Critical Ethnic Studies Teaching Assistantships

Introduction

In Winter 2024, the K College faculty voted to implement Teaching Assistantships as either “credit-bearing or wage-earning, depending on what type of TAship the faculty member offers.” Credit-bearing TAships are “structured around academic work,” while wage-earning positions are a “supervisor-employee relationship, with each party having the protections and obligations present in any employment relationship under state and federal laws.” In some cases, a TAship may be both credit-bearing and wage-earning; however, in such cases, the expectations and duties for each role should be “clearly delineate[d].” While the policy also allows for TAships on a “volunteer basis” if a student does not want a credited or a paid position, CES will not support or approve volunteer TAships moving forward. Students who serve as a TA in CES must be compensated for their time and labor in accordance with one of these three approved models.   

CES Informed Practice for TAships

All TA positions in CES must be structured and executed in alignment with our core mission and vision. Our program centers decolonial pedagogy, with an emphasis on student leadership, non-hierarchical relationships, and collaborative learning. While we strive to uphold these values in and out of the classroom, we also acknowledge the inherent power imbalance for and between faculty, TAs, and students, and we understand how those power dynamics may unduly impact the TA and require them to negotiate their established, ongoing relationships with both faculty and peers. We want to be particularly attentive to roles TAs play in classroom, where they occupy a position of authority over their peers as they serve and advance the interests of the faculty member and the course. To this end, we outline the following baseline expectations for TAs, with a particular eye toward preserving faculty-TA-student relationships in our program: 

  1. TAs should be considered a student learning resource, not an additional instructor. While it is acceptable to help students brainstorm an assignment, explain assignment guidelines, or offer suggestions or recommendations, TAs should not grade assignments, calculate grades, explain instructor feedback, etc.;
  2. TAs should not serve as de-escalation mediators or interpersonal intermediaries in any capacity, including: student-to-student; student-to-faculty; student-to-community member/organization. Any interpersonal or conflict-derived issues that arise that require intervention, in or outside the classroom, are the purview of the instructor only;
  3. TAs, whether credit-bearing or wage-earning, are employees of the College and operate as CES representatives, and, as such, they are obligated to respect student confidentiality. This includes sharing any information attained or observations gleaned due to their position in the classroom with anyone other than the professor. Any concerns about student behavior or well-being should be taken directly to the professor;
  4. All CES community partnerships should be conducted in conversation with the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) at K.  TAs who work with community-engaged courses also represent the College, the CCE, and CES in the community. As such, they may be asked to follow CCE informed practices or to complete tasks required by/in conjunction with the CCE to ensure student safety and ethical engagement with the community partner;  
  5. Faculty should maintain professional boundaries with TAs and protect student confidentiality, which includes not sharing personal opinions about student behavior or ability with the TA, or discussing student work, assignment or course grades, or course evaluations with the TA without the student’s consent or prior notice that TAs will have access to these materials;  
  6. If a student asks for assistance outside the purview of the TA role, the TA should refer the student to the professor for the course for the assistance they seek. If the professor asks the TA to engage in labor outside the purview of the TA role, the TA should request a meeting with the professor to review/discuss this document, the agreement of understanding, and/or the syllabus, as applicable. If the issue cannot be satisfactorily resolved, the TA or professor should contact the CES department chair for assistance.  

In order to standardize the process and ensure equity, the College recommends but does not require that all TA positions be listed on Handshake. Further, CES encourages faculty to avoid the practice of repeat TAships, either in one specific course or across several courses. TAships are coveted by students, carry cultural cache on campus, and provide learning and professionalization opportunities that advantage students on graduate school applications or the job market. While it may be easier or more seamless for faculty to use the same TA repeatedly, and also enables the TA to refine their skillset, we commit to a practice that allows for widespread access and opportunity among our majors (or highly qualified non-majors).

