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UNIVERSITY POLICIES RELATED TO GRADUATE STUDENT TEACHING ASSISTANTS AND GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH ASSISTANTS

POLICY MEMORANDUM 76-III.25-4

Issued: April 12, 1976
Revised: August 17, 1986
Revised: August 1, 1977
Revised: September 1, 1978
Revised: September 1, 1979
Revised: September 1, 1981
Revised: September 1, 1983
Revised: November 4, 1987
Revised: May 15, 1990
Revised: November 1, 1990
Revised: July 24, 1996
Revised: November 2, 1998
Editorial Amendments: September 1, 2000

UNIVERSITY POLICIES RELATED TO GRADUATE STUDENT TEACHING ASSISTANTS AND GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH ASSISTANTS

Philosophy

Graduate Departments are designed to provide the opportunity for individuals to make the transition from students to professional scholars and practitioners. The appointment of a student as a Teaching or Research Assistant often provides a student with the necessary financial support to facilitate this transformation.

Teaching and Research Assistants are enrolled, full-time graduate students taking a minimum of nine approved graduate hours each semester and must be in academic good standing each semester they are appointed. Assistants are also employees of the University and are expected to meet specified teaching or research obligations and receive compensation for contributing to the teaching and/or research mission of the University.

Graduate studies and assistantship responsibilities should reinforce each other. The appointments are intended to allow the student to gain valuable in-service experience in teaching, research, and other activities. Research projects should ideally lead to a thesis or dissertation. Teaching assignments should give greater insight into a student's discipline. In either case, a close relationship between the faculty supervisor and the student is vital to the promotion of the professional growth of the student.

Types of Graduate Assistantships

Two types of assistantships are offered:

  1. Full-time (0.5 FTE personnel appointments) Graduate Student Teaching Assistants (TA) are employed a maximum of twenty hours per week to help meet the instructional needs of the university and are paid from faculty salary funds. Appointments and reappointments as Teaching Assistants are subject to the availability of financial support, satisfactory academic progress, and performance review by their academic Department on a semester by semester basis. In consultation with, and under the direction of, an assigned supervisor, the Teaching Assistant will aid in the teaching of one or more courses. Only in unusual circumstances, with prior written approval of the Executive Vice President and Provost (Provost), will a Teaching Assistant be appointed as the primary instructor of a course. The Teaching Assistant serving as a primary instructor will work closely with an assigned faculty supervisor. To be eligible for appointment as the primary instructor of record of a course, a Teaching Assistant must have completed at least 18 semester credit hours of graduate course work in a field appropriate to the course.
  2. Full-time (0.5 FTE personnel appointments) Graduate Student Research Assistants (RA) are employed a maximum of twenty hours per week to assist the research efforts of the faculty in a capacity that relates to the student's educational goals. Research Assistants are paid from individual research awards or from externally funded contracts or grants. Research Assistant appointments and reappointments are subject to: the availability of financial support, satisfactory performance in and progress toward specified research assignments, and performance review on a semester by semester basis. The Principal Investigator or Project Director of the award will designate and supervise the research activities of the Research Assistant. Duties may include library searches, field work, laboratory experiments, and preparation of reports. The duties should provide an opportunity to acquire professional skills that complement his/her graduate Department and must not be for services unrelated to the student's educational Department or be clerical in nature.

Qualifications/Eligibility for Assistantship Appointments

To be eligible for appointment as a full-time graduate Teaching or Research Assistant, students must be unconditionally admitted to a graduate Department and be enrolled full-time in a graduate program at U.T. Dallas. Students appointed as graduate assistants are required to maintain academic good standing as defined in the graduate catalog. Students on academic probation may not be appointed to, or remain on, an assistantship. Exceptions may be approved by the Graduate Dean upon recommendation of the School Dean.

For teaching appointments, competency in spoken and written English are required. At the time of their initial appointments as Teaching Assistants, international students will be required to take an oral screening test designed to establish their English communication skill level. The outcome of the test will establish if the student will be required to enroll in, and subsequently pass, an English as a Second Language course (ESL) designed to prepare them for classroom duties and interactions with students. Students who are not excused from taking the ESL course by the Graduate Dean must pass the ESL course within two semesters of enrollment to qualify for continued appointment as a teaching assistant. Additional information about the screening test and the ESL course may be obtained from the Office of the Graduate Dean.

A faculty committee in each School, Department, or Program must screen, rank, and recommend the appointment or reappointment of graduate assistants in that academic unit. Evaluation criteria for entering students must include, but not necessarily be limited to, previous academic record (degree, GPA), TOEFL scores if applicable, standardized examination scores if required by the program (GRE, GMAT), applicable teaching or work experience, letters of recommendation, and the Committee's judgment that the student has the potential for sustained achievement in the chosen field of graduate study.

Reappointment of students will also require: completion of a required TA orientation training program; a demonstrated high standard of performance in the areas of assigned duties in teaching and research; and satisfactory progress toward the graduate degree.

