Environmental Questions:

1. How is the room set up?

2. Is anything on the board?
3. Is the projector ready?
4. How does the room feel?

Pre-class questions:
Sammi Salter
Class Observation
10/11/2021

Environmental Questions:
● I arrived about five minutes before class began and sat in the front right corner- I had a
hard time finding the UTA I was observing because of the masks
● Students quietly come in and sit waiting for the class to begin- some take their
computers out others just wait patiently
● The desks are organized in rows and the students are quietly taking notes on their
computers
● UTA comes in before professor sits in the front left of the classroom near the professor’s
desk
● The professor starts off by going over the syllabus and doing some administrative
announcements for the rest of the semester
○ Major project in November- little assignments adding up to one big assignment
Student Engagement Questions:
● The professor starts off with some lecturing to begin the class
● Introduces new assignment: Experts vs the Media- exercise in writing for a particular
purpose- aims at comparing popular pop culture sources with more reliable scholarly
sources
 ● The students so far have not had to engage too much with the professor because it is
lecture based in the beginning
Facilitation Questions:
● So far, the first 15 minutes have been spent going over administrative announcements
from the professor and introducing and explaining a new assignment
● They are responsible for a homework due tonight but nothing due today for class
● The little homework assignments add up to make one long semester project
● The class is very respectful and ready to engage- it seems like a very safe classroom
environment focused on education- slight laughter now and then promoting healthy and
open environment
● Students are quietly listening when the professor is talking
● Not too many students on their computers- a lot of them just sitting and listening to
professor
● The teaching strategy employed is a combination of lecture and discussion- the floor is
open for students to engage and ask questions, but the professor does most of the
talking- he seems passionate about the topics he presents on and very knowledgeable
UTA Questions:
● UTA works quietly on computer in top left of the classroom- the professor looks at him
every now and then when asking questions to make sure the professor is on track with
what he is saying- almost like a check in with the UTA
● It seems like the UTA is the organization behind the class and keeps things flowing
nicely- does work behind the scenes
● It seems like the professor and the UTA have a good working relationship and trust each
other
● UTA looks to the students to see if they have any questions about the upcoming
assignment
● When no one answered a question UTA stepped in and related the question back to a
conference he had with a student - Professor says that was a good example- talking
about reliable sources- when the class is quiet and does not know the answer, UTA
steps in and helps flow of the conversation
● UTA and Professor talk to each other throughout lecture
● UTA quite often participates in discussion to promote facilitation and gives good ideas
for the students and an example on how to engage in the discussion

Reflection:
I had a great time during my class observation because this is my first ever in person
observation! The first semester I ever UTA ed was before the pandemic, however, I randomly
chose to observe an online English class. Then, the next two semesters were Covid semesters,
so everything was online. I had some trouble scheduling a good time for my in-person
observation and finding the classroom, however, once I accomplished those tasks this
experience was enjoyable!
Another fun fact is that I have taken English 393 before- technical writing- and boy was
this a challenging class for me. The professor for 393H- the class I observed- did a great job
lecturing the material in a clear and concise way- I think I would have benefited a lot from taking
this specific section. The students were very engaged and sat quietly while the professor was
lecturing and engaged in a small classroom discussion. The way the professor operated the
class was a mix of lecture and discussion and the floor was open for student questions,
thoughts, and discussion. In my opinion, he did a great job paralleling the material he was
teaching with things the students are interested in. For example, he explained passive voice by
pretending he was a football announcer only talking in that voice to demonstrate how passive
voice can be vague and not as exciting. The UTA did a great job facilitating the discussion when
the students did not have an answer to the professor’s questions. He encompassed some of his
own personal experience taking the class and some of the encounter’s he had in student
conferences to promote thoughts and the flow of the conversation. He sat in the front left of the
classroom near the professor and they engaged in small conversation every now and then.
It appears the UTA is the organization behind the course. The professor would look at
him and make sure the things he was saying were on track and in line with the information in the
syllabus. It also seems like they have a very trusting relationship because the UTA is very
willing to interject and answer questions during the lecture/discussion and input his own
personal experience. He also was very on top of the material and was not afraid to correct the
professor if he made a mistake. The classroom environment also seems to be a very safe and
healthy one. There are often some chuckles and jokes throughout the lecture. Most of the
students are science and engineering majors but are still listening to the information and care
about what is being said.
Overall, I had a great time observing this class and both the UTA and Professor. Seeing
another UTA be so confident and ready to speak up in class was a helpful insight to promote me
to speak up in my class more often. I also thought it was very interesting to see the class be
taught in person verse when I took it during Covid it was all online. I am thankful for the
opportunity to observe such a great class!