Co(u)r(s)e Support

Supporting Faculty, Sustaining Quality

The CA program is making faculty life easier through innovative solutions.

Teaching is hard work. Whether you are launching a brand-new class or managing a large foundational course, the load can build from “busy” to “overwhelming” faster than end-of-semester extension requests. Grading piles up, Canvas sites need tending, and accessibility guidelines require a meticulous eye.

For years, the go-to solution was a mix of student aides. But as the landscape of graduate student hiring changes, a new solution has emerged to take some of the weight off faculty's shoulders: the Course Assistant (CA) program.

Spearheaded by Associate Professor Emeritus Paul Conway and now coordinated by Rob Rozeboom, Instructional Support Program Coordinator, the CA program is designed to be a faculty member’s secret weapon.

Unlike traditional student aides who are balancing their own heavy course loads, CAs are non-student temporary employees. These are professionals who hold relevant degrees and have at least a year of field experience. They are not just “extra hands.” They are subject-matter experts who can step into a grading rubric or a complex assignment with a high level of confidence.

“The goal is to provide a flexible, reliable cadre of support,” says Rob Rozeboom. “Because CAs bring professional experience, they do not just grade. They understand the context of the work.” This means faculty can spend less time on the administrative what and more time focusing on the intellectual why of their teaching.

The strength of the CA program lies in its flexibility. Faculty life is often defined by bursts of intensity, the mid-semester grading mountain, or the final project rush. CAs operate on a casual or sporadic schedule, typically working 8 to 10 hours a week, with the ability to scale up to 29 hours when workloads peak.

Because the program handles recruiting and placement, faculty are spared the time-consuming process of finding new support each semester. Professor Gabriela Marcu highlights this continuity as a game-changer:

“The CA program has been a huge help for my course because once I find a great CA, they do not have the audacity of graduating on me.” Marcu adds, “I no longer have to spend time each semester training graders and working toward consistent grading standards. With CA support, I have been able to build in more formative assessments and reliably turn around feedback to students every single week.”

Beyond making life easier for lecturers, CAs are a bridge for student success. Their professional background allows them to provide nuanced evaluations that reflect industry standards. Professor James Rampton emphasizes how this elevates the student experience:

“CAs have allowed me to provide real industry feedback to students and help them build a network with people who are actively working in roles they are interested in,” Rampton notes. “In addition, this creates a way to retain strong teaching support for courses. CAs have repeatedly returned each semester, and turnover has been limited.”

With each successful semester, the feedback is clear. CAs are making UMSI a more sustainable place to teach. By supporting high-volume, subjective grading and maintaining course quality, they allow faculty to reclaim their most valuable resource: time.

Recruiting for the next group of Course Assistants begins this May. If you are looking ahead to the Fall 2026 or Winter 2027 terms and want to ensure you have an expert in your corner, now is the time to reach out to Rob and the team.