Graduate teaching assistants (often referred to as GTAs or simply TAs) are
graduate students employed on a temporary contract by a department at a
college or
university in teaching-related responsibilities. In New Zealand, Australian, and some Canadian universities, graduate TAs are known as
tutors. North American graduate TA positions provide funding for postgraduate research—although the main purpose is to provide teaching support—and it often serves as a first career step for aspiring academics. TA responsibilities vary greatly and may include: tutoring; holding office hours; invigilating tests or exams; and assisting a
professor with a large lecture class by teaching
students in
recitation, laboratory, or discussion sessions. Professors may also use their teaching assistants to help teach discussions during regular class. This gives the graduate student opportunity to use their teaching skills, as many are in pursuit of teaching careers. Some graduate students assist in
distance education courses by meeting with the students as professors are not able to. Graduate TAs should not be confused with
teaching fellows (TFs) or
graduate student instructors (GSIs), who are graduate students who serve as the primary instructors for courses. However, at some universities, such as those in the
Florida State University System, there are neither teaching fellows nor graduate student instructors, and "teaching assistant" is the only title used.
Tutorials In
British,
Australian,
New Zealand,
South African,
Indian,
Italian,
Irish and some
Canadian universities, a
TA is often, but not always, a
postgraduate student or a
lecturer assigned to conduct a
seminar for
undergraduate students, often known as a
tutorial. At the
University of Cambridge, tutors are known as
supervisors, and tutorials are
supervisions. The equivalent of this kind of tutor in the
United States and the rest of Canada is known as a graduate teaching assistant or a graduate student instructor (GSI). ==Undergraduate==