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Teaching assistant Beth Goodhue from UCLA’s English department speaks to a group of undergr

Before standing up in front of 60 expectant students for his first discussion section, a new teaching assistant can shed his nervousness by leading his fellow TAs through a mock discussion section, where they can practice eliminating shaking hands and awkward pauses.

At a university with more than 24,000 undergraduates, TAs have become an integral part of UCLA’s academic life.

TAs grade students’ papers, lead discussion sections, and are often sought out by students before they will turn to professors for help.

Though there is no campus-wide requirement that all Ph.D. students at UCLA must work as TAs, most departments require graduate students to TA about three classes during their stay at UCLA.

It is up to professors to determine the function of their discussion section, whether it is mainly for class discussion, if the section gives homework help to students, or if the section is a lab, as well as whether discussion sections are mandatory.

And the differences in the role of discussion sections across campus mean that TAs will have different job requirements within different departments.

In lower division humanities courses, sections primarily serves as forums for student discussion and elaboration on topics covered in lecture.

For example, in the English 10 series, Professor Michael North said the only time students can discuss and debate is in discussion, so TAs are required to generate discussion, elaborate on material mentioned in lecture, and sometimes develop additional homework assignments.

North said he requires his TAs to attend lecture because the subject matter is open to different interpretations and emphases among English professors.

But North added that “if you have a course where a professor teaches out of the text it may not be necessary to attend lecture.”

Professors have ultimate say over whether TAs attend class. Chemistry Professor Kendall Houk said his TAs attend lecture because a student may have a question about something specifically brought up in class.

Each professor also decides how often he or she wants to meet with the TAs, how TAs find a consensus when grading, and if TAs help develop the midterm and final exams.

UCLA offers training services to TAs across all disciplines, but each department can choose whether or not it wants to use those services.

Incoming TAs can attend a course where experienced TAs in their department – called teaching assistant consultants – focus on equipping them with the skills needed to teach their particular subject.

Departments that choose to offer these courses receive funding from the TA Training Program office, but exercise complete authority in determining the structure of the course, according to the TA Handbook.

Traditionally these courses, called 495s, focus on providing TAs with a basic understanding of how to teach, but since departments focus on what is most relevant to their TAs, the nature of the courses varies across campus.

In the classics 495 course, Moss Pike, a teaching assistant consultant, focuses on providing classics TAs with practical teaching techniques. Specifically, Pike said most TAs struggle to develop the skills to lead active discussions.

“What trips people up the most is ... how you get students to talk for 75 minutes,” he said.

The only definitive campus-wide requirements for TAs are outlined in a contract between the TAs and the union that represents them. According to the union contract, TAs are normally employed for a 20-hour work week, which the union designates for reading, grading, holding office hours, meeting with the professor, and attending lecture.

Some undergraduates appreciate TAs who are approachable and are available outside of class for academic and other help.

“One of my TAs is always available, one time I showed up before his office hours ... and he was able to talk with me,” said Irina Yakubin, a freshman undeclared student.

Besides the optional training, all UCLA departments are required to periodically evaluate their TAs, according to the TA handbook, but the handbook does not specify that the evaluations must be made by students.

The Evaluation of Instruction Program provides departments with questionnaires that students fill out about their TAs. Around 65 departments out of 124 choose to evaluate TAs in this way.

Departments that do not use the Evaluation of Instruction Program can gather student feedback on TAs through their own surveys or not seek student opinion at all.

“To my knowledge, there are no student evaluations (of TAs) in the courses I have taught,” said James Lucania, a TA who teaches undergraduate management classes.

“I think it would be really helpful if we got feedback from students,” he said.

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