Undergraduate Teaching Assistantships

Center for Professional Development

Who's Eligible

Undergraduate juniors and seniors are eligble to participate in the Undergraduate Teaching Assistantship program. Qualified students who have been identified through faculty nominations serve as teaching assistants in selected undergraduate courses, allowing for cooperative learning between faculty members and students.

Participating faculty and students meet several times during the semester as part of an informal seminar on college teaching to be conducted by the Center for Professional Development.

What Students Get

The student enrolls in a 1-2 credit course in the appropriate department under course number 4910. This course may be repeated, and will be graded S or U. Students also gain valuable teaching experience, while working cooperatively with a professor. Some resources may be available to fund travel to relevant conferences or other professional development opportunities. The intention is not for students to be involved in grading papers or in clerical work, but rather to assist in planning and at times in helping to teach classes under faculty supervision.

Faculty Obligations

Faculty will not expect students to devote more than six hours per week to their responsibilities in this program, including time acutally spent in the undergraduate class to which they have been assigned.

• Faculty will provide informal instruction and assistance to the teaching associate in accordance with the purpose of the program.
• Faculty will not expect the teaching associate to "cover" classes in the instructor's absence, or to evaluate or grade student work.
• Faculty will not expect the teaching associate to perform essential clerical tasks such as recording grades.
• Faculty will make a serious commitment to attend the seminars on college teaching offered as part of this program. Faculty will be asked to attend one or two of these sessions.

Student Obligations

Students will attend their assigned class regularly and meet according to an arranged schedule with their supervising faculty member.

• Students will enroll in a 1-2 credit course in the academic department of their supervising instructor.
• Students will attend the seminars on college teaching offered as part of this program.
• Students may be asked to provide periodic reports to the Center for Professional Development explaining the nature of their activities and evaluating the usefuleness of the program
• A teaching assistant may not be concurrently enrolled in the course they are helping to teach.