Hello everyone,

So I am a new TA and I taught something wrong to my students. This will form one part of their assignment. I have no idea how to handle this! We have been working on this since term began! I am not sure how I can pull off saying 'all right class, remember what I said about what to do for that part of the assignment? Well it's wrong, this is how you address it...."

a) I will look totally incompetent, and my students may never take me seriously again!


How to handle this?


I thought of saying something along the lines of....

"having discussed with the course administrator, it appears that you actually have to do section A differently"

The assignment is due at the end of term. It's not a MAJOR mistake, but it is still a mistake.


How can I correct this and not lose face to my students?


Thanks!

At your next class, dedicate about 10-15 minutes on how to do the assignment.

Tell students that this is how the assignment should be done after clarifying with the course administrator, and also either post to the forum (if using an online learning tool like Moodle) or send an email to your students clarifying this matter. Students who don't check their email, or didn't come to class rightfully miss out.

If students have already completed the assignment but not yet handed in and complain, you just stand your ground on how the assignment needs to be done, and that they still have time to go back and correct this.

If a student has handed in the assignment already, you need to check with the course administrator as to whether you can 'give back' their assignment and allow them to correct their error before submission.

Depending on how far in advance you've given, you may have to give extensions. I.e. if the assignment is due less than a week after your correction, and is worth perhaps more than 30% of their grade or section A will take a large chunk of time to complete (such as needing to do data collection), a x day (x= number of days needed) extension should be applicable here to allow them time for correction.

Don't go into the situation worried about losing face, that'll make it worse. Stand your ground, just calmly explain that there was a miscommunication about assignment requirements that you've clarified with the course administrator, and show them the right way to do it. They will come back and say "but you said..." just say "I'm aware, I've double checked with the course administrator, this is how it should be done. If you have any questions, you may consult me privately during my office hours, or get in contact with the course administrator".

You should also let the course administrator know of your mistake so they can help you rectify it. They (should!) understand, everyone makes mistakes.