INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION FOR TA ASSIGNMENTS TA Responsibilities: The main responsibilities of a Teaching Assistant (TA) in the School of Social Sciences include attending lectures, leading discussion sections and labs, grading assignments and exams, and holding office hours. These general responsibilities are explained in greater detail in a job description provided by the course instructor each quarter. Instructor Responsibilities: A job description defining the specific terms and conditions of TA employment will be prepared by the instructor, for each course in which TA assistance is desired. Prior to the commencement of the term, or as soon as practical, instructors should review the job description with the assigned TAs. Questions or concerns involving TA expectations are best addressed at this time. Performance problems arising during the term, however small, should be addressed immediately in consultation with the TA. Counseling assistance may be arranged, as needed, through the School’s Graduate Office. At either level proactive intervention is essential, allowing the TA to improve his/her performance before issues become unmanageable. TA Workload: All new graduate students who intend to TA must attend an 11-hour mandatory training program taught by the Instructional Resources Center staff on campus. This required training—offered every September during Welcome Week—is considered part of the TA’s fall workload. Therefore, the instructor must relieve those students from 11 hours of the 220-hour workload commitment in the fall quarter. This can be done gradually over the course of the quarter, or during winter or spring for students who attended fall training but did not TA during the fall quarter. Relief hours should be coordinated between the instructor and the eligible TAs. (If need be, you may confirm student attendance at TA Training with John Sommerhauser in the Social Sciences Graduate Office.) TAs do not have assigned hours on weekends and holidays. Course Assignments: TAs with a 50% time appointment in the School of Social Sciences will not be assigned to more than one course each quarter. (Occasionally, however, a TA may be assigned to two 25% time positions during a single quarter.) TA assignments will be announced on the Graduate Office web site as soon as possible before the start of each academic term. A corresponding job description will be provided to each assigned TA. The instructor shall provide advance notice, in writing, when a TA’s duties are to change in any significant way after the quarter begins. Addendums to the TA’s initial set of responsibilities shall be made in writing and given to the TA. The TA has the right to accept or decline new conditions of employment; but a TA who chooses not to may forfeit the appointment that quarter. Discussion Sections & Labs: TAs have expressed concern about overseeing discussions and lab sessions when the instructor does not require undergraduate student attendance, or when such sections are not filled to at least half the capacity of the assigned classroom. In order to use TAs more effectively, therefore, undergraduate students may be moved from discussion sections/labs with low attendance to sections with greater enrollment, and the sections/labs with low enrollment cancelled. (Please note that the number of discussion sections/labs scheduled should be proportional to the actual number of students enrolled, but does not by itself determine the number of TAs assigned to a course.) Questions & Concerns: Please contact John Sommerhauser if you have questions or concerns about the TAs assigned to your course(s). John can be reached at jdsommer@uci.edu or by telephone at 824.4074
The main responsibilities of a Teaching Assistant (TA) in the School of Social Sciences include attending lectures, leading discussion sections and labs, grading assignments and exams, and holding office hours. These general responsibilities are explained in greater detail in a job description provided by the course instructor each quarter.
A job description defining the specific terms and conditions of TA employment will be prepared by the instructor, for each course in which TA assistance is desired. Prior to the commencement of the term, or as soon as practical, instructors should review the job description with the assigned TAs. Questions or concerns involving TA expectations are best addressed at this time. Performance problems arising during the term, however small, should be addressed immediately in consultation with the TA. Counseling assistance may be arranged, as needed, through the School’s Graduate Office. At either level proactive intervention is essential, allowing the TA to improve his/her performance before issues become unmanageable.
All new graduate students who intend to TA must attend an 11-hour mandatory training program taught by the Instructional Resources Center staff on campus. This required training—offered every September during Welcome Week—is considered part of the TA’s fall workload. Therefore, the instructor must relieve those students from 11 hours of the 220-hour workload commitment in the fall quarter. This can be done gradually over the course of the quarter, or during winter or spring for students who attended fall training but did not TA during the fall quarter. Relief hours should be coordinated between the instructor and the eligible TAs. (If need be, you may confirm student attendance at TA Training with John Sommerhauser in the Social Sciences Graduate Office.) TAs do not have assigned hours on weekends and holidays.
TAs with a 50% time appointment in the School of Social Sciences will not be assigned to more than one course each quarter. (Occasionally, however, a TA may be assigned to two 25% time positions during a single quarter.) TA assignments will be announced on the Graduate Office web site as soon as possible before the start of each academic term. A corresponding job description will be provided to each assigned TA. The instructor shall provide advance notice, in writing, when a TA’s duties are to change in any significant way after the quarter begins. Addendums to the TA’s initial set of responsibilities shall be made in writing and given to the TA. The TA has the right to accept or decline new conditions of employment; but a TA who chooses not to may forfeit the appointment that quarter.
TAs have expressed concern about overseeing discussions and lab sessions when the instructor does not require undergraduate student attendance, or when such sections are not filled to at least half the capacity of the assigned classroom. In order to use TAs more effectively, therefore, undergraduate students may be moved from discussion sections/labs with low attendance to sections with greater enrollment, and the sections/labs with low enrollment cancelled. (Please note that the number of discussion sections/labs scheduled should be proportional to the actual number of students enrolled, but does not by itself determine the number of TAs assigned to a course.)
Please contact John Sommerhauser if you have questions or concerns about the TAs assigned to your course(s). John can be reached at jdsommer@uci.edu or by telephone at 824.4074
