After identifying students who are performing poorly in class, or at risk for performing poorly, the TA should first notify the class instructor which students are performing poorly. The instructor may then ask the TA to reach out to the student to try to help them, or they may prefer to reach out to the student themselves.

Communicating Initial Concern

When first communicating concern about poor performance, it is important to be approachable and non-accusatory. One TA makes the following recommendation about approaching students, specifically during class.

“…[Approaching students falling behind] individually and ask how they were doing in the class, if they had any troubles with something specifically, encourage them to come to my office hours, etc. Sometimes I'd also start discussions about the class format itself and if they had any feedback or if there was something there that made it more challenging for them.”

Another way to communicate concern is via email or Canvas messaging. When the TA is unsure of a student’s email address, they can use the inbox to ensure they send a message to the correct student by selecting New Message -> Your Class -> Student’s Name. Similarly, to when you are approaching the student in person, it is important to remain approachable and non-confrontational as well as seem willing to help and work with the student. A sample template for emailing the student about to communicate initial concerns can be found in the picture. As such, the initial communication of concerns to each student should be customized the communicate the specific behavior that is indicative of poor performance in their situation

Following up

Sometimes a student may forget to follow up with the TA or it may take them time to arrange their schedule to attend their office hours. If a student doesn’t respond to the initial email or never shows up to the TA’s office hours but continues to perform poorly, try reaching out to them again via email or by speaking to them in class. They may need to work with the TA to find a custom time to meet with them. A sample email for a follow up email is depicted in the picture. Similarly, to when communicating initial concern, this message should be customized to each student and should reference the concerns expressed in the initial email. Additional concerns can be brought forth in this email to acknowledge a continuation of the concerning performance, however, TAs should be mindful of how many negatives they draw attention to in order to avoid upsetting and alienating the student.

If the student fails to respond to your emails and disregards your requests or attempts in class, communicate this with the class instructor. They may be able to reach out to the student on your behalf. Additionally, both the instructor and you will now be aware that this student may need additional help during class to understand the course material and complete assignments and that one of you should plan on speaking with this student each time the class is working on an activity to address any questions they might have.

Understanding why students are performing poorly plays a key role in helping to address poor performance. When the motivators for poor performance are not related to academic understanding, students may need to utilize other resources, such as the Counseling Center, for help finding solutions to manage their concerns. More information on these resources can be found down below. However, while there are different solutions for poor performance, there are some key actions a TA can do both inside and outside of the classroom to help students improve.