Teaching at UCSC

The focus on high-quality undergraduate education is one of the most outstanding features of this unique campus. Teaching is a responsibility that is taken very seriously and many Psychology faculty and graduate students come to UCSC because they want to be in an atmosphere where both teaching and research are important. We hope that you will come to regard teaching as a very rewarding aspect of your graduate career. As a TA, you will assume substantial responsibility and in doing your job well, you will receive respect and acknowledgment from others. In addition, you may discover that you have abilities of which you were not aware. A further advantage is the opportunity to learn the subject matter with a thoroughness that a student seldom achieves. Many of our students perform a very valuable service to the department and our undergraduates by capably serving as a TA in courses well outside their research area and interest. Whether or not your eventual career is in teaching, the experience of being a TA will be invaluable.

A teaching assistantship is a half-time appointment. TA appointments are at 50% time or approximately 20 hours per week. A maximum of 220 hours is assigned per quarter, and TAs may not be assigned a workload of more than 40 hours in any one week. Included in this total are: TA trainings, formal contact hours in class, lab and discussion sections, time spent grading papers, attending lectures, preparing for teaching and office hours with students. Some instructors may expect to meet with their TA after final exam week to determine grades. Please consult with the instructor at the outset of the quarter regarding expectations for your availability at the end of the quarter. See the TA Workload section for more details regarding TA workload hours expectations.

The bargaining agreement between the University and the Association of Student Employees/UAW governs Teaching Assistant employment, and instructors with TAs are responsible for understanding and complying with this contract. A teaching assistantship is a half-time appointment. TA appointments are at 50% time or approximately 20 hours per week. A maximum of 220 hours is assigned per quarter, and TAs may not be assigned a workload of more than 40 hours in any one week. Included in this total are: TA trainings, formal contact hours in class, lab and discussion sections, time spent grading papers, attending lectures, preparing for teaching, office hours with students, and other duties as assigned. Some instructors may expect to meet with their TA after final exam week to determine grades. Please consult with the instructor at the outset of the quarter regarding expectations for your availability at the end of the quarter. 

Instructors are requested to periodically check with their TAs about the amount of time that they are working each week. Also, instructors should give TAs advance warning if there are weeks when the workload may be heavier than 20 hours in a week (and allow for lighter loads in other weeks to compensate). Faculty should check-in with their TA(s) every 1-2 weeks about the workload and if they are approaching or exceeding 20 hours/week. If the TA exceeds 20 hours in a week, it is important to modify work requirements and then check later to see if their hours have gone down.

You will likely find that TA assignments will vary in their workload. For example, one course might require an average of 10-16 hours per week, while another might come closer to 20 hours per week. It is important to recognize that a faculty who requires an average of 20 hours per week is within the guidelines of the TA union contract. The overall goal is for TA assignments to reflect an equitable distribution of labor up to 220 hours/quarter. 

If you are working more than an average of 20 hours per week, please raise this with the instructor as soon as possible (possibly with a log of time spent on different tasks and before exceeding the 20 hours/week). However, if the instructor is unresponsive (or you are uncomfortable bringing it up), then we strongly request that you inform the Graduate Advising Team or the Department Chair. If preferred, the information can be kept confidential. However, it is very important for the Department to know if anyone is consistently overworking their TAs. 

At least 30 days prior to instruction the department will send the TA a description of duties form; it’s best practice for both instructor and TA to discuss and sign the TA duties form and turn it in to the Graduate Advising Team. Instructors have the option to write an assessment of the TA at the end of the quarter. A copy of this assessment is placed in the TA’s employment file. These assessments are available for the TAs to review.

Student Experiences of Teaching Surveys (SETS)

Teaching assistants will receive feedback from their undergraduate students. Student Experiences of Teaching Surveys (SETs) begin around Week 9 and are accessed through the course Canvas site. The following actions are recommended to increase response rate on the survey:

• The best way to ensure a high return rate is, where possible, to have students fill out the forms during a discussion section or lab. 

• Make sure your students know your name as it appears in university records. They must know the name of any TA about whose teaching they are entitled to give feedback in order to select their TA from a drop-down menu. 

• If you know that you are planning to go on the academic job market and you will be using these forms as part of your teaching file, it is your responsibility to ensure that a reasonable percentage of your students fill out the forms. If you cannot have them fill out the forms “in person,” make sure to remind them how important this is for your overall employment record at UCSC and beyond.

After all class requirements are met and grades are completed, TAs may access their SETs by logging into the Blue platform website: https://blue.ucsc.edu/ucsc. 

