Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE)

MEMORANDUM

TO:	Prospective Teaching Assistants
FROM:	Andrew Pleszkun, Associate Chair
SUBJECT:	TA Assignments

Applications for TA positions for the spring semester are available here.

All students who wish to be a TA must fill out the TA Application. The purpose of the form is to give us the information needed to make assignments, such as areas of expertise, your schedule (to avoid conflicts with courses you intend to take), and in what courses you would feel confident. Please submit the on-line application as soon as possible.

There are likely to be far more applicants than positions. Therefore, I encourage you not to count on a teaching position, and I urge you to explore alternative employment where possible.

The TA appointments will normally be for 50% time (20 hours/week) although some 25% time appointments may be made. All TAs will have a full tuition waiver according to the Graduate College scale, which is 1 hour of paid tuition per 5% of appointment.

Spoken English Requirements
As required by the Dean of Undergraduate Education in the College of Engineering and Applied Science, all students who are awarded a TA position and whose native language is not English (see explanation below) are required to take the Speech Intelligibility Assessment conducted by Dr. Antonia Johnson through the Center for Talk Mastery. There is no cost to you for the assessment or for a followup course that may be required. You may schedule an assessment appointment at the Fall "Engineering TA Orientation" or by contacting Dr. Antonia Johnson directly by email at antjohnson@aol.com, or by phone at 303-818-4579. Your initial appointment will take about 45 minutes. The center is located at 1800 30th Street, Suite 217A, in Boulder, which is a short bus ride from campus. If you'd like further information on the center, the web site is www.talkmastery.com. The site also contains directions and a map to the center. (Note: if you are accepted for a TA position for the Spring semester, you must contact Dr. Johnson directly. There is no Engineering college-wide TA training in the spring to facilitate signing up for the assessment.)

If your assessment score is lower than the acceptable level for English speakers given your TA assignment duties, you will be required to take a one-semester, non-credit course that meets once a week for two hours. The College of Engineering will pay for the cost of the assessment and follow-up course.

What is meant by "English as your native language"? You may have lived for many years in a country where English is spoken regularly. However, the Speech Intelligibility Assessment is required of students whose English is not extremely similar to a United States accent as heard in U. S. news and other media.

ECE Department TA Training Requirements
All TAs who did not teach at CU before fall semester 1990 or who have not previously attended a TA training program must attend a TA training program. If you have not attended a TA training program and you did not teach at CU before fall of 1990, you must take the ECE Department TA training program which is tentatively scheduled for 9:00 a.m. in ECEE 1B08 on the Friday before classes start.

Fall Semester TA Training Requirements:
There is a required international teaching assistant intensive session, Graduate Teacher Program workshop and a College of Engineering Training program in addition to the ECE Department TA training. If you are awarded a teaching assistantship, you must attend the international student intensive session (if you are an international student), the Graduate Teacher Program workshops, and the College of Engineering TA training program. These programs are usually held the week prior to the start of classes. You will be notified of the location and times of the training sessions and workshops. You must attend four of the Graduate Teacher Program workshops, one of which must the the sexual harrassment training.

Spring Semester TA Training Requirements:
The paragraph applies to students who will begin their first TA assignment in a spring semester. There is no international teaching assistant intensive session offered for the spring semester. However, you are required to attend the ECE Department TA training program and the Graduate Teacher Program workshops. You must attend four of the Graduate Teacher Program workshops throughout the spring semester, one of which must be the sexual harrassment training. This will satisfy the ECE Department and the Graduate Teacher Program part of your TA training requirements. If you are awarded a teaching assistantship for any of the following fall semesters, you will be required to attend the international teaching assistant intensive session (if you are an international student) as well as the College of Engineering TA Training Program. These are usually held the week prior to the start of classes.

Note: You cannot be appointed as a TA unless you have either been a TA at CU before fall 1990 or you have completed the training program. If you are given a TA assignment and cannot or do not attend the TA training program sessions, your appointment will be revoked and an alternate will be selected from the waiting list. You should attend the TA training program sessions, which are free to students, even if you are not assigned in the first round, as only those who have completed the course may be placed on the waiting list. This requirement is a college-wide rule and will be strictly enforced.

The application form lists the TA positions likely to be available. More information is available from the instructor assigned to the class, the department website, or from me. It is important that you indicate which courses you intend to take. We generally will not assign a TA to a course if she or he cannot meet the responsibilities fully.

If you have questions about the procedures involved or the appointment process, please see me or Pam Wheeler.

Graduate Study in ECE

MEMORANDUM