Undergraduate teaching assistant handbook

Undergraduate students who are interested in being a teaching assistant in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering should fill out the Undergraduate TA online application linked on the Information for Undergraduate TAs page. 

CSCI Undergraduate TA Eligibility Requirements:

• Enrolled as a degree seeking or non degree seeking undergraduate student
• Meet the minimum credit registration requirement
• English Language Proficiency requirements

The University of Minnesota shall provide equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

If you are unable or limited in your ability to access this job opening or apply for the job on this site as a result of accessibility issues or concerns, you can request reasonable accommodations by contacting [email protected] or (612) 625-4002. 

A variety of factors are considered when deciding which applicants to interview and hire. Below is a list of important criteria (in no particular order):

• Previous experience: previous tutoring or TA experience as well as general work experience are considered in the selection process.
• Communication skills and rapport with students: UG TAs need to be able to speak clearly, explain computer science concepts well, write well, relate to students, faculty, and staff, etc.
• Course eligibility: candidates are eligible to TA for courses they have completed and receive a B or higher grade in. The more courses a candidate is eligible for, the more likely they are to be hired.
• Time availability: offers and course placements are contingent upon candidate availability. The more lectures, labs, and/or discussions a candidate is available for, the more likely they are to be hired (candidates will not necessarily be assigned to every section of availability they provide; providing a wide range of availability simply increases the likelihood of being hired).
• DEAI familiarity: the CS&E department greatly values diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion, and recognizes that these are important factors in supporting student success. UG TA candidates are assessed on their ability to understand issues students are navigating and deliver services to students using a DEAI perspective.  

For fall semester, applications are considered starting in March, and continue throughout summer and the start of September. The department will email applicants selected for interviews.

For spring semester, applications are considered starting in October and continue throughout January. Again, the department will email applicants selected for interviews.

Summer undergraduate TA positions are considered in April and May. Because there are only a small number of undergraduate TA positions in summer, and because these positions normally require an experienced TA, the department does not usually consider new applicants for summer positions.

UG TAs are mainly hired for lower-level courses including most 1xxx, 2xxx, and 3xxx-level courses. There may be opportunities for UG TAs to be hired for 4xxx and 5xxx-level courses as well. UG TAs are not hired for 8xxx-level courses. 

View a full list of CSCI courses

UG TA candidates that are offered positions should respond to their offer and submit any additional necessary paperwork in a timely manner. 

UG TAs who have not previously worked at the University will need to submit an I-9 form. Failure to submit this form can mean a delay in the start date of the TA appointment. The I-9 is a U.S. legal requirement and cannot be waived or deferred by the CS&E department. UG TAs that are required to submit an I-9 will receive instructions on how to do so from [email protected]. 

UG TA positions are appointed on a semester-by-semester basis. CS&E welcomes UG TAs to continue working as a TA for as long as they are undergraduates at the University of Minnesota, and as long as their work is of high quality. This means that the course staff in most classes will consist of both experienced TAs and new TAs.

UG TAs will be contacted by [email protected] to see if they wish to return for the next semester. Current UG TAs do not need to submit a new TA application. 

Undergraduate TAs usually assist with labs or discussion sections, hold office hours, grade, attend weekly course staff meetings, respond to questions received electronically (such as through email or Discord), and perform occasional other tasks such as helping maintain the course website. Specific duties are assigned by the course instructor. 

UG TAs typically work somewhere between 5-15 hours per week. 

UG TAs are paid hourly. TAs track their hours and submit biweekly timesheets through MyU to be approved by the course instructor. TAs should not delay submitting their hours, since significantly late submissions might result in penalties for both the TA and for the department.

See the UG TA FAQs sheet for starting pay and raise information. 

Since UG TAs are University employees with important responsibilities, they are held to high standards. Students often view TAs as examples of successful computer science students, so TAs should model good academic and professional behavior. TAs who engage in academic misconduct or otherwise violate significant University or Department rules - either in the course of their TA work or in the classes they are taking - can lose their TA positions and be subject to other disciplinary action.

UG TAs are expected to be available and physically present for their TA work (unless hired for a remote modality course). Students with significant time restrictions, that will be out of town during extended periods of time, etc. should not accept TA offers. TAs should be present on campus by the first day of classes, and should not leave at the semester's end until all their TA work is complete. TAs must be available to work and grade for at least three days after the class final unless told otherwise by the instructor.