Appointment Procedures

Appointment of a graduate assistant requires recommendation by the Department Head (if applicable) and the Dean of the School and approval by the Dean of Graduate Studies. All requests for initial appointment, reappointment, or change of status of graduate assistants must be initiated on the Personnel Appointment Form (PAF), and must include the academic level of the student in the degree program at U.T. Dallas (Master's or Doctoral). For Teaching Assistants, the course or courses for which assistance is to be rendered should be specified on a semester by semester basis. For Research Assistants, the name of the faculty member whose research is to be assisted should be specified. In addition, all TA/RA's must complete, sign, and return to their School Dean or Program Head, if applicable, a statement confirming the receipt, understanding, and acceptance of the conditions contained in the form entitled "Responsibilities of Graduate Student Teaching Assistants and Graduate Student Research Assistants" (a sample copy for the School of Natural Science and Mathematics is attached). A copy of the completed form must be submitted to the Dean of Graduate Studies in the semester of initial appointment and at the beginning of each Fall semester thereafter.

Because the terms of individual awards may vary from program to program, and even within a single program, the Program Head (if applicable) and/or School Dean are responsible for forwarding to each prospective graduate assistant an official letter of appointment specifying complete information on the terms of the assistantship, including:

  1. title, fraction of effort, and length of appointment;
  2. level of assistantship financial support;
  3. minimum student course load;
  4. description of duties;
  5. name of supervisor;
  6. information concerning the required TA orientation program and sessions for teaching appointees; and
  7. deadline for acceptance.

If specific information on items 4 and 5 is unavailable at the time of appointment, the information should be furnished in writing no later than the first class day of the semester. Specific program policies, if any, governing graduate assistants should be communicated in writing.

Graduate assistants are normally appointed at 50% of full-time employee status for a total of 20 hours per week. Employment at less than 50% is permissible with a commensurate reduction in salary. Aggregate employment at more than 50% of full-time in a combined appointment is not permitted.

Length and Terms of Appointment and Reappointment to Assistantships

Initial appointments as Teaching or Research Assistants starting in the Fall semester may be for an academic year or for a single semester. Initial appointments starting in the Spring or Summer semester will terminate no later than the end of the Summer semester.

Reappointment as Teaching or Research Assistants may be for an academic year or for a single semester and will be based on: considerations of standards of performance in assigned duties; fulfillment of any previously specified conditions of reappointment; continued good academic standing; satisfactory academic progress; problematic needs; and availability of financial resources. Proceedings leading to the termination of an assistantship may be initiated if the "Conditions of Service" requirements are judged not to have been met (see "Termination Within Appointment Period" below). Teaching or Research Assistant reappointment is not automatic. Eligible students making satisfactory progress toward a doctoral degree may be offered reappointments over a longer period than students working toward a master's degree.

The maximum duration of assistantship support provided to students pursuing master's degrees is normally four semesters, whether regular (long) or summer semester. An additional semester of support may be provided for qualified students in degree options requiring more than 36 semester credits. It is recommended that students confer with their Department Head to clearly establish/define such limits and other restrictions that may apply.

Subject to the availability of funds and continued reappointment by the Department or School, the maximum period of teaching assistantship support of students enrolled in a doctoral program is 12 semesters, whether regular (long) or summer semester or 100 doctoral level semester hours (whether taken at U.T. Dallas or other public institution in Texas). It is strongly recommended that students confer each semester with their Department Head (if applicable) and/or School Dean to clearly establish/define the status of their appointment, the number of doctoral hours of eligibility remaining for the student, and other restrictions that may apply.

Conditions of Service

As conditions of service (appointment and reappointment) the student must:

Termination Within Appointment Period

If any of the "Conditions of Service" listed above are NOT satisfied, the Department Head (if applicable) and/or School Dean (in the case of Teaching Assistants) or the research supervisor (in the case of Research Assistants) will inform the student that grounds exist for immediate termination of his/her assistantship. The notification will indicate the exact nature of the grounds for termination of the student's assistantship; what actions, if any, the student can take to rectify the stated deficiencies; and the time frame in which such remedial actions must be taken.

If the deficiencies are judged not to have been satisfactorily and promptly addressed, the Department Head (if applicable) and/or School Dean or research supervisor will then make a written request of the School Dean to proceed with the termination of the appointment. Upon review and concurrence, the School Dean will inform the student, in writing, of the decision to terminate the appointment. The termination will take effect on the date specified in the notification to the student from the School Dean.

Appeal of Termination of Assistantship

Any student holding a graduate student appointment at The University of Texas at Dallas has the right to appeal a decision leading to the termination of an assistantship within the appointment period.

The appeal by the student must be made in writing to the Graduate Dean within 10 working days of the date of the notification of the termination of the student's assistantship. The request for reconsideration must be concise. The student is encouraged to attach copies of all relevant statements, documents (written or electronic material) on the matter in support of his/her appeal. The student should also include a clear statement of the student's desired outcome of the appeal process.

