1 Hours of Work, Training, and Important Policies
This chapter provides an introductory overview of teaching assistantships at McMaster, including Hours of Work contracts, mandatory training, and important policies,
Hours of Work
The duties assigned to teaching assistants vary depending on the course and the instructor. For instance, teaching assistants may lead weekly tutorial groups, grade essays or assignments, supervise laboratories, or work as a lead/head TA. Before your teaching assistantship begins, you will meet with the course instructor to discuss and agree upon your duties. Together with the instructor you will complete an Hours of Work form that specifically details your duties and the paid hours allotted to and available for each responsibility.
The Hours of Work form not only specifies what duties you will perform, but also how many hours you will devote to each task. According to the Collective Agreement between CUPE 3906 (Unit 1) and McMaster, a full teaching assistantship consists of 260 hours (130 per term), and a partial teaching assistantship consists of less than 130 hours. By specifying what duties you will perform and by estimating the time commitment of these duties, you can ensure that you devote the appropriate and fair amount of time to your teaching responsibilities.
If you are a graduate student or conducting any research on campus, the instructor of the course may also be your supervisor. It is important to be aware of the differences between the TA-instructor and researcher-supervisor relationships. Be careful to avoid the mixing of TA and research duties. Be aware of the hours of work that you are contracted for, and do not allow your supervisor to rely on you to perform additional TA duties outside of your contract. CUPE has created a helpful TA Work Log template that you can adapt to help you track your hours worked on various duties and ensure you don’t work beyond your contracted hours; while the information about wages is now out of date, this log may still be a valuable time management tool.
If your duties shift over the course of the term, or you’re unable to complete something within the time specified on your Hours of Work form (e.g., you spend 20 hours marking an assignment, but only had 15 hours allocated), communicate this to the course instructor as soon as possible. The two of you can then make amendments to your Hours of Work form as required. This information is available on the CUPE 3906 website under TAs (Unit 1).
All teaching assistants are represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) local 3906 (Unit 1). The terms and conditions of TA work are regulated by a Collective Agreement between CUPE and McMaster University. The contract is binding for both parties, so please take some time to become familiar with its provisions, including the Hours of Work form, benefits, etc. If you have questions or concerns about your TA role, you can contact CUPE 3906 at cupe3906@mcmaster.ca or call 905 525 9140 x 24003. For more information about CUPE 3906, visit the CUPE website.
balancing ta work
Balancing teaching and learning with the rest of life can be challenging for everyone, but TAs who invest a lot of hours into their teaching still have many more hours of work to do as students. Even with the best intentions and careful planning, many graduate students have times when balance between work and life and TA work and other graduate student responsibilities is hard to achieve. In the video below, experienced TAs describe some of their strategies for balancing TA work with grad studies.
TRAINING
TAs are required to complete the Workplace Health and Safety training and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act training, which each department provides before you begin your duties. The hours you devote to this training are paid, and are above and beyond your ‘regular’ TA duties, so they are not included in your Hours of Work form.
As of 2021, new TAs are also required to complete 5 hours of mandatory training on topics in pedagogy and anti-oppression. The training program includes an online module on Anti-Oppression (2-hours) and TA Professionalism, Rights, and Responsibilities (1-hour). The additional 2 hours of training are selected from a menu of additional online workshops. Self-registration for training courses is available through the regulatory training tile in Mosaic. Once registered, the training will be available in Avenue to Learn. This document outlines how to register for the training. For additional information please review the frequently asked questions document. These 5 hours are not included in your Hours of Work form.
Many departments also offer learning opportunities for teaching assistants in the way of workshops, guidebooks, course-specific meetings and orientation sessions. Check with your supervisor and/or departmental administrator for additional information. If there are specific skills you are required to have to complete your duties (e.g., using a particular technology), you should discuss what training is required with your supervisor and include this time in your Hours of Work form.
You may also wish to complete additional professional development opportunities outside of your hours of work. The Teaching and Learning Certificates of Completion Program is one of the opportunities for teaching development available at McMaster through the MacPherson Institute. In this Program, participants may earn one or both of two certificates of completion by completing 0-unit graduate level pass/fail courses. Information about the Certificates and Courses on our website.
You can also book consultations, arrange teaching observations, and participate in workshops and events offered by the MacPherson Institute year-round. Stay up to date with MacPherson events by subscribing to the weekly MacPherson Memo or visiting the Upcoming Events tab on our website.
IMPORTANT POLICIES
There are a number of important policies that frame teaching and learning at McMaster. Many of these are contained in the Undergraduate Course Management Policies document, which outlines regulations concerning academic integrity, the McMaster Student Absence Form (MSAF), providing feedback to students, and various reasons for accommodations. Academic integrity policies are discussed in more detail in the chapter on Assessing Student Learning and Providing Feedback. While your instructor will design the course you are teaching with these policies in mind, it is always a good idea to be familiar with them yourself.