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- Archival Film Flashes Back to 70s Student Life
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- You have what...?!! and other interesting things you didn't know about the SFU Archives
- Charting the course of history: documenting SFU's early days from the student perspective (Part 1)
- Charting the course of history: documenting SFU's early days from the student perspective (Part 2)
- Helping others find their history in the future: Preserving the records of the Students of Caribbean and African Ancestry at SFU
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- In "The Beginning...": First student film returns to SFU
- "Got any pictures of Terry Fox?"
- My summer in the archives: a co-op placement retrospective
- Seeing the world through Arthur Erickson's eyes
- Beer (records) in the Archives!
- Quartet in the Quadrangle: PSQ Records Come to SFU
- Navigating silences and filling gaps: finding Black stories in the Archives
- Boxes, boxes, and more boxes: my summer co-op at SFU Archives
- Finding queer joy in the SFU Archives: Out On Campus records now available
- The Selma Wassermann fonds
- Personal and political in the archives of Andrew Petter
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Record Keeping Tips for TAs
Teaching Assistants (TAs) are essiential to the success of academic courses. Accurate and organized record-keeping is critical to ensure effective course management, maintain fairness, uphold accountability.
The following tip sheet has been delevoped by the Archives and Records Management Department (ARMD) to support TAs with their record-keeping responisiblities.
Best Practices
Be consistent
- Set a regular schedule for filing records (e.g, after each grading season, at the end of the week).
Be accurate
- Double-check data entries like grades, attendance, or feedback.
Be organized
- Keep files logically named and stored (e.g., "Assignment1_Grades.xlsx").
- Consult the Standard Naming Conventions for Electronic Records for guidance.
- Consider following the Sample File Structure found on page 3 of this guideline.
Be familiar with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
- Consider taking the University's FIPPA training modules.
- Never share student grades or other personal data with anyone other than the course instructor unless otherwise advised.
Ensure Security
- Use university-approved secure platforms (e.g., SharePoint, MS/Teams, OneDrive). Consult the list of supported applications from ITS.
- Consider taking the University's Information Security Essential Course.
Essential Records to Maintain
Grades
Records related to grades and assignments should be retained for a year after the course is finished and then destroyed. In the case of a grade appeal, recorders related to grades and assignments should be retained for 1 year after the grade appeal is resolved. See RRSDA 1995-018 for more information about how long to retain student grades, assignments & exams.
- Record scores and percentages (i.e., 7/10, 70%, B-)
- Note late penalties, extra credit, or extensions clearly.
- Keep rubrics and notes from grading for consistency.
- Maintain comments for explaining grading decisions.
Attendance/Participation
- Only track attendance and/or participation if it impacts grades.
Assignment Submissions
- Keep a list of who submitted, when, and how (i.e. received via email, received via hard copy).
- Keep a list of regrade requests or extensions.
Communication with Students
- Retain student communcations (e.g., extension requests, academic integrity concerns, grade disputes, accommodation requests, etc.) separately to facilitate accseess during the course.
Pitfalls to Avoid
| Concerns | Solutions |
|---|---|
| Mixing personal records with your TA records. | Ideally, use a separate account for your TA records. If you use the same account, keep TA course-related records separate from other records. |
| Over-documenting and/or over retaining records. | Follow RRSDA 1995-018 forretention information related to sudent grades, assignments and exams. |
| Storing records in unsupported systems and applications like Google docs or in Gmail accounts. | Use SFU-approved systems and applications to create and store records. Consult the list of supported applications from ITS. |
Sample Folder Structure
Administration
Use this section of the folder structure to organize records related to your TA contact. Keep these records as long as you need them (Typically 6 years).
- TA Contracts
- Payroll Timesheets
- Training Orientation
Evaluations
Use this section of the folder structure to organize records related to the review of your performance. Keep these records as long as you need them (typically 10 years).
- TA Performance Reviews
- Instructor/Course Reviews
Teaching Materials
Use this section of the folder structure to organize records related to each course that you TA. Note: Any records containing student information should be kept separately from general teaching materials. Keep these records as long as you like for reference purposes.
- Course A [Include Course Number and Term/year in the title, i.e., HIST101-Fall2025]
- Syllabus/Course Outlines
- Lecture Notes
- Assignments
- Lab Plans
- Tutorial Slides
- Recorded Sessions
- Resources
Student Records
Use this section to segregate records that contain student information from the rest of the records you create. Records that contain personal information of students must be retained in accordance with approved Records Retention Schedules, and Disposal Authorities, e.g. RRSDA 1995-18. Ask the course instructor for more information.
- Course A [Include Course Number and Term/year in the title, i.e., HIST101-Fall2025]
- Attendance Logs
- Grade Sheets
- Academic Integrity Reports
- Student Correspondence [create separate folders for student]
- Student A
- Student B