TAship Policies

Credit-Bearing TAships

College policy deems that students may take a maximum 1.0 unit of teaching apprenticeship during their degree, with TAships ranging between 0.2 and 1 unit of credit. Additional units of credit may apply as independent study and will count toward the total 2.0 units of independent study allowed. TAship credit is determined according to the College metric, which considers “contact hours” and anticipated work time outside the class:

0.25 credits = 3 – 4 hrs/wk

0.5 credits = 6 – 8 hrs/wk

0.75 credits = 9 – 12 hrs/wk

1.0 credits 12 – 15 hrs/wk

Credit-Bearing TAships are academic in nature and should prioritize and advance the TA’s individual learning goals (set/negotiated with the faculty member) and enhance learning for students in the course. The TA’s work and final output should clearly reflect this undertaking. There are numerous ways to conceptualize such work, including but not limited to:

  • Class attendance;
  • Designing and/or running workshops;
  • Creating lesson plans;
  • Teaching demonstrations (mini lectures, activities, facilitating discussion, etc.);
  • Reading supplemental pedagogy articles or criticism;
  • Holding office hours;
  • Undertaking course-based research;
  • Writing critical reflection essays.

TAships can be taken as a letter grade or CR/NC. The faculty-TA agreement and syllabus should clearly outline how the grade will be determined and assessed.

Wage-Earning TAships

As a department, we are unable to pay students for administrative labor; however, paid positions for civic engagement courses may be able to be supported by CCE and should be arranged by faculty before the TA is selected.

Types of administrative work could include but are not limited to:

  • Recording student attendance at community-based events, labs, or placements;
  • Follow-up communication with community partners (the TA should not, of course, be the one who establishes the relationship with the community partner);
  • Handing out/collecting forms required by the CCE for student work with the partner;
  • Transporting students to and from a community placement or event (once TA has completed College requirements to drive students);
  • Making arrangements (such as invitations, refreshments, etc.) for final presentations, workshops, or other class events;
  • Helping to gather students’ schedules to arrange for community placements;
  • Facilitating structured reflection sessions about community-based work.

Weekly Hours

In the past, the CCE has paid student TAs who support civic engagement activities in courses for up to 10 hours per week. Hours may vary throughout the quarter—and the ebb and flow of the hourly commitment should be communicated by the instructor to the TA.

When making arrangements for a wage-earning TAships, please be attentive to these core principles and procedures:

  • The instructor will want to check in with the CCE about the number of hours they can allot to a TA before finalizing the position with the TA;
  • The TA should not be asked to commit to the position without knowing the number of hours per week or per term that is needed and that will be supported by the CCE;
  • TAs should not work more hours than they will be paid for.

TAship Procedures

For Faculty

After the TA is selected and prior to the start of the TAship, the faculty member should notify Renee Boeckle via email (provide the student’s name and course they are TAing). Since these arrangements and the student’s HR and Title IV training must be completed before the TA begins their work, please contact Renee no later than two weeks before the course begins. The faculty member should also be in ongoing conversation with the CCE about courses that have community partners or do community-engaged work and should inform the CCE, when the annual schedule is set for the upcoming academic year, which of their courses are civic engagement/service-learning/community-engaged courses that would benefit from the assistance of a TA.

For TAs

The TA should register for CES 600 with an add/drop form (available under the student forms tab on the Registrar’s Office website) and undergo the online TA training module* designed by the Human Resources Office. TAs are also required to attend one of the Policy Against Harassment/Title IX training group sessions scheduled by the Title IX Coordinator. TAs may request an exemption if they have previously attended one of the Title IX Coordinator’s Policy Against Harassment/Title IX in-person trainings during that same academic year.

*This training module includes important information about Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Title IX, confidentiality, the honor code, academic support resources, student support resources, and conflicts of interest. Because official teaching assistantship positions are hierarchical and hence carry a degree of power, all TAs should be explicitly forbidden from forming intimate contact with students enrolled in the course. Any preexisting relationship that may form a conflict of interest with a student in the class must be disclosed to the instructor immediately.

TAs will receive a feedback form to relay their experiences with the TAship from the CES department chair by 9th week Monday. The form should be submitted to the department chair no later than 10th week Friday by 5pm. Completion of this form is required for all TAships.