GSI Guidebook

Things To Do Before Classes Begin: Checklist

Portions adapted from Amy Kao (2008) and edited by Jon Lillemoen, Laboratory Safety Coordinator (2012)

Use this checklist before classes begin to help you determine the logistics for running your laboratory section. If the following information has not been made available to you, contact the instructor or supervisor to find out about each item or to determine if this information pertains to your class: Read more »

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Legal Issues Impacting Classroom Teaching

Legal Issues Impacting Classroom Teaching

Compliance Resource Center

As a GSI, there are a number of legal compliance issues to keep in mind.  You
are a U-M employee, and are responsible for making sure you conduct your
work as an instructor in accordance with the various legal and regulatory
requirements that bind the University. As a primary interface with students,
you are also in a unique position to spot potential issues that arise Read more »

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Sample Laboratory Report Rubrics

Giving students clear guidelines for what is expected in a lab report or how lab reports are evaluated will make your job of grading much easier. On the next few pages are examples showing a generic laboratory report format that can be adapted to fit your class needs and a disciplinary-specific guideline for a lab report.

GSI Tip: While it may take you additional time up front to create a grading rubric, the time you save when grading is worth the extra effort.

Example #1 – Generic Formal Laboratory Report

Adapted from Black, Gach, & Kotzian, 1996

This example provides some general comments that apply to many kinds of laboratory reports. Use this as a template for creating your own checklist or grading rubric to meet your laboratory needs. Note that it represents a score for the organization of the report as well as the inclusion of the correct science content and the mechanics of writing (e.g., style, grammar, spelling). Read more »

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Publications for GSIs and Postdocs

Publications for GSIs and Postdocs

CRLT has two publications specifically for GSIs: A Guidebook for University of Michigan Graduate Student Instructors and the Handbook for Faculty and GSMs who Work with GSIs. Additionally, CRLT provides guidelines for classroom discussions on campus and national issues that affect teaching and learning at UM (such as September 11th and affirmative action). CRLT also publishes a series of Occasional Papers that apply the research on teaching and learning to the practical concerns of instructors on campus.

Additional print and web resources can be found under Publications & Links and Teaching Strategies.

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Teaching Effectively with GSI-Faculty Teams

Teaching Effectively with GSI-Faculty Teams

Mary Wright
Center for Research on Learning and Teaching

Read more »
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