Teaching assistant manual

Congratulations on your TA appointment! This manual includes key information for both new and returning TAs in the Faculty of Health. The primary purpose is to set you up for success by outlining training requirements, main responsibilities, guidelines, and resources that will support you in your TA role.

Being a TA in the Faculty of Health gives you the opportunity to play an important and transformational role in students’ learning trajectory. You belong to a community that values collaboration, wellbeing, and lifelong learning. By holding the TAship, you are accountable to the university, the Faculty of Health, your Department/School, the course instructor, and the students in the course you are assigned to.

If you have any questions about this resource, please contact the Health Teaching Fellows at healthtf@uwaterloo.ca.

TA contract

You will receive a contract from your Department/School detailing TA hours (typically 160 hours per term), start and end dates, responsibilities and expectations. Review this document carefully to ensure that you understand the expectations of your role. Reach out to your Department/School’s graduate coordinator if you have any questions.

You will also receive a completed Assignment of Duties (AoD) form (PDF), normally within five days of the start of your appointment. The form will outline assigned duties and the corresponding time allocations for those duties. Any adjustments to the assigned duties and hours must be discussed and agreed to between the employment supervisor and the employee, and the AoD form should be updated accordingly.

For additional information pertaining to offers of employment, visit the graduate student unionization website.

Mandatory training

TA-specific training may change on a year-to-year basis. You will receive information about TA training during orientation week.

All UWaterloo employees are required to complete certain mandatory training courses:

Faculty of Health graduate students are required to complete an academic integrity milestone, which includes the completion of the Graduate Academic Integrity Module (Graduate AIM). Instructions on accessing the online module and answers to frequently asked questions can be found on the Graduate AIM website.

Research ethics training is required for UWaterloo researchers. Please see the Research website for information about mandatory and optional research ethics training courses.

Additional training

TAs can complete the optional TA Essentials: Starting Strong as a TA module, designed by Teaching Support and Innovation, an academic support unit that works to enhance teaching at our university. This self-paced module is designed to orient you to your Teaching Assistant (TA) role, connect you with teaching-focused resources, and prepare you for a successful start as a TA. The module is available in LEARN and will take approximately 1 hour to complete. 

To self-register for this module, please review the instructions on the Teaching Assistant Training LEARN site. Once you complete the module, you will receive a badge on LEARN to indicate completion. Please contact cte-grad@uwaterloo.ca if you have any questions about the LEARN module.

Workshops, professional development, and other training courses are available to UWaterloo staff and faculty:

Communicating with the course instructor

Before the course:

  • Determine what your responsibilities are as a TA for the course, including when and where you might need to hold office hours. For ideas to guide the conversation, refer to Teaching Assistant Checklist: Questions to Ask.
  • Find out when the classes will be held and whether you are expected to attend.
  • Ensure that you have access to the course on LEARN (and reach out to the course instructor if you have not been added to the course).
  • Identify guidelines and expectations for responding to student emails and/or discussion posts.
  • If applicable, obtain a copy of the textbook or course notes that the class will be using.
     

During the course:

  • Frequently update the instructor on your observations and experiences in the course and discuss any issues that come up.
  • When you get a marking scheme from the instructor, ask key questions for clarification and make note of the instructor's responses; flag any assignments that you are unsure of.
  • Ask the instructor for clarification on any course concepts that are new or unfamiliar to you so you can best prepare and support students. This is especially important if you are in a course that gives you the opportunity to lead and teach lectures, tutorials, or labs.
  • Inform the instructor of any concerns or difficulties with a student and refer the student to the instructor for further support and discussion.
  • If you are having difficulties with the course instructor, talk to the instructor first to try to come up with a solution.
    • If you are unable to resolve the problem, tell the instructor that you will ask the Associate Chair/Director of Graduate Studies in your Department/School to act as a mediator.
    • If you are not satisfied that an appropriate solution has been reached or the Associate Chair/Director is not an appropriate mediator (e.g. the Associate Chair/Director is the instructor), you may bring the issue to the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies.
       

