Ph.D. Requirements
Graduate Teaching
Every student must teach for two semesters as a Teaching Assistant, either as a recitation TA, laboratory TA, or a grader/course assistant. The purpose of this requirement is to help students prepare for teaching and mentoring roles in academia and industry and to contribute to the quality and safety of instruction in the undergraduate program. This formal academic requirement is an important part of a graduate education and must be completed to the satisfaction of the instructor for that course. The duties of a Teaching Assistant require approximately 15–20 hours per week. Note that TA duties are one of the primary sources of financial support and that renewal of an appointment as a TA is contingent on satisfactory performance as a Teaching Assistant. Therefore, the expectations below are important for all TAs.
Expectations
The Department provides TA training each August specific to the roles of recitation TAs, lab TAs, and graders for which attendance is required for the first two semesters in which the student serves in a particular role. Teaching assistants are expected to fulfill all of the responsibilities of their role in a timely fashion and to make appropriate arrangements with the instructor at least 1–2 weeks in advance if they anticipate any difficulties in doing so. For example, instructors need to be consulted in advance if a TA would like to arrange for someone to teach a class for him or her. Barring unforeseen emergencies, travel arrangements must be made far enough in advance that they do not conflict with TA training and teaching responsibilities.
Outcomes
Instructors determine the expectations for each graduate TA assignment. If a TA appears to be having difficulties meeting these expectations, instructors are expected to provide timely written feedback to let the TA know what type of changes or improvements are needed. The feedback should be sent to the TA, cc’ed to the Director of Undergraduate Studies, and the GPC Co-Chairs. If a student is informed of a significant deficiency, does not address the problem adequately, and cannot document reasonable efforts to improve, that semester will not count toward the two semesters required for the doctoral degree. An additional semester as a TA or an appropriate Independent Study will be required until the graduate teaching requirement is fully satisfied. If no written feedback suggests the need for changes, the TA can interpret that as an indication of satisfactory performance.