Undergraduate Teaching Assistants (UTAs)

Thanks Committee: Ken Womack, Bob Kubat, Rae Brown, Nikki Gutgold, Dawn Blasko Thomas Litzinger Jacqueline Bortiatynski Neill Johnson Chas Brua

Process Review of literature Survey of Penn State units Consultation with local experts Review of materials from other universities

Key Findings and Recommendations Research shows a well-designed and implemented program of UTAs has benefits for students, UTAs, and faculty Penn State faculty in several units are already involving UTAs in their work, with great variability in practices Several universities, as well as several units within Penn State, have outlined important elements of a well-designed and implemented program for UTAs Academic departments, colleges and campuses can improve their existing efforts to involve UTAs in undergraduate education by learning from and using the model programs that others have developed. ACUE should share a final version of the “Good Practices” as guidelines for faculty to use Penn State’s University Faculty Senate should consider whether any elements of the “Good Practices” should become policy

Good Practices Recommendations and additional considerations in 5 areas Eligibility, recruitment, selection Responsibilities and duties Training Compensation and academic credit Supervision, evaluation and other

Good Practices: Eligibility, recruitment, selection UTAs should have strong overall academic performance UTAs should have at least third semester standing If assigned to a specific class, UTAs should have completed the class with a B+ or better; additional coursework with strong performance beyond the initial class and/or additional evidence of mastery of course content is recommended. If paid, UTAs should be recruited through the normal job posting process Additional criteria or procedures in selecting UTAs: Personal knowledge or recommendations of faculty An open application with review of relevant materials submitted and an interview Evidence of maturity or a demonstrated interest in future teaching (e.g. K-12 or pursuing doctoral education)

Good Practices: Eligibility, recruitment, selection Additional considerations Should strong academic performance or course grade requirements be more defined or stricter? Should UTAs be subject to administrator review/approval or be left to individual faculty members? Should a common course number be created to enable tracking UTAs offered for academic credit? Should departments, colleges, or the university develop a standard application form to ensure consistent procedures in recruitment and selection of UTAs in for-credit experiences?

Good Practices: Responsibilities and duties Course syllabus or job description Should involve A meaningful learning experience Engagement with faculty through mentoring and guidance Engagement with other students through peer learning Guidelines on duties: Yes: Assisting Maybe: Leading with supervision No: Leading, proctoring, grading without supervision; entering final grades; work unrelated to UTA role

Good Practices: Responsibilities and duties Additional considerations Should recommendations on duties and responsibilities differ depending on whether the UTA role is for pay or for academic credit? It may be useful to develop different recommendations.

Good Practices: Training UTAs should be provided training on pedagogical approaches and course content issues UTAs should be informed on how to handle or provided training on administrative issues related to their duties UTAs should be provided training appropriate to their expected duties which might include the following areas: Academic integrity policy and procedures FERPA and Confidentiality of Student Records Clery Act Child Abuse training Computer and Network Security Use of Instructional Data Lab Safety Conflicts of interest Sexual Harassment Classroom Disruptions Emergency situations, including active shooter

Good Practices: Training Additional considerations Should any of the training areas be required for all UTAs, both paid and for credit? Should some training be provided more centrally? Could existing approaches found in some areas (pedagogy courses in some colleges, requirements for Penn State learning tutors, training for new faculty and GAs through the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence and/or the World Campus) could be expanded and used for all UTAs? Could this be offered to any student seeking to be a UTA? Should colleges or departments be required to develop their own efforts using these models, if their faculty wish to use UTAs? Should some method of tutor certification be required before students can become a UTA?

Good Practices: Compensation and academic credit Compensation and/or credit to be awarded should be clearly communicated to potential UTAs during the recruitment process Academic credit awarded should follow University Faculty Senate policy (1 unit of academic credit is equivalent to 45 hours of work for a semester) Departments should consider limiting the total amount of credits applied to an undergraduate degree from UTA experiences to 6 credits or less Compensation paid should be consistent with wages paid to students in similar roles across the university.

Good Practices: Supervision, evaluation and other Regular meetings (weekly is recommended) and clear communications about their tasks, expectations and performance. Monitor and regularly review the work of UTAs during their experience. Faculty and/or departments should provide UTAs with the resources needed to complete their duties. Systematic evaluation of the performance of UTAs at least twice during their experience (mid-semester and end of semester). Formative assessments throughout the semester are recommended. Faculty supervising UTAs may delegate some supervision to GAs, however the faculty member should assign any final grade in a for-credit experience. Departments or colleges should have an individual identified as responsible for any UTA experiences and communicate this individual’s contact information to faculty and UTAs. This individual should provide a means for dispute resolution for UTAs and faculty using UTAs

Questions?