Instructional Assistants (IAs) consist of TAs, Tutors and Readers.

Teaching Assistant

A Teaching Assistant (TA) assists in the instruction of any upper or lower division course at the University under the supervision of a faculty member. The TA primarily assists the faculty member in charge of the course by conducting discussion or laboratory sections that supplement faculty lectures and by grading assignments and examinations. Graduate students registered full-time (twelve units or more) may be appointed up to 50 percent time (twenty hours/week) as Teaching Assistants during the academic year.

Tutor

A Tutor provides tutoring to individual (one-on-one) or small groups (three or more) of undergraduate or graduate students who require additional help to understand a course or topical material. In some instances tutoring may focus on improved use of the English language.

Reader

A Reader, on the other hand, assists a course instructor by grading homework, papers, or exams. Graduate students may be appointed up to 50 percent time (twenty hours per week) as Readers and Tutors.

Description of Duties by Position - Please see the allowable duties for each position as agreed upon by the UC and Union in the table below. The red "X" indicates a duty that is not allowable under that position as agreed upon by the Union. Following the table are written descriptions for each position; both convey the same information.

• Graduate students who are appointed as Teaching Assistants or Associates-In (sub 0, fixed salary) or Readers or Tutors, at a minimum of 25% for the entire quarter, are eligible for payment of graduate student health insurance (GSHIP) and partial fee remission that covers Tuition (formerly the Education fee), the Student Services fee (formerly the Registration fee) and effective Fall 2023, 100% of campus-based fees. Nonresident Supplemental Tuition (formerly Nonresident Tuition) is not covered.
• Fee Payment Information for Academic Student Employees
• Student Academic Title Pay Rates

• All graduate appointees must
  • Be registered full-time (at least 12 units),
  • Be in good academic standing (maintain a GPA of 3.0 in upper-division and graduate course work and must not have more than a total of eight units of F and/or U grades overall), and
  • Meet the language requirement (only applicable to TA positions) as indicated below.
• Graduate students can hold positions as TAs, Tutors or Readers.
  • Incoming graduate students (B.S./M.S., M.S., or Ph.D.) can submit TA and Tutor/Reader applications at the beginning of their first quarter. Due to limited positions, it is a highly competitive process. Students are more likely to receive an offer after they have an established UC GPA. They can also apply to other departments as long as they meet the requirements of that department.
• Undergraduate students can hold positions as Tutors and Readers.
• All undergraduate appointees must have a minimum overall 3.0 GPA

For information on the language requirement to TA, see the information on the Extended Studies page. 

ISEO webinar: New Fall 2024 Graduate Students: Teaching Assistantship & English Proficiency Requirements

The call for applications for a TA, Tutor, and/or Reader position is sent to current graduate students via email. The application deadline is typically the end of the 7th week in Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters for positions beginning the next quarter. The application for Fall positions is sent to current graduate students via email in July, so please regularly monitor your UCSD email.

The ECE department has a limited number of TA, Tutor, and Reader positions available. We strongly encourage students to investigate employment opportunities available outside the department.  Please visit ASES for information on academic employment positions that may be available in other departments.

• ECE 501 is a designated course for Teaching Assistants (TA), Tutors and Readers the quarter they are hired.
• ECE 501 is intended as teaching credit for graduate students who are working 10 and more hours per week.
• If you would like enroll in ECE 501 under your instructor's name, please submit an EASy Pre-Authorization request.
  • Please indicate how many units (1-4) you would like to enroll in under the "justification" section of the request.
  • If the professor that you are employed for is not populating on the EASy system, please email ece-ta@ucsd.edu for assistance in creating a section for that professor. 
• Enrolling in ECE 501 and the number of units (1-4) you register for must be approved by the instructor of that course.
• Submitting an EASy request does not guarantee enrollment in the course.
• ECE 501 cannot be used towards your degree and can only be taken for an S/U grade.
  • Details about S/U grading can be found here. S/U grades do not count towards the GPA.
• The syllabus for ECE 501 can be found here. 

• Teaching Assistants enhance the learning experience of UC San Diego students by complementing the activities of the course instructor. TAs receive training under the mentorship and supervision of the instructor.
• Decisions made by TAs have a significant effect on their students' grades. TAs should carry out their responsibilities professionally, and be especially careful not to abuse their authority. TAs should evaluate student work objectively and fairly. In particular:
  • TAs may not agree to be paid as tutors for students in their class. These students would by definition receive preferential access to the TA. TAs should not become romantically involved with students in their class. Such involvement makes objective evaluation difficult and also raises questions of sexual harassment. If a TA has a friend or partner who is a student in the class, they should not grade that student's papers.

