Teaching Human Physiology as a TA and Tutor Coordinator
Leading review sessions and coordinating tutors for Human Physiology at UVM.
“The best way to learn something is to teach it—and watching students have those ‘aha!’ moments never gets old.”
- What I Do as a TA
- Our Teaching Philosophy
- The Tutor Coordinator Side
- Why I Love This Role
- What’s Next
- Learn More
- Definitions
What I Do as a TA
As a Teaching Assistant for Human Physiology, my co-TA Sarita Som and I host weekly review sessions covering everything from the fundamentals of diffusion and action potentials to the complexities of muscle physiology, cardiology, and renal function. Basically, if it’s happening in the human body, we’re probably talking about it in our sessions.
We would try to create information review sessions that had a more casual and honest tone.
But our role goes beyond just lecturing. We host Q&A sessions, serve as a point of contact for students, and genuinely try to bridge the gap between faculty and students. Sarita and I believe strongly in the value of collaboration—we’re not just here to tell students what they need to know, but to show them how we learned it ourselves.
Our Teaching Philosophy
Breaking down complex physiological concepts during a review session.
One thing we do differently is share our own learning process. We talk openly about what study methods worked for us and what didn’t. We create practice questions that mirror exam-style thinking. We encourage students to test their understanding in a low-stakes environment where it’s okay to get things wrong and learn from it.
Human physiology can be overwhelming—there’s a lot of material, and it all connects in ways that aren’t always obvious at first. Our goal is to make it manageable and, honestly, kind of interesting. When a student finally understands why the heart does what it does, or how the kidneys regulate blood pressure, that’s when teaching feels really rewarding.
The Tutor Coordinator Side
Beyond our TA responsibilities, Sarita and I also coordinate the tutoring program for the course. This means managing a team of 50 tutors who work with over 100 tutees each week. It’s a significant operation, and honestly, trying to match tutors with tutees manually would be a nightmare.
So I did what any reasonable person would do—I built a program to automate it. The matching algorithm takes into account a range of criteria to pair tutors and tutees effectively, ensuring students get connected with someone who can help them succeed. You can actually check out the details of how it works in the Showcase tab on my website.
Why I Love This Role
Being a TA has taught me as much as I’ve taught others. Explaining complex physiological processes forces you to really understand them at a deeper level. Managing the tutoring program has given me experience in logistics, programming, and leadership. And most importantly, I get to help students who are working hard to master challenging material.
There’s something incredibly satisfying about seeing a student struggle with a concept in week three, then confidently explain it back to you by week eight. That growth—that’s what makes all the review sessions and tutor coordination meetings worth it.
Plus, working with Sarita has been fantastic. Having a co-TA who shares your teaching philosophy and commitment to student success makes everything better.
What’s Next
I’m continuing in this role through the academic year, and I’m excited to keep refining our review sessions and improving the tutoring program. Each semester we learn what works better, what students need more support with, and how we can make physiology a little less intimidating and a lot more accessible.
If you’re a student taking Human Physiology, come find us at review sessions. If you’re thinking about becoming a TA, I highly recommend it—it’s challenging, rewarding, and honestly pretty fun.
Learn More
Interested in the tutor matching program I created? Check out the Showcase tab on this website to see how it works!
Definitions
- Teaching Assistant (TA)
- A student who helps teach or support a course by leading review sessions, holding office hours, and serving as a resource for other students.
- Tutor Coordinator
- The person responsible for organizing and managing the tutoring program, including matching tutors with tutees and ensuring the program runs smoothly.
