Graduate Program Teaching Assistantship
Selection Committee
The chair and members of the Graduate Assistantship Selection Committee will also serve as the selection committee for awarding teaching assistantships.Applications
When positions are available, application materials will be solicited twice each year: March 15th for fall assistantships and Oct. 15th for spring assistantships. To be eligible for consideration, an applicant must have 18 hours of graduate course work (biology and secondary specialization). Applicants must submit: a letter of application which includes information concerning the applicant's background, interest,and experience relevant to the position to which he/she is applying, a completed University Graduate and Teaching Assistantship Application, three letters of reference which speak to the applicant's teaching experience, background/knowledge relevant to the position, and interest in teaching, and official transcripts for all college coursework. For an applicant to be considered by the committee, all application materials must be to the committee chair by these dates. The decision to reopen the application period will be decided by the department head and the chairperson of the committee; this decision will be based on the number and quality of the applications received.Evaluation Procedure for Teaching Assistantships
Each applicant will be evaluated on the following criteria- GPA in junior/senior biology courses
- relevant experience and background
- recommendations
- teaching potential.
Relevant Experience and Background
An applicant with experience and appropriate backgound (i.e. took the course and made an A or B as an undergraduate and/or served as a graduate assistant for the course) for the position will receive the highest ranking. Fewer points will be credited to those applicants who have not been directly involved with the course but who have demonstrated the ability to teach the material (i.e. excellent grades in related courses, experience in giving presentations). No points will be awarded to those applicants having no related background or experience.Letters of Reference
Letters of recommendation must address the applicant's interest in teaching and his/her ability to teach.Teaching Potential
This portion of the evaluation is the most difficult to define and evaluate but also the most important. Based on letters of recommendation and the overall impression of the applicant, committee members must address the applicant's ability to teach. These types of questions need to be answered: Does the applicant have the necessary knowledge in the subject area?; Does the applicant present a professional demeanor?, Will the applicant be able to work well with students?; Does the applicant have the confidence to present material and control the classroom?; Does the applicant have the fortitude for unpleasant confrontations -- without becoming flustered or defensive?; Would you be comfortable allowing this applicant to teach your class?
The scores from the four areas will be independently recorded for each applicant by each committee member. Then the sums from each committee member will be tallied for each applicant. These scores will be used to rank the applicants by position and these rankings will be used to award assistantships. However, it is also the Committee's responsibility to determine the acceptability of applicants. This responsibility begins with the top ranking candidate (i.e. does this candidate compare favorably with departmental standards) and continues for each listed candidate. The Committee has the choice of sending one of several recommendations to the Department Head: 1) award no assistantships, reopen the application period or temporarily fill the position with a lecturer, 2) award available assistantships to all applicants in the ranked order, 3) award assistantships only to the applicants listed (i.e. top three candidates), reopen the application period for additional or unfilled assistantships.