| May 2005 UC Notes Home To what extent does your campus utilize teaching assistants (TAs) in secondary sections* of courses? What teaching-related training or experience is required of TAs? * Each UC course has a primary section (e.g., a lecture); many courses also have secondary sections (discussions, labs, etc.). As the campus responses below indicate, teaching assistants do not teach any UC classes independently. In most courses that incorporate secondary sections, faculty and graduate students form a teaching team. The faculty member typically delivers lectures, assigns readings and designs exams. The graduate student TA helps students digest and understand the lectures and readings, assists with grading and, where relevant, laboratory activities. This team experience is especially useful when courses are large ? working with a TA in a course ?section? gives students the opportunity to ask specific questions and participate in small-group activities, such as discussions, that enhance learning. Berkeley At Berkeley, graduate student instructors (GSIs) lead course sections or teach stand-alone courses (in languages and Reading and Composition) under the active supervision of faculty. GSIs who teach stand-alone courses are chosen for excellent scholarship and for promise as teachers; they serve as apprentices under the supervision of a regular faculty member. Graduate students must apply for GSI positions through specific academic departments. The type of instruction and complexity of teaching is determined (from laboratory and study group instruction at Level 1 to upper-level courses at Level 4), and GSIs are considered based on established criteria for each hiring level. Criteria include grade point average, graduate degree status and previous teaching experience. | |
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