TA Guide: Your job as a UW–Madison TA
Understand your role and responsibilities
As a TA, your specific duties are determined by your lead instructor. Instructors vary widely in what duties they delegate to TAs, so one TA role may look quite different from another.
This section explains your role and addresses common questions and concerns.
Your job and supervision
TAs are employees of the university who assist in the teaching of courses.
TA Supervision
You will have a supervisor that you report to – they are responsible for setting your job duties and providing guidance to you. Your supervisor is often the lead instructor of the course. However, your supervisor could also be a course coordinator or some other person in the department. They may supervise multiple TAs across many sections.
Your supervisor or lead instructor determines how the course is run. This includes deciding if or when TAs should work more independently and when TAs should refer certain decisions and questions up the reporting hierarchy to that lead instructor or supervisor.
TA Support
The lead instructor or supervisor is also your primary source of support in being a successful TA. Together you are working towards the same goal: running the course effectively and giving the students a positive learning experience. You can always ask the instructor clarifying questions about the course, your role in it, or situations that you encounter.
Sometimes TAs feel pressure to avoid “bothering” their lead instructor, but it is important to recognize that running the course well is your shared goal, so you are not “bothering” your instructor with course-related questions. If relevant, you can always ask the instructor, “How would you like me to handle similar questions/situations in the future?”
You should always consult the lead instructor on more challenging situations such as serious classroom disruptions, potential academic misconduct, or students asking for an Incomplete course grade.
“My first semester as a TA was for a 350-person course outside my specialty, and I quickly felt out of my depth when students started comparing grades across sections. My instructor brought all the TAs together after every assignment to grade sample papers as a team—so we left each meeting confident we were applying the same standards. He also redirected grade complaints to himself, so we could focus on teaching rather than defending our decisions. That experience taught me that lead instructors aren’t just authority figures to appease—they can be true teammates who structure the course so TAs can succeed together.”
Professional Communication
Maintain professional, respectful communication with your lead instructor. Don’t undermine or criticize decisions the instructor makes to students. All communication with the lead instructor should start in private, either digitally or in person, especially when talking about specific people or giving constructive feedback on the course.
Common duties
There is no standard set of rules for who does what on a teaching team. Some tasks, such as lecturing, are almost always handled by the lead instructor, and others , such as grading, are usually handled by TAs. However, there are exceptions to these norms, as well as many tasks, such as creating grading rubrics or handling testing accommodations, that vary based on the instructor.
Talk to your lead instructor early to establish who is responsible for what.
Typical TA duties might include:
- Attending lectures or other class sections.
- Running a discussion section, lab, studio, or other course activity, often without the lead instructor in the room. Some instructors provide materials and instructions for these sessions, some give the TA full responsibility to structure each session, and some instructors use a blended approach.
- Holding drop-in hours (office hours or student hours) for students seeking extra support.
- Grading and providing feedback to students.
- Proctoring exams.
- Communicating with students through email, Canvas, Piazza, or other tools.
- Working in a student support center, such as the Writing Center or Math Learning Center.
- Other administrative duties, such as maintaining Canvas or handling accommodations.
Important documents
Graduate Assistant Policies and Procedures (GAPP) outlines important university policies governing your appointment, such as workload and sick leave.
Letter of Appointment
GAPP requires that the department hiring you provide you a letter of appointment before the start of your employment. Read it carefully.
The appointment letter indicates your supervisor, appointment percentage, contract start and end dates, salary/stipend level, hours of work, and benefits information, among other things. TA appointments are most commonly 50 percent or 33 percent, which correspond to 20 hours or 13.2 hours of work per week, respectively. Your stipend (pay) is scaled according to your percentage.
Note that the actual hours you spend on TA work are expected to fluctuate: some weeks you may work more hours than the hours indicated by your percentage, and some weeks fewer. Over the whole semester, the hours you work should average out to reflect your percentage.
Pay attention to the contract start date in your letter – this is when you are expected to begin work and your lead instructor is expected to be available to you.
Your appointment letter includes a payroll section that explains when you will be paid. Typically, TAs are paid every two weeks.
Workload Worksheet
GAPP requires that the hiring department provide a workload worksheet (appointment worksheet), which approximates the breakdown of how the TA’s time is expected to be spent.
The worksheet is intended to be a starting place for you and the lead instructor to discuss your responsibilities. Go through the document together and determine how it compares to the instructor’s expectations for you. The worksheet does not dictate exactly how much time you must spend on each task in every week, nor is it a complete list of everything you’ll do.
Sick leave or extended personal leave
TAs receive sick leave (paid time off due to illness). If you need to use sick leave, let your lead instructor know right away. You are not responsible for finding your own replacement when using sick leave.
In addition, you can reach out to a Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) if you are dealing with a health issue that impacts your employment. DDRs are HR professionals who specialize in workplace accommodations.
GAPP outlines other situations in which graduate student employees should use sick leave or other forms of leave. For specific guidance and support in these situations, reach out to your supervisor, advisor, or graduate program manager.