Notes: These classifications apply to all GTA’s, regardless of citizenship, native language, or other factors.

There are no changes to Appointment Titles or Position Numbers on Personnel Action Forms. Classifications of duties will be shown only in the Remarks section of the PAF.

I. Classification of Duties

A. Instructing - Graduate Teaching Assistant (Including all Provisional appointments)

1. The GTA - Instructing classification will be required of all Graduate Teaching Assistants who:

a) Serve as the instructor of record for any course,
b) Conduct laboratory sections,
c) Conduct discussion sections,
d) Conduct any course with a designated course number,
e) Conduct any instructional activity which results in a grade (or portion of the final grade) given by the Graduate Teaching Assistant,
f) Conduct any instructional activity in which new material is presented, or
g) Conduct any instructional activity in which attendance by students is required.

2. Provisional Appointments

Effective Spring 2001, waivers of the written requirement will be replaced by two kinds of Provisional appointments.

Provisional appointments may be given to Graduate Teaching Assistants who have passed the spoken certification requirement (i.e. the TEACH Test) at the Instructing level but have not passed the written requirement at the Instructing level.

a) Provisional appointments to teach laboratory sections, discussion sections or other courses ancillary to a lecture course may be granted for an unlimited number of semesters.
b) Provisional appointments to teach a course that stands alone, that is, is not ancillary to a lecture course, may be granted for one semester only.

In both kinds of Provisional appointments, written communication duties are very limited and require supervision.

Complete details are contained in the attached Provost’s announcement.  For information about making Provisional appointments, please see section II.B (Record Keeping).

1. The GTA—Supporting Classification will be required of all Graduate Teaching Assistants who conduct any instructional activity other than those described above which allows direct contact between the Graduate Teaching Assistant and any student.  Examples are:

a)   office hours
b)   non-compulsory discussions of homework assignments or examinations
c)   individual help in laboratories.

2.   In every activity conducted by a GTA—Supporting, the following limitations will apply:

a) Students will be receiving assistance over and above the required instruction of the course.

b)   Students will have direct access to a faculty member for further assistance, and the students will be aware of the faculty member and his/her availability.

c)   A faculty member will hold direct responsibility for the learning experience of the students and for the successful performance of the Graduate Teaching Assistant.

d)   Any formal written work for use by students (such as handouts, prepared transparencies, or examinations) or on behalf of students (such as recommendations) will be reviewed by the supervisor.

3. Supervision

Every student who is appointed to a GTA—Supporting position will be directly supervised by a faculty member named on the Personnel Action Form.

a) The Supervisor will be the instructor of record in the class in which the GTA assists.  If the GTA is not attached to a particular class, the supervisor will be the supervisor of the laboratory or other instructional unit in which the GTA assists, or the Department Chair or Director.  If no faculty member takes on the responsibility for a GTA with Certification to Support, no appointment will be made.

b) The supervisor will be directly responsible for:

Ensuring that the duties of the GTA fall within the bounds of the Certification to Support.
Ensuring the quality of the learning experience for the students.
Ensuring the successful performance of the Graduate Teaching Assistant.  The faculty member will terminate duties involving student contact if, in his or her judgement, the Graduate Teaching Assistant is not performing them successfully based on issues of language or cultural differences.  In this circumstance, the Graduate Teaching Assistant must obtain a new Certification to Support before being assigned duties involving student contact.

Reviewing and ensuring the quality of all written work prepared by the GTA for or on behalf of the GTA’s students.

C. Graduate Teaching Assistant—No Contact

The GTA—No Contact classification will be required of all Graduate Teaching Assistants who grade papers only or fulfill other duties involving no contact whatsoever with students.

D. In uncertain circumstances, the following rules will apply:

1. If the duties of the Graduate Teaching Assistant seem to fall between (A) and (B), the classification should be (A). If the duties seem to fall between (B) and (C), the classification should be (B).

2. If the correct level of certification required for a particular position is in doubt, the Department Chair or Director may send a written description of the Graduate Teaching Assistant’s duties to the Graduate Dean or Director of the English Assessment Program, who will designate the appropriate level of certification.

3. The rationale for this certification program is to avoid learning difficulties for undergraduates while maximizing opportunities for graduate students whose English is less than optimum. 

II.  Record Keeping

A. Personnel Action Forms

1. For the GTA—Instructing classifications, including Provisional appointments, the department will indicate “Instructing” in the English Proficiency Information section of the PAF, and state in the remarks section the word “Supervisor:” followed by the name of the faculty member appointed to supervise, and the type of course the student is appointed to instruct (for example: lab, discussion, or lecture section) .
2. For GTA—Supporting classifications, the department will indicate “Supporting” in the English Proficiency Information section of the PAF and state in the remarks section the words “Supervisor:” followed by the name of the faculty member appointed to supervise.
3. For GTA—No Contact classifications, the department will state in the remarks section of the PAF the words  “No Student Contact.”

B.  Procedures for Provisional Appointments

(Provisional appointments are Instructing appointments.  However, these appointments are subject to specific limitations and to oversight by a faculty member and the Chair or Director because GTA’s receiving these appointments have not passed the written English requirement at the Instructing level.)

1.   The Department Chair or Director (only) will send a written request to the Director of the English Assessment Program requesting a Provisional appointment and specifying the faculty member who shall be responsible for assuring the quality of the TA’s written communications.

2.   The EAP Director will approve the appointment if the TA has the appropriate certification.  The English Assessment Program will also notify the TA and the central course instructor (if there is one) of the provisions of the TA’s appointment.

3.   Once the appointment has been approved by the EAP Director, the personnel action form may be processed.  The EAP Director and the appointment department will be jointly responsible for maintaining records of the specific conditions of the Provisional appointment and assuring compliance.

Complete details are in the attached Provost’s announcement.

C.  Compliance

Any department judged by the Dean of the Graduate College or the Provost to have failed to comply with these rules for appointment will not be permitted to make appointments for GTA—Supporting or GTA—No Contact duties.

III.  English Language Certification

A. Levels of Certification

Students for whom English is not the native language must be certified by the English Assessment Program as proficient in English to carry out the duties of GTA—Instructing and GTA—Supporting positions.  These levels of proficiency differ.

1. Certification to Instruct

Students who are Certified to Instruct may be appointed to any of the three GTA positions.

2. Certification to Support

Students who are Certified to Support may be appointed to GTA—Supporting and GTA—No Contact positions.

Students Certified to Support who have passed the spoken certification requirement (i.e. the TEACH Test) at the Instructing level, but have not passed the written requirement at the Instructing level, may be appointed to GTA—Provisional Instructing appointments.

All of these appointments are accompanied by a requirement of faculty supervision.

3. No Certification

Students who have no certification may be appointed to GTA—No Contact positions only. There is no certification requirement for GTA—No Contact positions, and appointees may not have contact with students.

B. Proficiency Tests

Descriptions of the proficiency tests and other requirements are located in the English Assessment Program Guidelines to English Language Certification, available by request from the English Assessment Program.