Guidance to Schools using Teaching Assistants

Schools are expected to ensure that their Teaching Assistant roles comply with the generic job descriptions  agreed by the University and that the required level of support is made available to all TAs ensuring transparency, consistency and fairness across the Faculty. 

People and Organisational Development (P&OD) have created a new dedicated page for TA Administrators to help support in the engagement, development and work time at the university:

• Teaching Assistant Hub

Recruitment

Schools are expected to recruit annually in order to create and maintain a pool of approved Teaching Assistants (TAs). Each School will provide details of current TA vacancies on their own intranet pages, however, it is expected that a series of common recruitment process are followed, details of which are available on the Application Process and can be found in the Teaching Assistant Help Notes.

Before proceeding to appoint a Teaching Assistant, schools should seek the approval of the individual's supervisor by reporting on the appropriate question in eProg.

• How to report on an individual question in eProg

Induction and training provision

Further information on the required and available training for TAs and information for Schools can be found on the TA training pages:

• Training, support and development | Faculty of Humanities | StaffNet | The University of Manchester

In addition, each School is required to have an induction programme for TAs providing them with all necessary information required to fulfil their duties. Schools may link the induction to their School/discipline level training as indicated in the TA Policy. 

• Humanities Teaching Assistant Policy

Integration within the School

Schools are to consider Teaching Assistants as part of the teaching team and are required to have appropriate structures in place to support both them and those academics responsible for them.

It is expected that each School will appoint both a TA Coordinator (an academic member of staff) and a Professional Support Services PSS) contact in order to facilitate communications. These roles may be embedded within other roles.

It is also expected that there should be routes within the School governance structures through which TAs can feedback on their experiences to the relevant school level boards and committees, usually through the role of the TA Representative.

Allocation of teaching

Allocation of teaching to TAs will be made in accordance with pre-determined and published criteria by each school. Each School will publish the allocation and selection process used to assign TAs to course units once they have been approved for inclusion in the pool.

Schools must ensure that they outline the specified work TAs are expected to deliver in the letter of intent. For TAs that are Humanities PGR students, it is expected that they will not be allocated more than the 180 hours of recommended teaching per academic year.

• Allocation of hours for Teaching Assistants

Candidates applying to support PGT course units or who are to be considered to have sole responsibility for teaching on PGT seminars may be considered if they meet the following criteria:

• Hold a PhD qualification in the subject area or
• Hold a postgraduate qualification; be beyond their second year of a PhD and have internal experience as a TA for UG units with a recommendation for supporting teaching at PGT level from a course unit convenor they have worked with

In addition, the applicant must have either:

• Relevant professional experience (e.g. in a relevant industry)
• Considerable relevant teaching experience at another HE institution which is supported by good feedback from the previous institution

Meeting these specified appointment criteria will not make a TA eligible to mark PGT summative assessment. This should only be done in extenuating circumstances (to be approved by the School Director of Teaching and Learning) and in such circumstances, the TA must not have sole responsibility for marking that assessment.

Assessment of teaching

The School is expected to undertake peer review of a TA’s teaching for the purpose of providing feedback to the TA and assuring the School of the quality of teaching. The review should be coordinated by the School. A Teaching Assistant Teaching Review pro-forma has been developed which can be used to ensure consistency of review across the Faculty:

TA Development Meeting Pro-Forma

Schools are also to ensure that the TA is named on the relevant unit survey so that students have the opportunity to feedback on teaching.

There is no requirement as to how the 180 teaching hours are allocated and can, therefore, be delivered over either over both semesters or in semester 1 or 2 only although Schools may want also to consider not allocating teaching to first years in semester one.

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