Accessibility statement

2. Responsibilities of departments towards GTAs

Principle: departments are responsible for ensuring that GTAs are engaged in accordance with University policy.

13. GTAs are used by academic departments to support modules, and also by some support departments (eg to present to school parties or to serve as tutors in the Writing Centre and Maths Skills Centre). In the case of support departments, references within this Policy to modules should be applied to other units of learning and teaching activity as appropriate.  

14. Departments that engage GTAs are responsible for paying them (and must factor GTA costs into their financial planning), ensuring that they implement the University Policy on Graduate Teaching Assistants and complying with the policies and procedures relating to temporary and casual workers.

Departmental policy on GTAs

15. Departments that engage GTAs should have a policy on GTAs, which explains what activities GTAs can undertake and at what academic level (see #25). The policy should also set out the department’s approach to meeting the requirements of the University Policy on Graduate Teaching Assistants, including details of: how GTAs are to be recruited, trained and supervised, continuing professional development opportunities, and representation and integration into the academic community. In the case of academic departments, the policy should be approved by the Board of Studies and will form part of the evidence base for periodic review. In the case of support departments, the policy should be approved by the Chair of UTC and should be reviewed by the Chair of UTC on a rolling five-year cycle.

Departmental information for GTAs

16. Departments should provide essential information for GTAs in an easily accessible format (eg a web page, and/or VLE site, and/or handbook). This information should include: the name of the GTA Coordinator, the department’s policy on GTAs, GTA role descriptions, training and supervision requirements, continuing professional development opportunities, access to resources and facilities, and how they are represented within the department. It should also include signposts to relevant information, including University and departmental policies and procedures on learning and teaching, assessment, equality and diversity (including disability), student welfare, health and safety, and data protection. 

Responsibilities of the GTA Coordinator

17. Departments should nominate a member of staff to serve as the GTA Coordinator (an academic member of staff or senior member of the professional support staff). The ASO holds a central contacts list for GTA Coordinators and departments should keep the ASO informed (via aso@york.ac.uk) of who holds this post. The GTA Coordinator is responsible for ensuring that the department implements the University Policy on Graduate Teaching Assistants, including:

  • maintaining an overview of the use of GTAs within the department
  • acting as a source of advice and support for current and prospective GTAs, and for staff using GTAs to support learning
  • ensuring that the department complies with the policies and procedures relating to temporary and casual workers
  • overseeing the department’s procedures for the recruitment of GTAs
  • overseeing the department’s approach to the training and supervision of GTAs, including ensuring that:
    • appropriate discipline-specific training is provided 
    • procedures are in place to ensure that GTAs have undertaken the required University and departmental training
    • GTAs receive appropriate support at module level
  • ensuring that GTAs are notified of students who have support needs 
  • ensuring that GTAs receive feedback on their performance for continuing professional development purposes
  • coordinating continuing professional development opportunities and encouraging GTAs to participate
  • working with module leaders to ensure that newly appointed GTAs are observed
  • working with module leaders to address any performance issues relating to GTAs
  • representing the development and other needs of GTAs on departmental committees
  • ensuring that departmental policy on GTAs is kept up to date
  • ensuring that departmental information on GTAs is kept up to date
  • representing the department at meetings of GTA coordinators.

18. Aspects of the GTA Coordinator’s role may be delegated to one or more members of the academic or support staff as long as the GTA Coordinator retains overall responsibility. 

Responsibilities of module leaders (or equivalent in non-academic departments)

19. Module leaders are responsible for:

  • the day-to-day supervision, line management and mentoring of GTAs supporting their modules
  • providing GTAs with a module-specific induction and any module-specific training
  • working with their GTA Coordinator to support the continuing professional development of GTAs and to ensure that newly appointed GTAs are observed
  • working with their GTA Coordinator to address any performance issues relating to GTAs.

20. The GTA responsibilities of a module leader can only be transferred to others, with the agreement of the GTA Coordinator, if this is permitted within the department’s policy on GTAs.

Responsibilities of programme leaders

21. In the spirit of the York pedagogy, programme leaders should work with the relevant module leaders to ensure that, where possible, there is a consistent, programme level approach to the use of GTAs. As contributors to a programme’s delivery, GTAs should be included as members of the programme team (see section on Continuing Professional Development for GTAs).

GTA mentors

22. Departments may appoint experienced and high-performing GTAs to serve as GTA mentors, to assist staff in the supervision and mentoring of less-experienced GTAs (for example, to undertake the observation of newly appointed GTAs, see Section on Performance Observation of GTAs). GTA mentors must be supervised and mentored by an academic member of staff, who they can call upon for advice and support and, where necessary, to intervene.