Teaching Assistant Consultants (TACs) are advanced graduate students with a high degree of discipline-specific teaching experience at UCLA who are hired to support 495 departmental pedagogy courses. The TLC is committed to supporting the TA training needs for as many programs as possible each year. Departments must reapply annually. We encourage departments to consider ways in which they can demonstrate the positive impacts of their 495 courses, such as training at least 10 new TAs and/or innovation through collaborations with other departments or the development of novel approaches to TA training. Additionally, some departments have explored the possibility of utilizing TAC funding to support roles such as lecturers, academic administrators, or postdocs in support of TA training. The TLC is open to considering such applications with an appropriate rationale.
The format of departmental pedagogy courses varies by department and division. In most academic units, this course carries the course number 495 and is a requirement for all new TAs at UCLA. Each TA training course is facilitated by an Instructor of Record. The TA training course supports UCLA’s Core Competencies for graduate and professional students by introducing new TAs to best practices in inclusive and evidence-based teaching as well as fostering mentorship, communication and leadership skills, and professional development for TACs. TAs enrolled in these courses will often practice teaching in microteaching sessions, discuss pedagogical strategies, learn from experienced TAs, and familiarize themselves with departmental procedures and guidelines.
Currently, more than 40 UCLA departments offer a TAC position supported by the TLC. Although the TLC TA Training Program funds most TAC positions, individual departments are responsible for nominating and hiring TACs for their department and some departments contribute their own funding to hire graduate students in TAC roles.
Materials Required & Recommended for TAC Funding Applications
The following materials are required with submission of departmental applications:
- Sample 495 syllabus from the previous academic year
- TAC Workload Breakdown (template available in this Box folder)
We recommend that departments prepare workload estimates in consultation with their 495 Instructor of Record and current TAC, as they are in the best position to provide an accurate breakdown of job duties and associated workload. Additional materials departments may choose to submit with their applications include (if applicable):
- Schedule of Week 0 TA training/orientation offered in fall quarter
- Microteaching or observation guidelines
- Microteaching or observation feedback forms
- Student Experiences of Teaching survey results (course evaluations) for the 495 course(s)
- Any other supporting documents
