I’m a bit confused about what the difference is. From what I see on spire, the courses which have ‘staff’ as the instructor seem to have smaller class sizes and meet less often that those which have a professor name. Which one is generally regarded as better overall? (difficulty, learning experience, how much you take away from the class, …)
The smaller classes that meet less often and are led by “staff” are often discussion sections. You’ll see those listed just below a larger lecture class; students who enroll in the lecture must also enroll in a smaller discussion section which meets once a week. Most of the time, the discussions are led by graduate TAs (with exceptions for some honors college sections). Discussion sections are where you take exams, do team projects, and yes, participate in discussions led by the TAs - basically anything relating to the administration of the course, or anything that involves interaction with your peers. In larger classes, the TAs will grade most, if not all, of your work.
I can’t speak for the whole school, but I know that in my department, some fall courses definitely taught by professors are still listed as “staff” on SPIRE. Don’t know why. You can contact the department office of whatever course you’re considering for more information.
As far as quality of instruction from the TAs, it just depends on who you get. I’ve had some really top notch ones who were critical to my success in the course, and others who basically just graded papers. There’s no escaping TAs at a big research university – even if you’re in the honors college, not every course you take will offer professor-led discussions. Either way, it’s up to you to seek out help if you need it. My professors have been very happy to interact via email and during office hours, and the TAs have been perfectly capable of answering questions, too.
Good luck!
Thank you nouveaufriske. That cleared up a lot