It is important to meet all the teaching assignments and responsibilities of the TAship. A TA’s prior performance is considered by the Psychology department when awarding TAships each quarter. Any TA who receives less than satisfactory undergraduate feedback on the SETS will be required to work with the Psychology TA co-coordinators or a TA mentor during their next TA assignment as a condition of being eligible for future TAships. Continuing access to Psychology TAships will depend upon improvement. Students who are on academic probation have a lower priority for TAships.

Grades and Performance Evaluations must be submitted electronically. Grades are to be input and approved through the instructor or TA's ‘MyUCSC’ (AIS) account. As of Fall 2010, undergraduate narrative evaluations have been made instructor optional. Graduate student TAs should check with the instructor at the beginning of the quarter regarding whether or not they will be submitting narrative evaluations and, if so, the expectations regarding the TA’s contribution to the evaluations. Per UCSC policy, the instructor has ultimate responsibility for the evaluations. 

Instructions and procedures for electronic submission of evaluations and grades from MyUCSC (AIS) are available at: https://registrar.ucsc.edu/faqs/faculty/grading/index.html and instructions for TAs linked here.

Take note that graduate students (TAs) are NOT to store exam, grade or evaluation information on any hard drives of shared computers. Student information is to remain confidential. When stored on shared computers, the information is not confidential, since many undergraduates can access it. Shared computers include those found in the second floor Developmental Video Coding Lab, the third floor Social labs, the fourth floor Graduate Computer Lab and all faculty labs.

Students requesting alternative test accommodations are evaluated by the UC campus Disability Resource Center (DRC). During the first few weeks of class students will send their accommodation letters to the instructor via Accommodate. The instructor will be notified via email and instructed to sign each one, recognizing receipt. The student should select whether they intend to use their accommodations for the course in Accommodate. The instructor may make exam accommodations themself or ask the Faculty Services office (Room 277) for assistance. 

If the instructor would like assistance with making exam accommodations (separate space, proctor, etc.), please contact the Academic Services Coordinator.

The instructor will be notified by email when the exam arrangements have been made. The day of the exam, the proctor will pick up the exams from the Faculty Services Office. They are returned to Faculty Services afterward. For security purposes, they cannot be placed in the instructor’s mailbox. Please pick them up from the Faculty Services Office.

The Psychology Academic Services Coordinator has been trained in DRC accommodation. If you have questions, they may be able to answer them for you. 

All UC employees, this includes TAs and GSRs, are required to report sexual assault, sexual harassment, dating violence, domestic violence, or stalking. Go to the SAFE website for more information on reporting. It is also helpful to report any incidents to the Department Chair.

Teaching Assistants may refer undergraduate students to the CARE office for confidential resources on campus. More information on CARE can be found under the Mental Health and Crisis Support page. 

As a TA (or GSR), you should be aware of the possibility that your statements and actions may constitute sexual harassment of undergraduate students they teach or supervise. It is a breach of professional ethics for a TA or GSR to date a student in their class or under their supervision. The university has instituted a number of measures designed to protect its community from sexual and other forms of harassment. Information, advice, referrals, and/or copies of UCSC’s Sex Offence Policy and Procedures for Reports of Sexual Assault(s) and Sexual Harassment are available to all students (and faculty and staff) by contacting the Title IX office. You can also find more information at safe.ucsc.edu.

Microaggressions refer to indirect, subtle forms of discrimination against members of a marginalized group. For example, they may be prejudicial statements or actions that imply negative attributions to a person’s race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexuality, and other identities. Microaggressions are often unintentional or unconscious; nonetheless, they can have a cumulative negative impact on people who experience them. To avoid making microaggressions, it is helpful to learn about them. Please review the following sources for more information on bystander interventions and microaggressions: 

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2021/10/shut-down-microaggressions 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/microaggressions-in-everyday-life/201011/microaggressions-more-just-race

If you have a TA (Teaching Assistant) or GSR (Graduate Student Researcher) appointment, you will be paid in three equal paychecks. For a fall quarter appointment, your first paycheck will arrive on November 1. If you chose to have your check mailed it will be mailed to the address provided on UCPath (ucpath.ucsc.edu). Please also ensure that you have a current address on your UCSC portal. For any questions or concerns related to your paycheck, please contact the graduate program coordinator.

Experiencing Financial Difficulty?

If you are experiencing any financial insecurity please know that there are many resources available to help you. Slug Support on campus is a great place to start in many instances. We also encourage you to speak with the Graduate Advising Team, who may be able to recommend other assistance programs specific to your situation.

The scantron machine is located in Room 404, Social Sciences 2. This machine is reserved for psychology courses. Undergraduates are required to bring their own Scantron card to class for exams. A supply of Item Analysis cards will be by the machine. If you need more item analysis cards or experience any issues with the scantron machine, please see the Academic Services Coordinator (9-5084) in Room 277.