Course Assistant/Grader Requests to Support Fall 2022 Teaching
Overview
Below are the School of Arts and Sciences Fall 2022 procedures for allocating Course Assistants and Graders. This process aims to increase equity and transparency and make decisions about teaching support based on the learning needs of our undergraduates.- Departments and Programs that seek graduate students to serve as teaching assistants, course assistants and graders may submit their requests for each course via the ‘Request for Course Assistant (CA) and Grader Support’ form beginning on Tuesday, July 5, 2022.
- For each course, the chair or designee (not individual faculty members) should complete a separate form and provide the rationale for the request, which could include enrollments, foundational literacies designation, training for graduate students, unique pedagogical needs and other factors.
- Please submit all initial requests for all courses in the department/program in the same batch. As enrollments change throughout the registration period, additional requests may continue to be submitted by the chair/designee until Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022, the last day of fall enrollment.
The following criteria will continue to be used for Fall 2022 classes:
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A&S will support CA/TA/Grader requests for Writing Intensive, Oral Communication, Digital Literacy, and Quantitative Literacy courses based on a 1:25 ratio.
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For all other courses, CA/TA/Grader allocations will be based on a 1:30 ratio.
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As in the past, we will consider requests for lower ratios based on pedagogical reasons.
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Graduate students (including PhD students who are assigned TA positions by their departments) are permitted, with the approval of their advisor, to hold up to two positions this fall. Alumni and staff may be hired for these positions as well.
Job Descriptions
- Teaching Assistant (TA): This is a PhD student serving in a teaching support role for a course. TAs are union-eligible positions and are expected to work up to an average of 10 hours per week. Pay: $4023 per semester.
- Course Assistant (CA): This is a master’s or postbaccalaureate student serving in a teaching support role for a course. CAs are expected to work up to an average of 10 hours per week. Pay: $3200 per semester.
- Grader: This is a master’s, postbaccalaureate, or eligible PhD student serving in a non-student facing course support role for a course. Graders are expected to work up to an average of 8 hours per week. Pay: $2500 per semester.
The Dean’s Office will begin responding to requests in July so chairs and administrators can begin to hire these positions from your own graduate student pool or a list of interested students looking for teaching work. Please check the CA/Grader Candidate spreadsheet regularly if you are seeking to hire a graduate student outside your department, as graduate students will be adding their names to this sheet throughout the intersession. We will include information about the hiring process with our response to requests for CAs and Graders.
If your department or program believes it still needs additional teaching support beyond what is provided by the School of Arts and Sciences, up to three additional CA/Grader positions can be paid for by your GTR (up to 25%) or, if you do not have GTR, your OPEX funds.
Key Deadlines
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Now through the summer: Departments with PhD programs should begin to assign PhD students as TAs
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July 5: First day to submit forms requesting CA and Grader support (please submit all initial requests in one batch)
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September 1: Preliminary deadline for paperwork to hire Course Assistants and Graders for Fall 2022 to be submitted to GSAS. Please submit paperwork by this date if possible.
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September 8: Undergraduate spring course enrollment ends. Deadline to submit forms requesting CA and Grader support.
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September 15: Final deadline for paperwork to hire Course Assistants and Graders for Fall 2022 to be submitted to GSAS.
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Mid-July to early September: Departments/programs will be notified about CA and Grader support available. The list of graduate students interested in these positions will also be shared. We will try to get you these approvals as quickly as possible.
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July 5 through as early in the fall term as possible: Once you are approved for CA and Grader hires, you can begin to talk with graduate students about CAs and Grader positions. Please submit the hire paperwork to GSAS between July 5 and September 1, if at all possible. Instructions about how to do so will be included in your approval notifications.