PhD students are required to complete a TA development course — CETL 8802 — during their first semester as a doctoral student. This course is offered Fall and Spring and is 2 credits.
This course will support them in meeting their teaching requirement. All PhD students will serve as a GTA at least once prior to their third year of study.
Students may utilize OMSCS courses to meet their GTA requirement.
PhD GRA students are paid to GTA with the expectation of 20 hours of work per week including exam week.
Q: Must the classes for which a student GTAs be taught by an IC faculty member during the academic year?
A: Yes, the class must be in IC, because it is IC that is providing the back-up funding for the student. Summer school GTAing does not count for a similar reason, because IC is not financially involved in summer school payment of faculty or GTAs.
Q: Do students normally GTA for a course taught by their advisor?
A: Yes, this is the norm but is not required. A student might benefit by GTAing some other course.
Q: Are there limits on the class size of the class being GTAd in order for it to count?
A: Yes, the size must be 25 or more unless explicit prior approval for a smaller class has been given.
Q: Does being 'Instructor of record' count as a TAships for this requirement?
A: Yes, teaching a course rather than being GTA satisfies the GTA requirement.
Q: Would a student who is either a GTA or an instructor of record who has considerable prior teaching experience in high school, college or other venues still have to take the appropriate CETL TA class?
A: Almost certainly yes. Exemptions from taking the TA classes will be granted only in exceptional circumstances (such as someone with many years full time teaching experience), and are at the discretion of the PhD Associate Chair. Exemptions are not granted from the TA requirement.
Q: Is there an expectation that the TA provide at least one lecture to the class? If so, should the professor be expected to watch and critique the lecture or can it be, for example while the professor is travelling?
A: This is not required, but some faculty may choose to do so, and GTAs should request to do should if they want to have this experience.
Q: Does TAing an undergrad course count? Is there a preference, at least, for TAing grad courses?
A: Yes it does count. There is a preference that PhD students GTA graduate level courses, since MS students often are able to GTA undergrad courses.
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