On Aug 25, 2025, at 4:58 PM, Debbie Decker <debbie.m.decker**At_Symbol_Here**GMAIL.COM> wrote:

A couple of thoughts  ....

My experience had lab sections limited to 24 students, working in pairs (mostly) with a dedicated TA.  Additionally, there would be a senior TA (or two, depending on number of sections) who would float during the duration of the lab section to make sure TAs had support.  Career staff with student workers supported laboratory instruction, set up the experiments and solved problems.

So 1:24 was the ratio and it was hard work for TA to appropriately supervise and suppport the students. 1:38 is bananas and risky for everyone involved.  If this is a freshman course, that's even riskier because they don't know anything and can engage in shenanigans.

HTH

Good luck!

D-

Debbie M. Decker (she/her/hers), ACS Fellow
Chemical and Laboratory Safety Manager (ret.)
debbie.m.decker**At_Symbol_Here**gmail.com
(916)616.7548

On Mon, Aug 25, 2025, 12:54 PM Leach, Patricia <Patricia.Leach**At_Symbol_Here**utdallas.edu> wrote:

Hello all,

We have had an explosion in the number of freshmen who are taking general chemistry this term, but funding has limited the number of TAs and instructors we have per lab room. The way the department has had to deal with this is to increase the number of students from 30 to 38 per section (limited by the Fire Marshall’s maximum occupancy of the rooms). They work in groups of 3 (not ideal at all). We have adjoining labs, so our shortage of instructors has been solved by having an instructor supervise two sections being held concurrently in a set of those labs. There is one TA per section.

 

In the past we have had 30 students (10 groups) supervised by a dedicated instructor (not working concurrent sections) and a TA, so about 15 students per person supervising. Now we can have as many as 38 students (13 groups) being supervised by one person at times, as the instructor moves between sections. I feel this is not safe.

 

What do people think is a safe ratio of supervising people to students (or student groups)?

 

Thanks,

 

Patricia Leach

Lab Manager

Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry

SLC 3.513

Office:  972-883-6583

Cell:  469-891-6426

 

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