After the course:

  • Check in with the instructor to see what end-of-term tasks need to be implemented (e.g., grading final assignments).
  • Ensure any wrap-up communications with students get forwarded to the instructor once your contract is done.


TSI has a comprehensive TA Handbook that is worth reviewing. To learn more about possible administrative duties of a TA, refer to Teaching Assistant Checklist: Questions to Ask.

Holding office hours and appointments

Since TA support varies from course to course, an important first step is to have a conversation with the course instructor about the best approach for setting office hours. Some courses may require TAs to offer in-person or virtual office hours, while others are by appointment only. When applicable, regular office hours should be set during the day, at a different time than the office hours of the course instructor, and when departmental facilities are accessible to undergraduate students. It may be necessary to hold extra office hours before an exam or project, or once exams or assignments are graded.

If appointments are made outside your office hours, arrange them like business appointments; try to avoid endless "drop-in" appointments outside your regular office hours.

Try to avoid excessive communication by email. Posting frequently asked questions on the course discussion boards can help eliminate repetition. Changes to office hours and general announcements can be posted under Announcements in LEARN. Be sure to check with the course instructor on guidelines related to TA activity in LEARN.

Academic integrity

UWaterloo policy requires instructors to report all academic integrity infractions to the appropriate Associate Dean (Graduate or Undergraduate Studies).

The Faculty of Health prefers to handle academic integrity cases through formal inquiry, to:

  1. ensure that cases are handled consistently, and
  2. maintain a record in case of repeat infractions within or outside of the Faculty.

However, instructors also have the option of handling cases informally.

The steps that should be taken if there is a suspected academic offence are outlined in the Faculty of Health instructor handbook.

Information, privacy and confidentiality

Resources on campus

There are several on-campus resources that graduate students may refer to for additional information or support. Please see the Faculty of Health's current graduate students webpage for an overview of available resources.

Additional services may be found on the current students website.

Assignments, tests and final examinations

See the current Undergraduate Studies Academic Calendar for academic regulations related to assignments, tests, and final exams.

The final examination schedule and important information about final examinations can be found on the Registrar’s Office website. 

It is important that you plan your time and ensure that the marking scheme is clear prior to marking. Only discuss student concerns about grades in private. If you are re-grading exams, do so without the student present.

Working with LEARN

LEARN is the University's web-based learning management system, where instructors and TAs can manage course content, post assignments, create virtual dropboxes, manage grades and create discussion forums for students.

The Waterloo LEARN Help webpage is an excellent resource for anyone who is new to using the LEARN system. Tips for improving your LEARN site can be found on the CTE website.

LEARN training sessions are available through the CTE Liaison.

In the case that there is a service outage to the online content of four hours or more, instructors may follow the University’s protocol for service disruption in the online learning environment. 

Proctoring exams

You are expected to proctor the midterms and final examinations of your class. Responsibilities may include:

  • Distributing and collecting exam papers

  • Verifying students’ WatCards

  • Answering questions that students have during the exam

  • Watching for suspicious behaviour

  • Knowing how to deal with issues, such as responding to students’ questions and cheating

  • Proctoring a make-up exam 

Student accommodations

Students registered with AccessAbility Services may receive accommodations throughout the term for assignments, tests, and final examinations. It is important that TAs maintain students' privacy and do not ask for details about a student's disability or diagnosis. 

Students who have two final examinations scheduled on the same day, at the same time, may fill out the final examination timetable conflict form. Eligible reasons for accommodations during final examinations are outlined in the current Undergraduate Studies Academic Calendar.

University closures and emergency procedures

If there is a university closure during final examinations, rescheduled examinations will be held at the same time of day and in the same location as originally scheduled. The date chosen will be the next available day on which examinations have not been scheduled.

All individuals in charge of proctoring final examinations should be familiar with the fire alarm evacuation process. The evacuation procedures for final examinations are outlined on the Registrar’s Office website.

Updated October 2026