Teaching Assistantship

As a Teaching Assistant (TA), you are an important and integral part of teaching and learning in the Faculty of Engineering. 

TAs support our faculty to improve the quality of our teaching and generate an enriched learning experience for our undergraduate and graduate students. The teaching assistantship is also an opportunity to develop skills that will support your subsequent academic and professional careers. 

This webpage contains information on: 

Requirements for Teaching Assistants in Systems Design Engineering

The requirements that must be met by a student to qualify for employment as a teaching assistant: 

  • Teaching assistants must be fully available for their assigned course: 
    • TA must be available during times scheduled for the course's lectures, tutorial and labs.    
    • As a TA, you must be available from the first day of the first month of the term until the last day of the last month of the term. TA responsibilities for the course may extend past final exam dates. Discuss with the course instructor what is required for dates and availability.
  • International students must have a valid study permit.  You must ensure that the study permit has not expired or will not expire during the period of the teaching assistantship.  Please see GSPA's update your immigration status website for more information regarding renewal of study permits or immigration status changes. 

If you are a new student and are considering becoming a TA, we suggest waiting until your second or third term rather than in your first term when you are adjusting to the academic workload of graduate-level courses. 

TA Time Commitments

  • Duties will be assigned to you by the course instructor. Activities as a Teaching Assistant vary course to course and may include marking deliverables and leading tutorials/labs.
  • The Department of Systems Design Engineering offers full-time teaching assistantships, which are comprised of a maximum of 130 hours of work for the term with an average workload of 10 hours/week and half-time teaching assistantships, which are comprised of a maximum of 65 hours of work for the term with an average workload of 5 hours/week.
  • Students are required to be available for the entire term to best support the activities of the course. Absences must be pre-approved by the course instructor. 

TA Application System

  • The Department of Systems Design Engineering welcomes all graduate-level students to apply for available Teaching Assistantships.
  • Each term, Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) will be able to apply through the Department TA Application System. 
  • TAs are matched to a course after an instructor ranks applicants, an internal algorithm is run, and a committee reviews the algorithm selections. Successful applicants will receive a contract, which must be signed and returned by the deadline to accept the position.
  • Note: TAships are a competitive process, and there is no guarantee that an applicant will receive a teaching assistantship.

Applying to TAships

The SYDE Graduate Office will reach out to graduate students by email when TA applications are open.

Before you start your TA 

You should consult with the instructor of the course to which you are assigned to review and complete the Assignment of Duties form (AoD).

The following questions may provide a framework for your discussion with the course instructor: 

  • What is structure of the course – lectures, labs, tutorials? 
  • What are your duties and responsibilities as a TA, including; preparing for and running labs or seminars, grading tests/assignments and providing feedback, attending lectures or other regular meetings, holding office hours, etc. 
  • What is grading structure and timetable? 
  • Are there reference materials – such as a textbook, course notes, etc. – that I should have for course? 
  • What are the assignment submission dates? How will marking be distributed to TAs? 
  • What is the turn-around time for returning marked papers and how is this done? 
  • How are marks recorded? 
  • Are extensions allowed? How are they approved and recorded? 
  • Will the instructor provide marking keys or schemes? 
  • How much feedback should be provided on tests and assignments? What form should it take? 

How TAs are paid 

  • TAs are paid on a monthly basis in accordance with the University of Waterloo's rates for Graduate Teaching Assistantships. 
  • Payments are made by direct deposit to your bank account, in monthly instalments on the last Friday of each month. Payroll is handled through Workday.  Watch for emails regarding onboarding. 
  • Graduate Teaching Assistantships are considered employment income and are subject to statutory deductions for income tax, Canada Pension Plan (CPP) contributions and Employment Insurance (EI) premiums. 
  • See the New Hire Information document prepared by Human Resources.

TA Hiring & Administration Contact

Academic Services Coordinator – Master's 
syde.masters@uwaterloo.ca

More Information for TAs 

Resource
Information

TA Duties

Depending on the structure of the course, TAs can be asked to undertake a variety of duties, including running lab or tutorial sections, providing extra help hours, marking lab/tutorial assignments, entering the grades on QUEST, marking quizzes, and/or attending lectures.

TAs may be asked to complete the following: 

  • Hold office hours to provide students with the opportunity to receive individual attention. During these sessions, students may inquire about or discuss assignments and tests, or seek clarification about work that has already been marked.  

  • Lead tutorial sessions, usually involving teaching and answering questions about the course readings, lectures, or assignments. For example, a TA might provide further teaching about a topic introduced in class, answer questions about assignments, or go over the answers to exams or assignments. A TA is not normally expected to introduce new material unless a prior arrangement has been made with the instructor. 

  • Mark lab/tutorial assignments, projects, essays, midterms, or final exams. In each case, you should consult with the course instructor and the other TAs to prepare, or work with an existing answer key. Make sure you understand each of the questions/tasks that the students are required to address. Determine how part marks are to be assigned for each task/question. In some cases, you may find it helpful to grade one question or topic at a time and in one marking session. As you mark submissions, you will be able to identify common errors in the answers and determine how to uniformly mark those. Keep track of particularly good or poor submissions and use those to recalibrate your marking from time to time. 

  • Proctor final exams or midterms. 

TAs must not be asked to write lab assignments or exams, prepare lectures or submit final grades. 

TA Responsibilities

In addition to supporting student learning, TAs also fill two important roles: ambassador for the institution, faculty, department and program; and front-line observer. 

Below are details about these roles and the basic standards the Faculty of Engineering holds for TAs. 

1. Model ethical behaviour 

Each TA is expected to promote and support a culture that includes the following: 

  • equality and respect for individual differences 

  • freedom from harassment and discrimination 

  • equal treatment and access to services for all students 

  • the honest and ethical pursuit of knowledge 

  • freedom from interference 

  • the principled use of authority 

For more information about these concepts, visit Policy 33: Ethical behaviour and the Office of Conflict Management & Human Rights Guidelines for Teaching Assistants. 

2. Preserve academic integrity 

TAs are expected to act as role models of academic integrity. As a front-line observer, any teaching assistant who has reason to believe that an academic offence has been committed must report it to both the course instructor and the appropriate associate dean. TAs are not expected to investigate or adjudicate academic offences. 

The resources listed below are a good starting point for TAs looking for more information about academic integrity. 

3. Protect student privacy 

As Waterloo employees, TAs are responsible for the security and confidentiality of any student information they may obtain while serving as a TA. Policy 46 defines student information as information related to a student’s academic record, including biographical and personal information, digitized student identification photographs, whether in hard copy, electronic or some other form. 

For more information about these concepts, visit Policy 46: Information Management. 

4. Maintain a safe environment 

TAs are expected to both model the behaviours and support the values that promote a safe work environment. TAs are considered “workers” under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Policy 34 outlines the rights and responsibilities of Waterloo’s workers and supervisors in protecting the health and safety of both themselves and other members of the Waterloo community. 

TA Teaching Tips