Most programs offer assistantships in which students serve as a research or teaching associate or assistant. Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) may be appointed as classroom teachers (instructors of record), co-teachers or classroom assistants, graders, lab assistants, or other roles directly related to classroom instruction. For UCF policies related to graduate assistantships and GTAs, refer to Assistantships in the current Graduate Catalog.
Appointment as a GTA is seen as an integral part of students' graduate educational experience and essential to their professional development and preparation for employment in academia, industry, or government after graduation.
Questions about UCF GTA Training requirements may be sent to gradgta@mail.ucf.edu. Inquiries regarding the availability of GTA positions in your program should be directed to your graduate department office.
Semester Deadlines for Completing the GTA Training Requirement
In order to be appointed as a GTA (graduate teaching associate, assistant, or grader), students must have completed the UCF GTA Training requirement by the semester deadline. There are no exceptions to the GTA Training requirement.
- Fall 2009 - Friday, August 21
- Spring 2010 - Friday, January 8
- Summer 2010 - Friday, May 14
GTA Training Requirement
*GTA Associates must complete online Grader, Assistant, and Part I Associate Training and also attend Associate face-to-face workshop (see below).
**Applies to students who are non-native speakers of English and do not have a degree from a U.S. institution. See "SPEAK Test" below for more information.
NOTE: Completion of the 12-week GTA Certificate Program satisfies the requirement for GTA Grader, Assistant, and Associate Trainings. The GTA Certificate course will only meet the GTA Training requirement if completed in a prior semester. It is not sufficient to attend the Certificate course concurrently with your first teaching experience, if you have not taken the GTA Grader, Assistant, and Associate Trainings.
Exception Policy
There is no exception to the GTA Training requirement. Students who complete this requirement by the stated deadline may be hired as GTAs. Students who do not complete the GTA Training requirement as described above may not be hired as GTAs for the current semester. In particular, late hiring of GTAs, international considerations, and the existence of departmental training programs do not obviate or mitigate the GTA Training requirement.
Descriptions of GTA Positions
Graduate Teaching Associates (Position Code 9183)
Graduate Teaching Associates teach independently and have full responsibility for all pedagogical aspects of the assigned course(s). They must have completed at least 18 hours of graduate course work in the teaching discipline and are hired as an instructor of record in accordance with UCF’s policy on instructors of record. Graduate students who are assigned as instructor of record must be hired in this position code.
Graduate Teaching Assistants (Position Code 9184)
Graduate Teaching Assistants are master’s or doctoral students who have completed less than 18 hours of graduate course work in the teaching discipline or who are assigned to assist a faculty member with teaching-related duties.
Graduate Teaching Graders (Position Code 9187)
Graduate Teaching Graders are master’s or doctoral students who are assigned to assist a faculty member with grading and other teaching-related duties that require no contact with students. These students may not have instructional responsibilities.
GTA Associate Training
The GTA Associate Training is mandatory before any graduate student will be permitted to teach independently and have full responsibility for all pedagogical aspects of the assigned course(s). To complete GTA Associate Training, students must attend an all day, face-to-face workshop presented by the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning. Students must register in advance for the GTA Associate Training.
Prerequisites for Attending GTA Associate Training - In the GTA Webcourse, the students must complete the Grader, Assistant, and also Part I Associate Training before attending the Associate Workshop.
| GTA Associate Training | Delivery | Register | Registration Opens | Registration Closes |
January 8, 2010
9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Classroom Bldg 1, room 207 | Face-to-face Workshop | Register | November 30 | January 6 |
May 14, 2010
9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Classroom Bldg 1, room 207 | Face-to-face Workshop | Register | April 1 | May 12 |
GTA Associate Training Agenda
Overview: Topics include course design, effective lecturing, timeline of the semester, and more.
Attendance: At each session, be sure to sign the attendance sheet. Please do your best to expedite this process with a minimum of distractions. Your attendance at the conference will be recorded to prove your fulfillment of this requirement.
Courtesy and Punctuality: During the workshops, please extend your courtesy to the faculty and staff who are presenting. Please do not arrive late or leave early. We have scheduled plenty of time between workshops and lunch for your transitions, and all of the workshops are held in the Classroom Building.
Workshop Evaluations: It is customary in academia and useful for all concerned to provide written feedback to presenters and sponsoring departments. At the end of each workshop, you will receive a blank evaluation form. Please take this activity seriously. Fill out the form completely and try to offer thoughtful, constructive comments.
Requests for Accommodations for Persons with Disabilities: The University of Central Florida is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all persons with disabilities. Students with disabilities who need accommodations in this training must contact the Faculty Center at least one week prior to the GTA Training to discuss needed accommodations. No accommodations will be provided until the student has met with the Faculty Center to request accommodations. Students who need accommodations must be registered with Student Disability Services, Student Resource Center Room 132, phone (407) 823-2371, TTY/TDD only phone (407) 823-2116, before requesting accommodations from the Faculty Center.
GTA Assistant Training
GTA Grader Training
SPEAK Test
Students who are non-native speakers of English and do not have a degree from a U.S. institution must pass the SPEAK test before they will be permitted to teach as Graduate Teaching Associates (position code 9183) or Graduate Teaching Assistants (position code 9184). The SPEAK test is not required for students who will be appointed as a Graduate Teaching Grader (position code 9187).
