GENERAL RIGHTS AND REQUIREMENTS

A teaching assistant is a “student teacher” selected for his/her scholarship and promise as a teacher, and serving an apprenticeship under the active tutelage and supervision of a regular faculty member who is responsible for curriculum and instruction in the University. Teaching assistants are course assistants for undergraduate courses (lower and upper division). Their assignments include an appropriate range of supportive activities such as: assisting the faculty member with the preparation of course materials and/or laboratory demonstrations; attending the faculty member’s lectures, laboratory instruction periods, and/or scheduled instruction periods in non-traditional formats; reading student papers and examinations; holding office hours; giving tutorial or small group assistance to students; teaching in scheduled or unscheduled discussion, quiz, laboratory or field sections for the faculty member in charge.

Teaching assistants are not to be utilized exclusively as readers.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF TEACHING ASSISTANTS 

• The TA workload policy can be found in Article 30 of the bargaining agreement which can be electronically retrieved at www.gdnet.ucla.edu/gss/ase/index.html.
• TAs are responsible for communicating with their assigned faculty supervisor for instructions and evaluation of their work.
• TAs are expected to display attitudes and attire appropriate to their professional assignment.
• TAs can be required to proctor examinations and administer teaching evaluations. They may be asked to proctor examinations and administer teaching evaluations for classes other than those to which they have been assigned.
• New TAs in Ethnomusicology are required to enroll in Ethnomusicology 495, Introductory Practicum for Teaching Apprentices, during the fall quarter. The 495 course is offered to aid new teaching apprentices in their teaching and departmental responsibilities.
• TAs are expected to communicate with their assigned faculty supervisor if they are ill or unable to fulfill their assignment for a particular day and/or period of time.
• TAs in Ethnomusicology are expected to enroll in Ethnomusicology 375, Teaching Apprentice Practicum.

PROBLEMS

Problems with TA performance generally require no more action than a meeting between the department chair, supervising professor, and the TA. A full description of discipline and dismissal procedures can be found in Article 7 of the bargaining agreement. The Director of Graduate Studies (Ethnomusicology) is not an appropriate person to involve in any dispute resolution.

A full description of grievance and arbitration procedures can be found in Article 11 of the bargaining agreement.