Program Overview | Training and Development | Roles/Responsibilities | Resources
Statistics and Actuarial Science (SAS) Teaching Assistants (TA) play a vital role in the success of our courses. Through various assigned tasks, TAs support student learning and the delivery of course content.
Expectations:
SAS TAs are assigned up to two course units per term, with each unit involving up to 80 hours of work. The work assigned will vary week-by-week. TAs are expected to:
- Communicate consistently
- Follow the instructions/requirements by the instructor and/or Instructional Support Coordinator
- Complete the required work by the stated deadline(s)
- Partake in the Mathematics Undergraduate Office (MUO) pool proctoring
- Maintain confidentiality of all student information as outlined in Policy 46
- Comply with applicable University policies, procedures, and guidelines, to the extent that they are consistent with the CUPE 5524.01 Collective Agreement
TA Duties:
Assigned duties will vary between courses and terms. The list below includes typical duties assigned to students in SAS. Your Assignment of Duties Form (AOD) will outline your assigned tasks and associated time allocations for each appointment.
- Proctoring
- Marking
- Office Hours
- Discussion Forum Monitoring
- Leading Tutorials
*Please note: All SAS TAs are assigned 3.5 hours per TA unit to the MUO’s pool proctoring.
TA Coordinator Duties:
The TA Coordinator is a PhD student who is assigned one TA unit to support the TA Program. The coordinator's general responsibilities include facilitating SAS TA workshops, observing Level 3 practicums, maintaining records, and developing and/or updating training materials. Additionally, each TA Coordinator typically works on one higher-level project that supports and expands upon the TA Program. Past projects include the development of the SAS TA Program Level 4 Learn site and the Tech Video.
TAs who have completed the Foundations for University Teaching in Statistics and Actuarial Science training program are encouraged to apply.
Past TA Coordinators
Name: Minh Chau Nguyen
Term: Fall 2025
Project: Facilitating a graduate student information session on the graduate consultant position with the SCSRU (including creating an information session (PDF) summary)
Bio:
Minh Chau Nguyen is a PhD candidate in Actuarial Science and Quantitative Finance. She has been a TA since 2021 and has completed the department's TA training program, as well as the Fundamentals of University Teaching program from the Centre for Teaching Excellence. Her research focus on climate and catastrophe risk management and sustainable finance. As a TA coordinator, she will provide help to the TA training program, including overseeing practicums and updating the program's training curriculum.
Name: Max Chen
Term: Fall 2024
Project: Creating a survey and report on Head TA Duties.
Bio:
Max is a PhD student in Statistics. He received a BSc in Statistics from University of Toronto, and a MSc in Statistical Science from University of Oxford. Max has been working as a TA since undergraduate studies and has so far TA-ed both STAT and COMM courses at different levels. He has experience in teaching tutorials, marking exams and assignments, helping instructors design exam questions and many more. By completing four levels of the TA Program, Max has been awarded a certificate of Foundations for University Teaching and Learning in Statistics and Actuarial Science. He is open to exchange experience and share insights of serving as a TA, so as to help our student community have a more enjoyable learning environment.
Name: Megan French
Term: Spring 2024
Project: Facilitating a graduate student teaching info event and updating the SAS TA Program Level 1 workshop marking activities (PDF) (including creating a “How to (Crowd)Mark” guide).
Bio:
Megan is a PhD student in statistics. She graduated from University of Guelph with a BSc in Mathematical Science and an MSc in Statistics. She has served as a teaching assistant for numerous courses and has completed the Foundations for University Teaching and Learning in Statistics and Actuarial Science training program. Now she hopes to teach a course herself at the University of Waterloo so she can pass her passion for statistics down to her students.
Name: Grace Tompkins
Term: Winter 2024
Project: Creating a classroom technology video for teaching assistants and instructors.
Bio:
Grace Tompkins is a Ph.D. Candidate in Biostatistics. She graduated from St. Francis Xavier University with a BSc in Mathematics and from the University of Waterloo with a MMATH in Biostatistics. Throughout her undergraduate and graduate careers, she has served as a teaching assistant for numerous courses. Grace also recently completed a term as a Sessional Instructor at the University of Waterloo, teaching STAT 337 - Introduction to Biostatistics. She is passionate about mathematical education, specifically in creating accessible and supportive learning environments for all students.
Name: Luke Hagar
Term: Fall 2023
Project: Developing the SAS TA Program Level 4 practicum process and Learn site.
Bio:
Luke Hagar is a Ph.D. Candidate in Statistics. He has BMATH and MMATH degrees in Statistics from the University of Waterloo. Luke recently completed a term as a Sessional Lecturer at the University of Waterloo, teaching STAT 341 – Computational Statistics and Data Analysis. He also previously worked with the Centre for Teaching Excellence as a TA Workshop Facilitator. Luke is motivated to help develop students’ statistical communication skills, so they can tackle challenging problems and effectively communicate their solutions to decision makers.