A. Introduction The graduate teaching assistant is in the somewhat unique position of being both student and teacher. The responsibilities and requirements of a GTA as a student have been detailed in the previous pages. The following is an attempt to describe the basic responsibilities and requirements of the graduate student in the role of teacher. B. Competency All students awarded a GT Assistantship are considered technically competent to execute the responsibilities of a GTA. The University requires a further test of competency for students whose native tongue is not English. You will receive details regarding this testing procedure shortly after your arrival. Very briefly, you will be required to make a short, physics related presentation in English (of course) to a group of non-physics faculty. You will be asked questions in an attempt to simulate student/GTA relationship. Your performance will be evaluated and the results transmitted to the Physics Department. This process is in no way intended to be punitive. However, it is extremely important that you prepare adequately and perform to the best of your ability in this test. If your evaluation is unsatisfactory you will not be allowed to perform any GTA duties which involve direct student contact. This means that your GTA assignment will be exclusively grading rather than laboratory instruction. This restriction can also make it difficult for the department to cover all laboratory instruction. Therefore, please take this test seriously !! C. Assignments Your responsibilities as a GTA will consist of undergraduate laboratories, grading or tutoring, or a combination of the three. The normal Fall and Spring semester workload is four assignments, each of which should take no more than 5 hours of your time per week. Assignments can be responsibility for one lab section, grading for one class or tutoring. Summer semester workloads are variable, see below. You will receive your assignment from the Graduate Program Director no later than the end of the first week of each semester. It is your duty to contact the instructor or supervisor who will be in charge of your tasks as soon as you receive your assignment. You must do this as soon as possible. Most laboratory and grading duties do not begin until the second week of the semester, but do not assume this is the case until you have contacted your lab/grading supervisor.
A. Introduction The graduate teaching assistant is in the somewhat unique position of being both student and teacher. The responsibilities and requirements of a GTA as a student have been detailed in the previous pages. The following is an attempt to describe the basic responsibilities and requirements of the graduate student in the role of teacher. B. Competency All students awarded a GT Assistantship are considered technically competent to execute the responsibilities of a GTA. The University requires a further test of competency for students whose native tongue is not English. You will receive details regarding this testing procedure shortly after your arrival. Very briefly, you will be required to make a short, physics related presentation in English (of course) to a group of non-physics faculty. You will be asked questions in an attempt to simulate student/GTA relationship. Your performance will be evaluated and the results transmitted to the Physics Department. This process is in no way intended to be punitive. However, it is extremely important that you prepare adequately and perform to the best of your ability in this test. If your evaluation is unsatisfactory you will not be allowed to perform any GTA duties which involve direct student contact. This means that your GTA assignment will be exclusively grading rather than laboratory instruction. This restriction can also make it difficult for the department to cover all laboratory instruction. Therefore, please take this test seriously !! C. Assignments Your responsibilities as a GTA will consist of undergraduate laboratories, grading or tutoring, or a combination of the three. The normal Fall and Spring semester workload is four assignments, each of which should take no more than 5 hours of your time per week. Assignments can be responsibility for one lab section, grading for one class or tutoring. Summer semester workloads are variable, see below. You will receive your assignment from the Graduate Program Director no later than the end of the first week of each semester. It is your duty to contact the instructor or supervisor who will be in charge of your tasks as soon as you receive your assignment. You must do this as soon as possible. Most laboratory and grading duties do not begin until the second week of the semester, but do not assume this is the case until you have contacted your lab/grading supervisor.
handbook_2016-17.docx