UG TAs are welcome to hold other jobs while being a TA as long as they can maintain about 10 hours of time per week dedicated to TA duties. 

Instructors will typically contact UG TAs the week before classes start. Instructors usually have an organizational meeting during the first week of classes, and sometimes also have preparation tasks for TAs to do right before or at the start of classes. If you have not heard from the instructor you are assigned to work with by the first day of class, please email them using the contact information provided in your offer letter.

Most courses have a weekly meeting with the instructor, graduate TAs, and undergraduate TAs. These meetings are important for planning, organizing, and sharing teaching tips and other critical course information. TAs are expected to attend all these meetings, and to contact the course instructor ahead of time if they are unable to attend.

Due to the large number of UG TAs hired by the CS&E department each term, the department is unable to provide course textbooks to UG TAs. UG TAs should contact the course instructor if a textbook is required to complete TA duties.

UG TAs should discuss office hour times with the course instructor early on in the semester. The UG TA coordination team will send out the Office Hour Sign Up Sheet and information on office hour spaces around the first day of class. TAs will not hold office hours during the first week of class unless specified by the instructor. 

UG TAs should notify the course instructor immediately if they will miss any of their scheduled TA duties. It is also best practice to attempt to find another UG TA assigned to the same course to cover those duties. 

UG TAs should check email at least once per day and respond to faculty, other TAs, departmental staff, and student inquiries in a timely manner (keep in mind the standard response time of 24-48 hours). 

All TAs must have their current mailing address and home phone number on file. Please make sure your contact information is up to date.

The CS&E department does not offer exam and coursework copying services. Course instructors will have information on how to make or request copies. Questions regarding this process can be directed to [email protected]. 

Students should turn in assignments during class or office hours. University Policy mandates that assignments and examinations should be handed back in class or office hours rather than placed in the hall for students to pick up. Do not return coursework or exams to the CS&E department unless instructed to do so by the course instructor. 

After finals, TAs should not leave town until all of their grading for the class is complete. TAs must be available to work and grade for at least three days after the class final unless told otherwise by the instructor. 

Student ID numbers, grades, etc. are confidential information. Disclosure of private information is an extremely serious matter, and all TAs should be very careful that private information is not posted on web sites, left laying around where others can see it, etc. Confidentiality rules and recommendations:

• All TAs should know what information is public and what is private. See the FERPA resources page if you are unsure about this. If you have any questions about whether the requested information is private or public, please ask the course instructor or the department before releasing it.
• FERPA rules apply to people both outside and inside of the University.
• Avoid sending FERPA-protected information over email.
• Do not store FERPA-protected information on your laptop or in any other place that could be accessed publicly or stolen.
• Store physical coursework in a secure location. Physical coursework can be turned in to the CS&E front desk to be shredded after the semester is complete. 

UG TAs are official employees of the University of Minnesota, and are therefore held to high standards of professional conduct. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Not engaging in academic misconduct, nepotism, sexual harassment, or other inappropriate interpersonal conduct
• Upholding confidentiality and FERPA
• Handling course materials with care
• Being present and on time to course staff meetings, office hours, etc.
• Replying to communications in a timely manner
   

One part of being a successful TA is to treat all students with respect and strive to help all of them to learn. This means avoiding inappropriate behavior such as making disparaging remarks about students, engaging in sexual harassment, and pursuing inappropriate relationships. It also means not limiting TA help to certain students in the class. Consider the following scenarios:

• A TA is also a member of a University club. Is it OK for the TA to give club members copies of past exams, answer keys, etc. that the TA has access to?
  • Generally, no. A couple relevant factors are whether the instructor is okay with the club members having the material and whether students in the class would also have access to the material.
• A TA has a family member taking the class they are assigned to. Is it OK for the TA to continue working in that class?
  • It depends. TA should always avoid nepotism and evaluating the work of anyone they are closely related to, or have a close relationship with. If this situation arises, TAs should consult with the instructor: in many cases, it will be possible to structure the TA's duties to avoid any problems. However, in some cases, it might be necessary to assign the TA to another class.
• Is it OK for a TA to form close friendships with students in the class?
  • No. If a relationship already exists, there is the same risk of nepotism as described above. If a relationship does not exist, TAs and students should avoid forming close friendships.
• Is it OK for a TA to provide special help sessions for a student they particularly like?
  • No if they would not also provide the same help to any other student in the class. 
     

