University-Wide Standards for Undergraduate Teaching Assistants at Florida State University

These University-wide standards are for an undergraduate student assuming one of the various instructional roles. These expectations are the minimum criteria, and departments may adopt additional or more stringent standards. Programs that do not use undergraduate students in instructional roles would not be affected by this policy. The established standards apply to all undergraduate teaching assistants, whether paid or working in a credit-earning capacity, in course instruction or aid. Note: Students who function in these roles who are not hired or receiving credit will still be held to role requirements.

The companion policy, University-wide Standards for Graduate Teaching Assistants at Florida State University, details the policies that apply to the use of graduate students as teaching assistants.

General

Administrative responsibility for the teaching assignment rests within the department or program in which the student is employed as an undergraduate teaching assistant (UGTA). Each department is responsible for:

  • providing orientation, supervision, and evaluation of its UGTAs.
  • assigning a faculty member to work closely with the individual undergraduate student to supervise and assist them in carrying out teaching responsibilities.

There should be a departmental orientation for UGTAs prior to their beginning any teaching responsibilities. Departments must also ensure that all UGTAs receive their required training on sexual harassment, FERPA, the Academic Honor Policy, and how to identify and handle situations of potential conflicts of interest. Departments must have their trainings approved and cataloged with the Division of Undergraduate Studies before any student can be certified as an UGTA. Departments must follow the established university recruiting and hiring process and the training requirements, listed below, in order to utilize UGTAs.

It is strongly recommended that each program have a discipline-specific teaching manual for its UGTAs.

Undergraduate Assistantship Job Code

To monitor compliance with University policies and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requirements, it is imperative that the proper appointment classifications be used for UGTAs. It is the responsibility of individual departments that employ UGTAs to establish the appropriate job code according to role responsibility. The Office of Human Resources (HR) can provide guidance on each classification and is the office to contact if there are any questions. Students in all Undergraduate Teaching Assistant classifications must be regularly supervised and evaluated by their supervising faculty member. They must also be certified as completely trained before they begin their job duties. Certification will be based on completion of the appropriate training requirements. The university standards for hiring Undergraduate Teaching Assistants (UGTAs) are in the following job codes:

  • Undergraduate Grading Assistant (A101)
  • Undergraduate Tutorial Assistant (A002)
  • Undergraduate Instructional/Lab Section Assistant (A003/A022)

Undergraduate Grading Assistants are degree seeking undergraduate students in the discipline or field in which they were hired to grade. Undergraduate students are restricted from grading other undergraduates' work on a subjective basis. They will assist instructors in grading based on completion or objective questions. They also help in administering exams and lab assignments. They will have direct contact with the faculty teaching the course. Undergraduate Grading Assistants are level one UGTAs, Job Code A101

Undergraduate Tutorial Assistants are degree seeking undergraduate students who have demonstrated subject matter expertise in the discipline or field in which they were hired to tutor. They will assist students in understanding and processing course materials and/or concepts. They will have direct contact with students and will do no grading. Undergraduate Tutorial Assistants are level two UGTAs, Job Code A002

Undergraduate Instructional/Lab Section Assistants are degree seeking undergraduate students trained in the discipline or field in which they were hired. They will lead recitation, discussion, or colloquium classes under the direct supervision of faculty/staff. Alternatively, they will lead lab classes, demonstrations, and/or experiments, under the direct supervision of faculty/staff. In order to hold this position, the student must have passed the course they will be instructing or leading and/or a training course to prepare them. Students must be listed and associated with the class and be assigned an instructor role. They will have direct contact with students and may grade assignments but will do no subjective grading. This role may include additional duties such as those described in aforementioned roles. Undergraduate Instructional/Lab Section Assistants are level three UGTAs. Job Code A003 or A022.

Note: A022 is an Exempt (from FLSA) job code whereas A003 is Non-Exempt. Non-exempt UGTAs are paid hourly wages and their time and leave must be tracked bi-weekly. Exempt UGTAs are paid a stipend for the semester and hours are auto generated in their timesheets. Appointing an UGTA as A022 (exempt job code) requires an OPS exempt request form and is subject to HR approval.

Learning Assistants (LAs) are undergraduates who have successfully completed a course and are subsequently selected by faculty to work with them in the classroom, helping current students engage with course material for better understanding. Through the guidance of weekly preparation sessions and a pedagogy course, LAs facilitate discussions among groups of students in a variety of classroom settings that encourage active engagement. Learning Assistants are level three UGTAs. Job Code A003 or A022

Note: A022 is an Exempt (from FLSA) job code whereas A003 is Non-Exempt. Non-exempt UGTAs are paid hourly wages and their time and leave must be tracked bi-weekly. Exempt UGTAs are paid a stipend for the semester and hours are auto generated in their timesheets. Appointing an UGTA as A022 (exempt job code) requires an OPS exempt request form and is subject to HR approval.

Minimum Training Requirements for Different Levels of Instruction (provided face-to-face or online)

All UGTAs must receive training on:

  • Discrimination/Sexual Misconduct/Retaliation Awareness and Prevention as included in in OPS New Employee Orientation (https://hr.fsu.edu/?page=neonline/neonline_home)
  • The Academic Honor Policy (information available through the Office of the Vice President of Faculty Development and Advancement https://fda.fsu.edu)
  • The Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (information available through the Office of the University Registrar https://registrar.fsu.edu)
  • Department specific policies and procedures for the individual department in which they are working.

All level two and three UGTAs must complete:

  • Peer Ambassadors, Advisors, Leaders, and Mentors Badge, covering a social media policy, code of conduct, or approved department equivalent.

All level three UGTAs must also receive:

  • Approved training on how to facilitate the class they will be leading.

Training for each of these policies is available in online learning modules; please contact Undergraduate Studies for access to this content.

Departments that choose to employ international undergraduate students who are not native speakers of English as UGTAs must certify the student's ability to communicate in spoken English using either the SPEAK exam or the speaking portion of the IBTOEFL. A score of 50 or higher on the SPEAK test, or 26 or higher on the speaking portion of the IBTOEFL, certifies a student to teach at any level. A score of 45 on SPEAK, or 23 to 24 on the Speaking section of IBTOEFL, certifies a student to teach at level 1. The Center for Intensive English Studies (CIES) offers courses in Spoken English (EAP courses). CIES also administers and scores the SPEAK test. For more information, please see https://cies.fsu.edu. Departments must send documentation regarding those UGTAs it has certified in English competency to the Office of the Vice President for Faculty Development and Advancement.