TAC Program Roles and Responsibilities

TAC’ responsibilities fall into three main categories:

• Co-develop and teach (or co-teach) the departmental 495 pedagogy seminar
• Support TAs in their department through consultation, observations, and providing feedback
• Continue their own professional development about teaching and learning via the TAC Educational Development Academy

Leading the 495 and supporting TAs:
The TAC’s primary job is to help graduate students in the department learn how to be better teachers and how to deal with the responsibilities and conflicts that may arise in the TA position. To do this, the TAC leads (or co-leads) a 495 departmental pedagogy seminar in which TAs develop their teaching skills and learn about departmental and university resources and policies. This seminar will be designed and implemented under the guidance of the departmental 495 faculty advisor.

The seminar typically covers evidence-based and inclusive teaching practices, classroom management, disciplinary teaching techniques, and strategies to put these principles into action in the classroom. If needed, TACs also introduce TAs to basic teaching and learning technology such as course management software, Zoom, etc. and discuss when to use these tools in the classroom. The TAC will also cover issues specifically related to the TA position, including how to best collaborate with professors, how to lead effective discussion sections, how to coordinate grading with other TAs, how to effectively balance your time as a graduate student and TA.

In addition, the TAC also conducts office hours and consults with TAs on an individual bases about issues, concerns, or questions they may have. The TAC helps TAs to self-assess and improve their own teaching via microteaching sessions and/or classroom observations.

TAC Educational Development Academy:
All TACs are required to attend a TAC Educational Development Academy developed and facilitated by the Center for the Advancement of Teaching (CAT), the Center for Education Innovation and Learning in the Sciences (CEILS), and Excellence in Pedagogy and Innovative Classrooms (EPIC). This advanced teaching and learning bootcamp guides TACs in thinking about the goals and objectives of being a departmental consultant for new TAs. The modules center around inclusive classroom practices and the difference between thinking about one’s own teaching versus guiding new TAs to become effective instructors. The TAC Educational Development Academy is one of the few opportunities that TACs from all across campus have to meet with the collective objective of raising the pedagogical standards of instruction for undergraduates at UCLA.

The TAC Educational Development Academy dates will be determined by May 2022 for the 2022-2023 award year.

TACs should not be involved in activities that are not related to TA training, whether for their department or in any other capacity. For example, TACs should not be involved in administrative tasks, such as hiring TAs or assigning them to positions. The TAC should not be involved in creating course materials for undergraduate classes or other course development activities, including writing tests or organizing course content. Observations or evaluations of a TA made by a TAC should not be part of the TA’s official teaching record and should not be used in the process of hiring or assigning TAs to their job positions.

TACs are experienced TAs who have been selected to facilitate or co-facilitate the development and training of new TAs in their department. All TAC nominees must have the following experience in order to be appointed as a TAC:

• a minimum of three academic quarters as a UCLA Teaching Assistant with expertise in the department(s) for which they will be employed.  It is essential that the TAC has enough experience as a teaching assistant to be able to teach pedagogical skills in their department of hire.
• be eligible to be employed at the Teaching Associate or Teaching Fellow status by the time they begin their tenure as a TAC. Exceptions may be made for departments whose graduate programs are too short to allow for the three-quarter teaching requirement on a case-by-case basis. There will be no other exceptions to this requirement. 

TAC Department Funding Award

• Designate one person to complete the online TAC Funding Application form. This person is responsible for checking that all sections have been completed, all documents have been uploaded, and the application is signed by a department representative (SAO/MSO, Faculty Advisor, or Chair).
• Complete and return all sections of the online TAC Funding Application Form by May 1st, 2023.

• Departments must select a candidate who has significant experience as a Teaching Assistant at UCLA, as well as expertise in the discipline of the department for which he or she will be employed.
• TACs must qualify as either Teaching Associates or Teaching Fellows under the stipulations of UCLA’s Graduate Division. See the Academic Apprentice Personnel Manual for specifics. Exceptions may be made for departments whose graduate programs are too short to allow for the three-quarter teaching requirement on a case by case basis. There will be no other exceptions to this requirement.
• Complete and submit all sections of the online TAC Nomination Form. The CAT TA Training Program must receive all pertinent items, including the name(s) of the departmental contact person, TAC nominations and CVs, and any other conditions requested to be met in order to award the TAC funding.

• Departments must inform the TAC of his or her job duties as outlined above.  If a TAC cannot fulfill these commitments, CAT will ask the department to find a replacement TAC.
• TAC Educational Development Academy: Departments must inform TACs that they are required to complete all modules of the TAC Educational Development Academy. Each module will have synchronous and asynchronous components and will be offered more than once in order to accommodate varying schedules. TAC Academy dates will be announced by May 2023. If your intended TAC cannot attend the training modules, you will be asked to nominate a different TAC. If your intended nominee has a partial conflict, please contact the TA Training Program (tatp@teaching.ucla.edu) to discuss.

• Departments identify a Faculty Advisor who will support or co-teach the 495 departmental pedagogy seminar.
• Departments must inform the TAC of who the Faculty Advisor will be, and the TAC must be involved in the in-class teaching of a departmental training seminar.
• Departments must provide Faculty Advisors copies the Faculty Advisor guidelines and the TAC job description on this page and ensure they fully understand the requirements of each.

• Departments should schedule the 495 departmental pedagogy seminar for their department’s students.
• Each TAC should be listed as the TA Instructor for the 495 course in the Schedule of Classes.
• TACs should register in a 375 course during the quarter they are conducting their departmental seminar. For a 25% position, TACs should be registered for 2 units, and for a 50% position, they should be registered for 4 units.

• Departments hire TACs directly using CAT’s FAU for their award funding ONLY in the quarter(s) allocated by CAT. Departments are responsible for all aspects of hiring procedures including offer letters, supplemental letters, and fee remissions. Departmental contacts responsible for hiring will be sent additional information at the beginning of the academic year and a reminder prior to each quarter.
• As TACs are hired under TA appointment titles, departments must provide TACs the option of participating in parking and parking-related services that are available to other similarly situated employees, as noted in the newly negotiated UAW contract.
• Departments must provide their TACs with access to required facilities and instructional support (e.g., office and desk space, telephone, computer, storage space, office, lab and instructional equipment, mailbox, office supplies, texts, and/or reading material).