• TA course responsibilities begin at the start of preparation for the academic quarter and continue until the final grades have been turned in--usually the Tuesday after the end of final exams. TAs are responsible for contacting the instructor of their course prior to the first day of instruction and for determining when their responsibilities have finished for the quarter.
• TAs are expected to be present during scheduled office hours or sections. If a TA must cancel office hours or sections due to illness or another conflict, they should contact the course instructor about the possibility of having someone substitute to cover duties. The TA should notify their students as soon as possible if there will be a cancellation or rescheduling of the usual discussion section or office hours. 
• TAs are expected to be adequately prepared for office hours and sections. For lab/discussion sections, it is common to spend as much time preparing examples or other notes as in the lecture itself.

• TAs have academic appointments and must comply with all the regulations relating to such a position. These include regulations prohibiting Sexual Harassment, misuse of University property, substance abuse, and any violations of the law. The definitive source about such regulations is the UC San Diego Policies and Procedures Manual.
• Graduate students who accept an offer of a Teaching Assistantship have a professional obligation to teach during that period. Students who are not able to fulfill their commitment to teaching should notify the department as early as possible so that a qualified replacement may be found. Only students with teaching appointments equal to or greater than 25% are eligible for partial fee remission. Students who elect not to teach, or who reduce their workload to less than a 25% appointment, must obtain tuition support from another source.

• All completed assignments, exams, grades, correspondence, and other information about individual students in the class shall be kept confidential except where the student has given written consent. In particular:
  • No student in the class should ever be allowed access to a TA computer account or to TA files. Grade files on the computer should be kept protected. Grades should never be posted by name, nor by any identifying number such as a PID, other student identification number, or social security number.
• These provisions are consistent with Federal and State privacy laws.
• Graded assignments should not be left in a public place. Answer keys or exam materials should be kept secure in a locked drawer.

ECE Student Affairs will contact IAs with instructions prior to the start of the quarter. For safety reasons, office hours cannot be conducted in lab spaces.

• Emergency Numbers: Campus police: 9-1-1 from campus phone or 858-534-4357 (Help) form cell phone
• Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at 858-543-3755
• Most classrooms and labs have signage about where to evacuate if there is an emergency.

IAs may find themselves in a situation where there is concern about the well-being or safety of one or more individuals, including the IA themselves. This could include a highly distressed or upset student, a threat made by a student to harm themselves or others, or harassment of others (including the IA). It could take place in person, on the phone, via email or other electronic formats. These issues should be taken seriously. The IA must immediately report the incident to the instructor. If you ever feel there is an imminent danger (student harming themselves or others--including you), dial 9-1-1 or numbers above.

For more information about TA, Tutor, and Reader positions, please consult the following sources:

1. TA Training and Development Programs (Teaching and Learning Commons)
2. Disability Counseling and Consulting

• Staff Contact Page (non-financial questions only)
• IA Faculty Advisor
  • Professor Rajeev Sahay (r2sahay@ucsd.edu) 
• Teaching and Learning Commons
• IA Workshop Requirements
  • TA - 2 workshops required
  • Tutor - 1 workshop required
  • Reader - no workshop requirement

• Please refer to the Grievance Procedures as outlined in the Union Contract Agreement, Article 11. Disputes regarding workload are not subject to Article 11, Grievance and Arbitration of this Agreement. For workload complaint procedure, please see Article 30, Workload.

• Yes, however, you may only accept a 10 hours/week position or less for that quarter.

• No it is not necessary to have an SSN to apply for a position. Our Financial Support Coordinators will work with you on how to obtain a SSN once you have accepted the position.

• We recommend applying to departments across campus and emailing faculty for courses you believe you are qualified for, have taken classes with, and performed well with. You can include a brief 1-2 sentences about your qualifications, why you're a qualified candidate, and a copy of your resume or CV.

• Yes. Graduate students who are appointed as TAs, Tutors, and Readers for 10 or more hours per week can request to earn teaching credit by submitting an EASy request for ECE 501 under their supervisor.
• In-depth enrollment process information can be found here. 

5. Do I meet the English language requirement to TA?

• Please visit the Extended Studies ELCE page for detailed information.