A Teaching Assistant (TA) in the UH Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences is responsible for performing 15 – 20 hours of service per week as a condition for receipt of their stipend. This service may consist of several components, including laboratory teaching, Geoscience Learning Center (GLC) tutorial assignments, class grading, proctoring tests, assisting in lecture classes, attending departmental and discipline seminars, and assisting and/or driving for field trips.  These duties are assigned by your TA supervisors (Jinny Sisson and Dan Hauptvogel).

Your TA assignment will start with TA training held the Friday before classes begin. You must be available to perform your TA duties through the last day of final exams each semester or longer if your professor needs help with grading. TAs should not leave for holidays until their duties are complete. You are paid to be on campus and should be here to fulfill all your obligations as a TA.

TA duties and policies for EAS

To remain a TA, you must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher and demonstrate satisfactory progress on your degree plan. This means choosing an advisory committee, submitting a manuscript or passing your qualifying exam, passing your thesis proposal, etc. Consult the department guidelines for M.S. and Ph.D. students (see Overview of Degree Programs).

Students who receive graduate assistantships (i.e., teaching assistantships/TAs or research assistantships/RAs) may not be employed full-time elsewhere. Part-time employment concurrent with an assistantship must be disclosed to and approved by the student’s department prior to the beginning of the term of the assistantship.

TAs whose primary language is not English are required to demonstrate proficiency in spoken English before being hired as a TA. The specific requirements are given in the UH graduate catalog. Please note these requirements are stricter than those for admission.

Additional Resources

Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL at www.cirtl.net). CIRTL is a network of universities including UH with a goal of enhancing excellence in undergraduate education in STEM fields with lots of opportunities for interacting with other TAs.

Various books on teaching skills such as “Teaching and Learning STEM: A Practical Guide” by R.M. Felder and R. Brent John Wiley and Sons, 2016