The Graduate Dean will convene a review panel consisting of a School Dean and a faculty member from schools other than that of the student and the Graduate Dean. The panel will review all submitted material and seek any additional clarifications as appropriate. The student will be notified in writing of the outcome of the appeal within 10 working days of the date the student's written appeal is received by the Graduate Dean. The decision of the review panel will be final.

Responsibilities

The graduate assistant is expected to work closely with the faculty supervisor in carrying out assigned teaching/research duties and also to make good progress toward the completion of the degree program. The graduate assistant is obligated to maintain and enforce standards of academic honesty and integrity and to report violations of these to the faculty supervisor. The graduate assistant is expected to keep well informed of Department, School, and institutional regulations and follow them consistently. The graduate assistant is expected to maintain all records pertinent to his or her assignment and to transfer them as and when requested by his or her supervisor.

Evaluation

Evaluation of performance is a critical part of the assistantship experience and should involve ongoing communications between the graduate assistant and faculty supervisor(s). The School, or, if delegated, Department, is responsible for establishing appropriate procedures for a formal annual evaluation which will help the assistant identify strengths and weaknesses. This evaluation will be a part of the assistant's departmental record. This evaluation will also provide an avenue for assistants to assess their assistantships from their own perspectives.

Supervisor's Responsibilities

The supervisor of a graduate assistant is expected to inform and advise the assistant directly in matters which pertain to performance. The supervisor should inform a Teaching Assistant specifically of all curricular matters in the course (e.g., content, methods, objectives, and standards) and provide advice in teaching techniques and teacher/student relations. The supervisor of a Research Assistant should establish research goals with the assistant which assure that the assistant has the opportunity to learn proper research procedures and techniques and which contribute to the assistant's growth as a scholar.

The supervisor is responsible for apprising the assistant of the nature of records to be kept in the course of performance of the assigned duties and of the disposition of these records required at the termination of the assignment. For Teaching Assistants, such records may include grade sheets, copies of quizzes or examinations, and student reports. For Research Assistants, they may include laboratory notebooks, primary data, and computer runs. These examples are not all-inclusive.

The supervisor is responsible for ongoing communication regarding the quality of the assistant's performance. The supervisor is the primary evaluator of this performance.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF U.T. DALLAS GRADUATE STUDENT TEACHING ASSISTANTS AND GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH ASSISTANTS

SCHOOL _____________________________________ AY: ________-_________
PROGRAM _____________________________________ Semester(s) []F []Sp []Su

In appointing you to a T.A./R.A. (Graduate Student Teaching Assistant or Graduate Student Research Assistant) position, the School and Department/Program are affirming your potential as an apprentice teacher/researcher and your status as a valued member of the U.T. Dallas community. To assure your understanding of the responsibilities regarding general university policies which your appointment entails, the School and Department/Program wish you to read the following statements and, by your signature below, indicate that you accept those responsibilities.

As a T.A./R.A. in the _________________________________ Department/Program in the School of _____________________________________________________, I understand that:

  1. I am a university employee and must comply with the Regent's Rules and the University's rules, including, but not limited to, those concerning affirmative action, sexual harassment, safety, student privacy, the rights of persons with disabilities, drugs and alcohol in the workplace, and research integrity;
  2. I am a University employee and will comply with all applicable University and U.T. System policies related to Intellectual Property, Animal Care and Use, Human Subjects in Research, and Biosafety.
  3. I understand that all rules, policies and procedures referred to in this document are available for my review in my School Dean's office and Department/Program office and that I take full responsibility for making myself knowledgeable about the content of these rules, policies, and regulations and for complying with their content.
  4. I must perform my T.A./R.A. duties as defined by my supervisor or Department/Program in an ethically responsible manner, treating those with whom I work with respect at all times;
  5. I will comply with the policies of my supervisor(s) and the University with respect to the conduct of classes, laboratories, problem sessions and tutorials, or I will seek revision or clarification of policies by conferring with the Associate Dean, Program Head or Dean;
  6. In coordination with the Office of the Graduate Dean, I will have my teaching videotaped at least once in the course of this appointment;
  7. I understand that my attendance is mandatory at University, School, Department/Program and Office of Research Administration and Sponsored Projects training sessions offered to T.A./R.A.'s throughout the year;
  8. I will conduct my research practices honestly and with a sense of responsibility to my colleagues and the subject matter. I understand that data, laboratory notebooks, computer programs, sample collections and research products and technical information in any form are the property of the University and must be returned to the Principal Investigator/Project Director, Associate Dean, Department Head, or Dean immediately upon request or upon the termination of my appointment;
  9. I will follow safe laboratory practices as demonstrated in program-specific safety training sessions and in the University Safety Manual, and will report all accidents immediately; and
  10. I understand that my T.A./R.A. appointment combined with my course load constitute full-time employment, and I will accept no outside employment unless it is approved by my Associate Dean or Department Head and Dean.
  11. I understand that my failure to comply with any of the above responsibilities may result in the termination of my appointment.

Print Name____________________________________________________

Signature________________________________________Date_________

Copies To: Program Office; Graduate Dean