Recently, the winners of the 2024 Tsinghua University Excellent Teaching Assistant Award were announced, with Zhou Jiewei, a student belonging to the Department of Earth System Science (DESS) at Tsinghua University, proudly featured on the list of honorees.

The "Tsinghua University Excellent Teaching Assistant Award", inaugurated in 2022 and bestowed annually, aims to bolster the development of teaching assistants, highlight the exemplary leadership of outstanding assistants, spark the initiative and creativity of all assistants, uphold the university’s trinity educational philosophy that encompasses value shaping, ability cultivation, and knowledge impartation, and ultimately contribute to enhancing the overall quality of education and teaching at Tsinghua University.

Curriculum construction has always been prioritized in the DESS as its fundamental mission. Commencing from the fall semester of 2022, it has relentlessly intensified efforts in fostering teaching assistants, meticulously organizing peer-sharing sessions for them in adherence to the university's directives, and inviting seasoned teaching assistants to impart their wisdom and experiences. By perpetuating the mentorship tradition, the department ensures that teaching assistants are adept at supporting and facilitating professors’ instructional endeavors.

As a vital bridge between professors and students, teaching assistants should be equipped with a strong sense of responsibility, a robust professional knowledge base, boundless enthusiasm for their work, and exceptional communication skills. Zhou Jiewei has earned the admiration and affection from both faculty and students alike, thanks to his extensive professional expertise and his meticulous, patient approach to teaching and guidance. As a conscientious and dedicated teaching assistant, Zhou not only efficiently supports classroom instruction but also attentively listens to and addresses students' academic queries. This prestigious award stands as a testament to his tireless efforts and dedication.

Congratulations to Zhou Jiewei!

Zhou Jiewei, a Class 2021 doctoral student in the Department of Earth System Science (DESS), has twice served as a teaching assistant for the course Geophysical Fluid Dynamics in the fall semester of 2022 and 2023. Geophysical Fluid Dynamics is the only required course in the direction of atmospheric science in the Tsinghua DESS, with about 20 students enrolled. The course content is highly challenging, requiring a strong foundation in mathematics and physics, as it primarily revolves around the derivation of mathematical formulas. Zhou Jiewei, with his solid background in mathematics and physics—particularly in fluid dynamics—has demonstrated exceptional proficiency and achieved outstanding results in mastering the course material.

Zhou Jiewei shares his experience with junior teaching assistants

Zhou Jiewei sums up error-prone questions for students

Zhou Jiewei's answers to the questions with high error rate

During his term as a teaching assistant, Zhou Jiewei completed all the tasks assigned: attending classes, maintaining classroom order, and understanding the teaching progress and content. Usually, he assisted the professor in correcting homework, marking test papers, collecting and sorting out teaching materials, and often answered questions patiently and meticulously for the students. There was once a question in homework that, due to persistent misconceptions, consistently led to an incorrect answer, which was inadvertently passed down among students across different grades. In his first year as a teaching assistant, Zhou identified and corrected this mistake, pointed out the problem for the students, and wrote a standard answer with detailed notes and explanations. By the second year, this mistake basically didn't occur again.

Zhou Jiewei shared that his two-year term as a teaching assistant significantly enriched his abilities, expanded his network, and provided him with a profound appreciation for the core responsibility of "knowledge transfer." This experience became a journey of continuous learning and personal growth. He hopes that all other teaching assistants can also find fulfillment in their roles and advance collectively.

Written by Wang Jiayin, Peng Xiaojuan and Zhou Jiewei

Reviewed by Geng Rui