The SPEAK test is administered by the Center for Multilingual Multicultural Studies and takes about 20 minutes.
| SPEAK Testing | Delivery | Register | Registration Opens | Registration Closes |
October 9, 2009
Center for Multilingual Multicultural Studies in Building 81 (MMC 102). | Test | Register | September 3 | October 6 |
November 20, 2009
Center for Multilingual Multicultural Studies in Building 81 (MMC 102). | Test | Register | October 19 | November 17 |
January 5, 2010
Session 1: 1:00-2:00 p.m.
Session 2: 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Center for Multilingual Multicultural Studies in Building 81 (MMC 102). | Test | Register | November 30 | December 28 |
Students must register in advance. All inquiries regarding the SPEAK Test should be directed to the Center for Multilingual Multicultural Studies in Building 81, MMC 102 or phone 407-823-5515.
As needed, the university will provide each student one or two month-long sessions (Oral Communication for Internationals) with post-evaluations (SPEAK Test). Both the Oral Communication for Internationals sessions and SPEAK Test are administered by the Center for Multilingual Multicultural Studies. If students achieve a satisfactory post-evaluation following the first session, they may be assigned as GTAs. Otherwise, students must complete the second session and a second post-evaluation if they wish to serve as GTAs.
The university will provide a third opportunity for students who score at least 45 or higher on either of the first two training evaluations to receive further training (an additional Oral Communication for Internationals course) and a third opportunity to pass the SPEAK exam at university expense. For those who have not achieved a score of at least 45 on either of the two previous SPEAK examinations, any further coursework or evaluations will have to rely upon personal or department resources to pay for additional coursework and post-evaluations. Students should consult their department in these situations.
For additional information regarding the SPEAK Test and OCI course schedules and registration, please go to the CMMS GTA Services website.
Students or departments who wish to pay for either the SPEAK Test or Oral Communication for Internationals should contact Marcella Farina (mfarina@mail.ucf.edu) in the Center for Multilingual Multicultural Studies.
GTA Certificate Program
The Karen L. Smith Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning invites new Graduate Teaching Assistants to enroll in our GTA Certificate Program. Students will receive group and individualized instruction by Faculty Center staff and experienced UCF professors, as well as textbooks and materials. GTAs will attend a 12-week, noncredit program at no cost to the participants.
Participation is limited, so please enroll early. For registration information and class times visit the GTA Certificate Program page on the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning website.
The program content includes:
- Presentation skills and practice
- Balancing the many roles of GTAs
- Course design and management
- Delivery of instruction, teaching strategies
- Learning differences among students
- Instructional technology (hands-on)
- Giving assessment and soliciting feedback
- Building a peer support network
- Professional survival skills, ethics, legal issues
Participants who fulfill the course requirements are granted a Certificate that would exempt them from the need to take the GTA Training in future semesters. Important note: The GTA Certificate Course will only meet the GTA Training requirements if completed in a prior semester. It is not sufficient to attend the Certificate Course concurrently with your first teaching experience, if you have not taken the GTA Training.
GTA Performance Assessments
UCF requires that the teaching-related performances of all Graduate Teaching Associates (Position Code 9183), Graduate Teaching Assistants (Position Code 9184), and Graduate Teaching Assistant-Graders (Position Code 9187) be assessed at the end of each term that the student serves as a GTA.
Departments and colleges may use any assessment tool available and gather information from any source that they determine to be relevant in order to conduct assessments of GTAs and to supplement the UCF GTA Performance Assessment Form. For example, departments may rely upon classroom visits, other informational observations, student ratings of instruction, other input from students, interviews and discussions with the GTA and other evidences of performance that are available to the department.
The GTA assessment is documented through the submission of the university GTA Performance Assessment Form to the UCF College of Graduate Studies. This form constitutes a summary rating based on the areas of performance that were required in the GTA's teaching-related assignment(s). The GTA's assigned Faculty Supervisor (the person so listed on the student's GTA assistantship agreement) completes the form after appropriate consultation with the department Chair, Graduate Program Director, or other relevant individuals. This summative assessment will be discussed with the student, and the student will be given an opportunity to respond to the assessment in writing.
The completed GTA Performance Assessment Form is recorded electronically in the student's academic file by the UCF College of Graduate Studies.
Graduate Teaching Awards
UCF sponsors awards for excellence in graduate student teaching. University-level award winners will receive cash awards. Additional information regarding the application/nomination process is available from your Graduate Program Director.
- Award for Excellence by a Graduate Teaching Assistant - This award recognizes excellence by Graduate Teaching Assistants who are responsible for a laboratory or other similar teaching assignment under the direction of a faculty member who serves as the instructor of record. It focuses on the quality of the assistance provided by the GTA to the lead instructor and students in the class.
- Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Teaching - This award recognizes excellence in teaching by Graduate Teaching Associates who have independent teaching responsibilities. It focuses on the quality of the student's teaching activities and the academic contributions to those activities.
Graduate Students
