The scope of your responsibilities
Read this section carefully
If you accept a teaching position, you accept all the responsibilities associated with it, including attendance at scheduled meetings, course preparation, teaching and meeting with students, marking of all assignments, tests, and exams associated with your section or tutorial, and dealing within any mark challenges that may follow the submission of your final marks. You must fulfill all the responsibilities associated with your position.
You need to be available to your students, course coordinator, and TA or GI coordinator during the entire term that you are teaching, from the first to the very last day of term, including the weeks that follow the end of classes or the final exam. Depending on your course, the required availability may be electronic or physical. Absence at any point must be cleared with your course coordinator or GA supervisor.
Failure to fulfill your responsibilities could affect your present and future funding, and negligence could lead to disciplinary action. See the Graduate Studies Office's Guidelines on graduate student support for full information on the terms of your graduate funding.
You have a number of specific responsibilities as an instructor:
To your students
- To foster the academic development of your students.
- To always maintain a professional demeanour in your in-person and online transactions with students. Be positive, supportive, and courteous, even under challenging circumstances. Keep in mind that your communications with students could under some circumstances be forwarded to supervisors or administrators.
- To be adequately prepared for classes and other academic activities.
- To respond to student enquiries promptly (during the work week queries should be responded to within twenty-four hours).
- To mark or respond to all assignments, tests, and exams within the specified timeframes.
- To mark or respond to assignments in a manner that is fair, substantial, and constructive.
- If you are teaching an on-campus course or tutorial, to set regular office hours during which students can meet with you, and to reasonably accommodate student requests to meet outside of those hours.
To your course leader and coordinator
- To attend all scheduled meetings, including the beginning-of-year orientation, individual meetings with your course leader or coordinator, and regular TA meetings set by your course leader.
- To respond promptly (within 24 hours) to any enquiries posed by your course leader or coordinator.
- To keep your course leader informed of any serious problems with your section or tutorial.
To the university and department
- To know and follow the relevant policies of the university. For more information, see Managing your section or tutorial.
- To construct and teach your courses in accordance with the course descriptions and outcomes identified in university and department documents.
- To respond promptly (within 24 hours) to any administrative enquiries.