Teaching Assistant

General Description and Requirements

In order to acquire adequate teaching experience, all students are required to participate in the teaching activities of the department for at least four years (one quarter for the first year and two quarters the second through the fourth year). There is no requirement for students to TA beyond their fourth year, but these students commonly have the opportunity to earn money with TA appointments.

Depending upon the specific requirements of a given course and/or professor, teaching assistant (TA) responsibilities will include the following:

• Meeting with course instructors before the beginning of the course to establish organizational guidelines for the course.
• Meeting on a regular basis (e.g., weekly) with the course instructor to ensure ongoing communication regarding progress of students and course.
• Attending class meetings.
• Exam preparation.
• Grading of exams and/or papers.
• Arrange and proctor make-up exams (Mandler Hall 1507 can be reserved through Student Affairs).
• Holding office hours, minimum of two hours per week.
• Holding sections, and/or review sessions.
• Preparing and giving one lecture, if within first four years. Instructor must remain present.
• Copying course materials such as exams, syllabi, and handouts.
• Proctoring examinations. Instructor must remain present.

NOTE: Failure to meet these requirements may lead to termination of your appointment

When posting scores, TAs should be sure to only list the last 5 digits of the student’s ID number. In no cases should the full student ID be used. (Grades are only posted for those students having signed the “Buckley Waiver”.)

More specific information on TA duties are listed in "A Guide for Teaching Assistants." Click here to obtain a copy.

TA Assignments

Graduate students submit their TA preferences (usually their top 9) to the Graduate Coordinator in Spring quarter each academic year.

The priority order is as follows:

• Grad Reps
• First Year (Note: Not eligible for Spring TA assignment.)
• MA students
• Fourth Year
• Third Year
• Second Year
• Fifth Year
• Sixth Year
• Seventh Year
• Eighth Year

The Graduate Coordinator will make every effort to assign each student to their first choices. In addition, priority is given to students TAing courses in their area (e.g., a Cognitive student will be given preference to TA Psych 3 or 105, the two Cognitive courses) when possible.

This multi-factor assignment has typically yielded positive results, as it takes into account the different experience, readiness and abilities of students to be effective TAs. Much thought and effort is put into the assignment of TA positions. However, not all students will receive their top pick. Graduates will be notified of their TA assignment and room location as soon as possible, although it is not uncommon that complications arise that make this difficult.

First year graduate students are not permitted to TA Spring quarter. They must TA either Fall or Winter quarter, so that they may dedicate all of their efforts to completing the first year requirements Spring quarter.

TA Office Hours

Each TA is required to hold two office hours per week. The department will provide you with office space in which to hold your office hours. Office hours should be announced on the first day of class. It is often good to remind students throughout the quarter that you are available to provide assistance during office hours. It is at the graduate student’s discretion to offer additional office hours by appointment for those undergraduates who are unable to attend the scheduled office hours.

TA Room in Mandler Hall

TAs may store exams in the Psychology Exam Room in Mandler Hall 1503 (first floor). Grades should not be posted in public spaces. We recommend using WebCT to post grades so they are only accessible to students enrolled in the course. In order to post grades or make exams accessible to students in a public location like Mandler 1503, you must obtain the student’s signature agreeing to waive their rights to privacy (“Buckley Waiver”).

Policy per TA Contract

The workload for TAs should not exceed what it would take an average TA to complete in 220 hours per quarter. Teaching Assistants must be in residence the entire quarter of their TAship. Any absence (e.g., to attend a conference) must be approved by both the instructor and the Graduate Affairs Committee. Absences for more than a few days cannot be approved. For additional information, refer to "A Guide for Teaching Assistants" which is available at here.

Each TA will be evaluated by the instructor (with a satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade) at the end of each quarter they teach.

TA Training - Center for Teaching Development (CTD)

In order to assist students in developing teaching skills, the Center for Teaching Development (CTD) will offer a workshop in the department at the beginning of Fall quarter. Attendance is required of all first year graduate students. You do not need to attend any other training session for new TAs. CTD also offers optional individual consultation, workshops in topics related to TA development, newsletters and a sourcebook of teaching ideas. Students who have used their services have commented on their helpfulness in developing and refining their teaching skills. Please visit their website at: http://www-ctd.ucsd.edu.

TA Mentors

All incoming students are paired up with a TA mentor to provide guidance in their first quarter of TAing. Lectures given by TAs are evaluated by the TA mentor.

TA Evaluations

At the end of every course, the TA’s are evaluated by the course instructor. These evaluations are distributed to student mailboxes and kept on file for future reference.

TA Representative / Senior TA

The Senior TA (STA) is elected by the graduate students in Spring quarter and is available as a resource for problem solving and other individual needs of Teaching Assistants as they arise. STA duties also include informing graduate students of various teaching workshops and other services available for improvement of teaching skills.

Grievance Issues and Procedure

A graduate student with a grievance should first talk with the faculty member in charge of the course. If the faculty does not resolve the grievance to the student’s satisfaction or if the issue is not TA-related, the student should talk with Psychology Graduate Advisor Karen Dobkins or the Graduate Coordinator. The Dean of Graduate Studies is the next and final person the graduate student should consult in attempting to resolve the grievance informally. Graduates may also consult confidentially with members of the staff of the Office of Graduate Studies about any TA matter. If informal attempts to resolve the problem are unsuccessful, the TA may file a formal appeal in accordance with the procedures outlined in UCSD Policy and Procedure Manual 230-5, Appeals for Academic Appointees Other than Members of the Academic Senate. Call Tim Johnston in OGS, 858-534-3871, for further information on the grievance procedure.

TA Relief for External Funding

Students with competitive externally funded fellowships and training grants and those paid as GSRs by Psychology faculty for at least one quarter, will be excused from one of their educational TA requirements each year that the external support is in effect.

Readers and Psychology 195 - Undergraduate Instruc­tional Apprentice

Readers are typically undergraduates hired to assist in upper division classes, 195s, where available, fulfill the same function for lower division courses. Readers and 195s are only allowed to grade objective questions and scantrons.

Readers are paid on an hourly basis for the number of hours they spend performing work. 195s earn four units upper division credit with P/NP grading. The 195 is intended to enable students to learn about teaching, i.e., attend classes, hold sections, assist with office hours, assist with course preparation, and proctor exams.

Duties for Readers and 195s:

• Meet with instructor prior to course to establish organizational guidelines for course.
• Meet, regularly with the course instructor to ensure ongoing communication regarding progress of students and course.
• Attend all class meetings
• Master course material in order to hold discussions/office hours.
• Assist with course preparation (e.g. library research for articles, questions for exams, contacting Soft Reserves, etc.).
• Copy course materials such as exams, syllabi, handouts.
• Assist with proctoring examinations.
• Grade only scantrons and objective questions.
• Hold office hours/sections a minimum of 2 hours per week.

Associate-In and Summer Session Teaching

Graduate students who have advanced to candidacy are eligible to teach courses in the department as an Associate-In during the academic year. During the summer any graduate student may teach.