students in their debugging of assignments before they submitted them at the deadline. The job required communication between myself, Dr. Jowett, and the students in the course to coodrinate expectations and help with classwork.