In summary, UG TAs should:

• Treat all students with respect, and aim to help all to learn.
• Avoid giving any students an undue advantage. (TAs will, of course, need to use good judgment about what "undue" means. Note, for example, that holding a special help session for students who are struggling is perfectly okay.)
• Know and follow University rules about behavior such as nepotism and sexual harassment.
• Use good judgment when deciding what is and is not appropriate TA behavior, and ask the course instructor or TA coordinators when unsure.

TAs hold positions of responsibility. For this reason, academic (or other) misconduct by a TA is a particularly grave situation, and can be grounds for termination of the TA position. TAs should be familiar with the college acceptable use rules as well as the University Student Conduct Code, should exercise good judgment, and should model good student conduct. If you are not sure what constitutes cheating, read the resources below and ask the course instructor. Certain activities (such as collaboration on assignments) may or may not be permissible depending on the class and on the assignment. It is your responsibility to know what is normative in general (e.g., all students should know what the University of Minnesota considers plagiarism), and the instructor's responsibility to clarify any gray areas or special rules. Helpful resources:

• Office for Community Standards
• CS&E department academic conduct information
• Student Conduct Code
• Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources

If you notice suspicious activity, first determine if it is likely that cheating occurred, and, if so, whether there is reasonable evidence to support that suspicion. If you think that cheating did occur, report this to the course instructor immediately. Gather the following:

• Evidence: save or make copies of any papers or computer files involved
• Support: if possible, gather any witnesses so there is more evidence than just your word against the student's. For example, if you notice cheating during an exam, notify the instructor and/or other proctors
• Notes: write down any additional information that might be relevant, and which you might not remember if the situation is contested at a later date
   

The course instructor will then decide what further action to take, if any. If the instructor determines that cheating has indeed occurred, there are University procedures they will need to follow.

What types of TA practices best help students learn? What types of activities are particularly helpful to instructors? In classes you have taken, what have TAs done that have not been helpful, and what have TAs done that have been particularly helpful? 

A large part of being successful is just showing up. Show up to office hours, show up to course staff meetings, and show up to labs or recitations you are responsible for. It is an essential part of the TA job and instructors, other TAs, and students appreciate when they can rely on you.

Show up on time. If you are in charge of an 8am lab, show up a few minutes early so students can settle in by the time the lab should start. Answer email and other communications in a timely fashion. Be on time to weekly course staff meetings. Complete grading in a timely manner.

When you are in a lab, discussion, or office hours, you are there for students. Students appreciate knowing that you are approachable and are there to help them. Lab time, for example, is not a time to withdraw to a corner and check phone messages or work on an assignment. Even if there is a lull in student questions during the lab, make sure you are attentive to what is going on, and that students know you are accessible for questions or for checking their work.

Part of being a student is having too much to do. (The same is true of being a professor). There is always more to learn, more to read, more to write, more research to do, people to talk to, projects to participate in, etc. Being a successful TA requires balancing your TA work, your coursework, and other commitments. This is not easy. However, by accepting a TA offer, you are committing to being able to put in sufficient time to do your TA duties. Practices such as canceling office hours because you have an assignment due in a class you are taking are not acceptable.

Working in a team requires good communication practices. This includes communicating with students, other TAs, and the professor. There are a number of good communication practices including, but not limited to the following:

• Answer emails from students, other TAs, and professors in a timely manner (the biggest complaint that the department receives about TAs from instructors is when a TA doesn't reply to urgent email in a reasonable amount of time).
• If your course has weekly meetings, make sure you attend as these meetings are a primary way for the course staff to exchange important information. If you miss a meeting (due to illness, for example), check to see what you missed.
• Alert the professor (and other TAs if appropriate) about course problems. Often TAs are the first to recognize when, for example, the majority of the class is struggling too much with material, when there is confusion about the meaning of a homework problem, etc.
• Ask good questions. These might be of the professor ("A number of students are asking about X, and I'm not sure what to tell them. What do you recommend?"), of other TAs ("how are we going to coordinate the grading of the assignment?"), or of students ("can you explain your answer so I'm sure I understand it?").

Our best UG TAs often perform more TA work than what is specifically assigned to them. Rather, they might notice many students are struggling with a certain concept, and post an explanation of that concept to the class web page or notify the professor so they could explain the concept further in class. They might remind a professor that a particular type of lab problem has been confusing to students in past offerings of the class. They might notice that there is a forum question that has gone unanswered for too long, and answer it. They might volunteer for a TA duty that no other TA is stepping forward to do.

