UTA Policy

Undergraduate teaching assistant policy

An undergraduate teaching assistant is an undergraduate student who assists with or provides instruction in courses offered by the Media School. UTAs are assigned to courses as recommended by the associate dean of undergraduate studies and approved by the dean and will be supervised by full-time faculty members.

Initital and ongoing training program

All UTAs will be provided training that includes both initial and ongoing training.

UTAs are recruited by instructors of the course(s) requiring a UTA. Most often, these instructors coordinate multi-section courses that the UTA assists. The associate dean of undergraduate studies is responsible for ensuring that policies are implemented by the supervising faculty member. UTAs should have completed the course with a high grade and exhibit strong potential as a teacher.

Initial training, prior to student contact

UTAs must meet with the associate dean of undergraduate studies and the course instructor before the course begins. At the meeting, UTAs are given instruction on content and on pedagogy. UTAs are encouraged to ask questions, make recommendations and present concerns as they arise.

• UTAs must complete IU's FERPA tutorial.
• UTAs must complete IU's sexual misconduct training.
• UTAs must be given clear guidance regarding expectations about time commitments, working conditions and compensation.
• UTAs may not be asked/required to work more than the hours they are being paid for.
• UTAs must be informed of policies regarding UTAs and provided with a copy of this policy.
• UTAs must be informed about safety protocols relevant to the particular class(es).

Ongoing training

UTAs meet at least twice monthly with the course instructor during the semester. The instructor will refer the UTA to appropriate resources on campus for additional training including, but not limited to, CITL online resources and workshop training.

Description of UTA duties

Acceptable duties include:

• Leading small discussion groups
• Serving as peer tutors
• Conducting review sessions
• Holding office hours
• Helping students with experiments and assignments during class

Unacceptable duties include:

• Grading papers, quizzes or exams
• Assigning grades
• Maintaining/accessing grade records

UTA program utilization

The supervising faculty member must observe direct student interaction in instructional settings (discussion sections, tutoring, exam proctoring, study sessions, etc.) at least once per month during the semester.

The supervising faculty member must provide a written evaluation of the UTA’s performance to the UTA with a copy to the associate dean of undergraduate studies before the end of the exam week.

The UTA must be made aware that they may address concerns about supervision to the associate dean of undergraduate studies.

Compensation

UTAs will be paid an hourly wage as determined by the dean of the school, and that wage and payment schedule/method must be explained to the UTA prior to the start of duties.