Policy on Grading and Proctoring of Undergraduate Exams Department of Physics and Astronomy The University of Georgia October 19, 2017 Download the pdf version of this document. Providing laboratory instruction and grading and proctoring of undergraduate exams are all critical departmental functions, necessary to ensure the proper administration of our undergraduate courses. It is considered an integral part of the work associated with your teaching assistantship (GLA). In the last several years there have been a number of occasions when graduate students did not show up for their laboratory instruction, grading or proctoring assignments. As a result, there was an unfairly increased burden on the instructor and other graduate students who did show up for their assignments. Because of these numerous incidents, the department now operates under the following policy: (1) Graduate students are completely responsible for their laboratory instruction, grading and proctoring assignments. If you know that, for some reason, you will not be able to be present for your assignment, then it is your responsibility to find a replacement. You must also notify both the course instructor and the lab administrator that you have found a replacement and tell them who that replacement is. Such action on your part does not absolve you of your share of assignments, however. As stated above, grading and proctoring are considered part of the work associated with your assistantship, so the department expects that you will make-up any missed assignments by returning the favor to those who replaced you. The graduate coordinator will treat aberrant cases on an individual basis, with penalties similar to that mentioned below. (2) If you miss a laboratory instruction, grading or proctoring assignment and you do not arrange for a replacement (or your replacement does not show up), then the Department Head will officially reprimand you with a letter which will be placed in your file and warn you that any further infraction of the policy will result in a reduction of your teaching assistantship 0.5 ninths in the following semester. Any subsequent incidents will result in additional 0.5 ninths reductions the following semester. (3) If you miss a third laboratory, grading or proctoring assignment and you do not arrange for a replacement grader or proctor (or your replacement does not show up), then you will be required to meet with a committee comprising the Department Head, Graduate Coordinator and Laboratory Coordinator. This committee will evaluate your case and determine an appropriate sanction, which could be as severe as discontinuing your TA support. We regret having to take these steps, but we feel that they are necessary in order to convey the importance of the grading and proctoring assignments.