One important way that good TA practices are passed along is from TA to TA. This is one reason why there are multiple TAs, usually including a number of experienced TAs, in our introductory courses. TAs, especially experienced TAs, should help other TAs. For example, TAs often share tips about how to handle difficult course concepts ("in the past this topic has been difficult for students, but we found that it helps to explain it by...").

In a large semester-long class there will be numerous occasions when things do not go as planned. Perhaps an assignment is taking longer to grade than expected. Perhaps students are misunderstanding a lab or homework problem. Perhaps some lab equipment is down. When such problems occur, handle them promptly and as best you can, notify people as needed (for example, the system staff, instructor, or other TAs), and ask for help when appropriate. (See the "Handling Problems" scenario in the section below for a related example).

You are likely a TA because you like computer science, you like teaching and learning, and you enjoy helping others learn. Be positive, enjoy your TA work, and share your enthusiasm for learning and for the field.

In addition to following the department and University rules (see the section above), the best TAs model professional behavior in their TA work. Students take cues from TAs. If students see TAs arriving to labs on time, being approachable, etc. then students are more likely to show up on time and be engaged. If students see TAs arriving late, retreating to a corner to do their own work during lab, etc. then students are less likely to have a high regard for the course or for the field of computer science. Professionalism includes not only those issues, but also issues such as respect for students. Making disparaging comments about a student's abilities to other students, "flaming" during online communications, and having conversations in lab, discussion, or office hours that some students might find inappropriate are some examples of unprofessional behavior.

Below are some example scenarios of things that may come up in your UG TA work and follow-up questions to help resolve the situation. Solutions are not provided, but if you are unsure of how to approach any of the below scenarios, please reach out to the course instructor or [email protected]. 

Suppose you are TAing for a large class that has a large number of TAs. The professor has each TA grading a section of the class. You get some student complaints that you have deducted points for a mistake that students in another section did not lose points for.

Q1. Do you think this is a serious concern?

Q2. If so, what can you do to address the concern?

Q3. How can you prevent something like this from occurring in the first place?

Suppose a TA is grading an assignment, and the professor asks the TA to return the graded assignments in lab on Thursday so students have them to study before a midterm the following Monday. The TA waits until Wednesday to start the grading, then is unable to get all the grading done on time. Due to a heavy schedule the next day, they don't finish the grading until Friday afternoon. Moreover, they don't notify the professor (or other TAs) about the grading (or reply to any professor email about the grading) until they have finished it on Friday.

Q1. How could the TA have avoided this problem in the first place?

Q2. Once it became clear that the grading would not be done on time, what did the TA do to make the problem worse? What could they have done to handle the problem better?

Suppose you are spending a lot of time in office hours with a student. Even though you are explaining things carefully and repeatedly, they are just not grasping what you are explaining.

Q1. Have you ever been on the student-side of this situation? What helped you?

Q2. What other teaching approaches can you try?

Suppose you discover that you will have to grade a midterm for the class you are TAing, spend substantial time on a project for one class you are taking, and study for a midterm for another class you are taking, all next week.

Q1. How can you avoid neglecting one or more of these?

Q2. How can you prevent something like this from occurring in the first place?

Suppose that when grading, you notice that two students' solutions are identical. The assignment instructions clearly state that students should not work together, and the assignment was complicated enough that the chance of all answers being identical is negligible. You happen to see one of the students later that day, and ask the student about the similarity. The student tearfully confesses that they copied the other student's work because they had trouble at work lately, were falling behind in the class, and were afraid of failing it. The student also asks you not to report the incident to the instructor because they were afraid of getting "kicked out of school."

Q1. What are your responsibilities in this situation? Should you report the incident to the instructor?

Q2. Should personal circumstances be taken into account when deciding whether cheating occurred?

Suppose a student turns in some code that seems very different than what the student usually writes. You do a web search and find that the code is fairly similar, although not quite verbatim, to code posted on a web site. When asked about this, the students admits to viewing the site, but claims that they wrote their own code based on what they learned at the site, rather than copying the code verbatim. The student also claims that viewing the web material was not cheating since the class syllabus prohibits getting solutions from "others," and the students claims this does not prohibit getting help from online resources, other texts, etc.

Q1. Is it cheating for a student to search the web (or other resources) for solutions to a homework problem, even if they do not copy verbatim any solutions they find?

Q2. Do you think what the student did was cheating? Why or why not?