Coordinators and Teaching Assistants / Fellows, 1
Natalia Pylypiuk
natalia.pylypiuk at UALBERTA.CA
Tue Sep 21 03:11:44 UTC 2004
Dear Colleagues,
My questions pertaining to the role of Coordinators / Language
Program directors in the selection of teaching Assistants, etc.,
elicited six responses. I will post these now in separate e-mail
messages, devoting one per question. All identifying markers have been
removed. I sincerely thank the respondents and hope that their
comments are useful to all colleagues who coordinate language courses
and train graduate students.
Kind regards,
Natalia Pylypiuk, U of Alberta
> (Question 1) Who in you department is responsible for assigning
> Teaching Assistantships and/or Teaching Fellowships to Graduate
> Students -- the Course Coordinator or the department's graduate
> office? Does anyone else have a voice?
>
Respondent 1.
WE HAVE A COMMITTEE MADE UP OF ABOUT HALF THE FACULTY (ABOUT SIX ON THE
COMMITTEE), INCLUDING THE CHAIR, THE GRADUATE STUDIES ADVISOR, THE
LANGUAGE COORDINATOR, AND REPRESENTATIVES FROM LITERATURE AND
LINGUISTICS. INSTRUCTORS OF THE NON-LANGUAGE COURSES THAT HAVE
GRADUATE STUDENT ASSISTANT INSTRUCTORS (DISCUSSION LEADERS AND GRADERS)
ARE AMONG THOSE PRESENT.
Respondent 2.
The decision to offer grad students a Teaching Assistantship is made by
the graduate studies committee (of which [the language coordinator is
a] member because [s/he has] a tenured appointment).
The assigning of a specific person to specific teaching duties has
primarily been [the coordinator's] responsibility with the consent of
the chair. If we are giving TAships to new students, [the coordinator]
will usually try to interview them in [Slavic language] before the
offer is made. If they are international students then the university
requires us to certify their ability to speak both English and the
language to be taught by a committee of no less than three people, one
of whom must be a student.
Respondent 3.
The decision is made jointly by the chair and the language program
coordinator. The graduate students also have a voice (in stating their
preferences for what kind of teaching), and faculty members who are
going to have a TA (e.g., for large enrollment general education
classes) also give input as to who they will work with.
Respondent 4.
Few Slavic Departments have either a course coordinator or a graduate
office. [Our multi-lingual dept.] has a language program coordinator
[who] has the voice in the process. [The coordinator] used to serve on
the admissions and fellowship
committee but stepped down when [the coordinator] became [an officer]
of the department. [The coordinator] still interviews prospective grads
to assess their spoken [Slavic language] with an eye to teaching
assignments. [The coordinator] also makes the decision as to who can
teach at what level. We have a rigorous language testing program for
grads: if they don't have strong enough [Slavic language], they can't
(and don't) teach.
Respondent 5.
At [our university] we appoint a committee chaired by the Graduate
Student Coordinator. The Committee evaluates the applications and ranks
them; this ranking is given to the rest of the faculty who approve or
disapprove the ranking at an open meeting. It should be noted that we
have all applicants submit to a written exam in [Slavic language] and
we conduct phone interviews to determine oral fluency if there is any
doubt. Then the Chair awards one, two, or three quarter TAships
according to that year's needs in the four levels of [Slavic language]
we offer. The actual coordinator of first and second year [Slavic
language] then directs the orientation of the TA's and continually
evaluates their teaching throughout the year.
Respondent 6.
TAship decisions are made at a departmental meeting at which all
faculty have a voice, including the coordinator. But if a student has a
multi-year aid package, it is clear in advance that they have a
TAship--just not which course they are doing. [The coordinator] has a
lot of input about which TAs get to do which courses, unless there is a
particular wish to have a certain TA get a turn at the literature
courses in translation.
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