As Instructors of Record, faculty who teach 495 courses are vested with the sole and final responsibility for course content, work assignments, performance evaluations, and grading in the course. As TAs for 495 courses, the primary duty of TACs is to assist in all aspects of instruction (tutoring, grading, advising, sectional teaching, sectional laboratory teaching, fieldwork teaching, limited lecturing – as outlined in the UCLA Academic Apprentice Personnel Manual). In addition to providing support for new TAs in the department, the TAC program also aims to provide a professional development opportunity for graduate students to advance their own teaching practices and leadership skills. A key role of the 495 Instructor of Record is to provide support and mentorship for the TACs in this endeavor. In addition, the involvement of the Instructor of Record in a department’s TA Training program can help to set the tone and create an environment that promotes the importance of teaching at UCLA.
The following guidelines detail the recommended involvement of the Instructor of Record in 495 courses:
- Instructors of Record and TACs should develop and plan the 495 (or equivalent) course and any other TA training activities together.
- Instructors of Record should serve as the lead instructor for the 495, working in collaboration with the TAC.
- Instructors of Record should meet regularly with their department’s TAC(s) and be available to support the TAC(s) as needed.
- Instructors of Record should provide support for evidence-based and inclusive teaching practices, and suggest discipline-based pedagogical techniques for the classroom.
- Instructors of Record should at minimum help develop criteria for providing feedback to new TAs in their department on their teaching. Ideally, Instructors of Record would also participate in this feedback process.
- Instructors of Record and TACs should work together to develop an assessment plan for learning outcomes of the department’s overall TA training program.
- Instructors of Record should inform new TAs about the annual Fall TA and Postdoc Teaching Conference and other available TA training workshops, as well as campuswide TA training requirements.