College of HumanitiesPostgraduate Teaching Assistants

Code of Good Practice

ThisCodeofGoodPractice providesaCollege-specific, andteaching focusedcomplementtothe University’sTeachingQuality Assurance ManualCodeofGoodPractice–Employmentof PostgraduateResearchStudents:

1.Introductionandjobdefinition

A Postgraduate Teaching Assistant (PTA)isa postgraduateresearchstudentwhoisemployedbythe College to support teaching and learning, assessment and feedback, demonstrating (applying subject knowledge to assist undergraduates in problem-solving), and 1:1 student support sessions.Thetype ofteachingworkundertakenbyPTAswill vary dependingon departmentandlevelofstudentstobetaught.However, themostcommonformofPTAteaching work istotake responsibility fortutorials/seminars/workshops associatedwith, andsupporting, a seriesoflecturesgivenbymembersofacademicstaff.Thisteachingresponsibility includesclass preparationaswellascontacttime withinthe classroom, andmayincludemarkingstudentwork and providing feedback.

Inordertofulfilthisrolesuccessfully, PTAs needtohave theappropriatebreadthofknowledgein the subjecttobetaught,commitment, andgoodcommunicationskills. Inordertoundertake teachingdutieseffectively,PTAsneedtobetrained andsupportedinthisrole.

For the avoidance of doubt, an employment relationship also arises where a postgraduate student agrees to undertake specified duties as a condition of grant by a College of a bursary, studentship or similar award.

2.Employment of PTAs

a.Recruitment and selection

  1. The University’s equal opportunities standards will be applied in selecting postgraduate students for work opportunities.
  1. The mechanism for specifying details of the role shall be through the advertisement of a job description using the Hours Allocation Template (HAT), accompanied by the generic role description for a Postgraduate Teaching Assistant. The duties that may be asked of the candidate should be included in the Duties and Responsibilities section of the generic role description.
  1. ThisprocessshouldbecompletedandcommunicatedtoPTAsinatimelyfashiontoallow sufficientpreparationforthe module. Ideallythe allocationofteachingdutiesshould beas completeas possible priortothe summervacation.
  1. ResponsibilitylieswiththeHeadofDisciplinetoensure thatthedesire ofstudentstoteach shouldbebalancedwithDiscipline teachingrequirements, aswell asstudents’ ability and experience. Furthermore, selectionofPTAsshouldalsoreflectwhetherteachingwork would compromisetheabilityofthe studenttocompletehis/her thesiswithinthe stipulatedtime period.PGRstudentswho are notontrackto completeontime shouldnotbe offeredPTA work.
  1. Suggestedrecruitmentprocess:
  1. Disciplines should complete Hours Allocation Templates and role descriptions for modules where a requirement for PTA support has been identified.
  2. All eligible PGRswithina Discipline shouldbecontactedthrougha general email, listingmodules whichrequire PTA support,askingthemtoputtheirnamesforwardfor anyteaching, withanindicative number ofhourstheywishtowork(including preparation,teaching andmarking), andthe subject areas /moduleswhichtheywouldfeel comfortableteaching.Indicative HATs and role descriptions should be attached for each role required. There isno guarantee atthisstagethata studentwill begiventheteaching they have requested.
  3. The College will apply a fair and transparent selection policy. The Head of Discipline, with assistance of the Director of Education or PTA Co-ordinator, should then match the teaching assistantship needs of the Discipline with the requests of the students. Discussions with PGR supervisors and Module Co-ordinators should also take place at this stage to determine whether the PGR student fits the teaching role, given the intellectual requirements of the module, and the need for the employment not to be detrimental to the student’s studies
  4. Wherethere aremore applicantsfor PTA workthanpositionsonaparticularmodule, itmay be appropriatetomeettherelevantPGRstudentsfora discussiontodeterminethe best candidate(s).
  5. All those involved in the selection process, and at least the DoE/PTA Coordinator should have completed the University’s mandatory Recruitment and Selection training.
  6. Criteria for selection:
  • studentship/bursary requirements;
  • the appropriate breadthanddepthofknowledge inthe subjecttobetaught;
  • a close relationshipofmodule topic and thePGRstudent’sresearch project;
  • ability tofitteachingintodoctoral workload, soPTAwork doesnotcompromise the ability ofthe studenttocompletein atimelyfashion;
  • previous teachingexperience anddemonstratedcommitmenttoteaching;
  • match against role description
  • communicationskills andEnglishlanguage competence.
  1. Communicationofselectiondecisions
  1. PGRstudents willbe emailed the decisionofthe HeadofDiscipline.Unsuccessful candidates should be given the opportunity to request feedback on their application.
  2. SelectedPTAs should confirmtheiravailabilitytoteachonthe specifiedmoduleswithinone week ofreceiptoftheselectiondecisionemail.
  3. IfthePGRstudentdoesnotwishtotakeuptheoffer,or prefers nottoteachtheallocated module,s/heshould communicatethiswithinone week or receiptofthe selectiondecision email.

b.Appointment

  1. Disciplineswill communicatethe requiredinformationrelatingtotheemploymentofPGR studentsasPTAs tothe HumanitiesGraduateSchool Office (GSO), including the role description and finalised HAT.
  1. TheGSOwill produce aLetterofAppointmentwhichwill be senttothe student, normally no later than 2 weeks before the start date, along withthe role description and finalized HAT.A copy ofthe documentationwillbe keptbytheGSO,anda further copywill be senttothe Humanities FinanceOffice.
  1. Employmentwillbe conditional onthe student’s continuedstatus as a registered studentofthe University: where a studentsoemployedceasestobea studentofthe University,his/her employmentwillbeterminated.
  1. PTA work isallocatedonanannual basisandworkisnotguaranteedfromoneyeartothenext.

i.

c.Maximum hours of work

  1. Disciplinesshouldensure thatanyemploymentofa PGRstudentasaPTAwillnotendangerthe student’sabilityto complete a researchdegreeprogrammewithinthetime setbyboththe University andthe student’sfunding agency(whereapplicable). Supervisors should be asked to verify as part of the appointment process that employment is appropriate and not detrimental to the student’s studies.
  1. Particular consideration will be given to ensuring that students are not overloaded at the beginning of their programme of studies.
  1. TheUniversity stipulatesthattotalemployment, including employment, paid or unpaid,which is external to the University, ofafull-time studentshouldnotnormally exceed 6hoursper week andin allcasesmustnotexceed180hoursper year averagedover thecourse of the academic year.For part-time students, employment may be offered up to the equivalent of a 0.5fte standard contract (ie. 111.5 days/814 hours per year).
  1. Thetotal numberofhoursdiscussedabove includes preparationforclasses, teaching contact time,marking andany office hours.As aguide, itisnormally expectedthatthere shouldbe nomorethan onehourofpreparationtimeforeachhourofunsupervisedteaching contacttime.
  1. The Hours Allocation Template shall state clearly those tasks for which a student will receive payment, and in addition which tasks specified on their Hours Allocation Template fall under the guidance with regard to the maximum number of hours a student may work (for example, attending the LTHE programme may constitute a training requirement listed on the Hours Allocation Template but would not normally contribute towards a student’s maximum hours of work).
  1. Students whoare not nationalsofstates intheEuropeanEconomic Area shouldreadsection5.3 oftheTeachingQualityAssuranceManualCodeofGoodPractice–Employmentof Postgraduate Research Students.

d.Salary and payment

Postgraduate students must be employed on approved University rates of pay. Students may not substantially contribute towards teaching, or be involved in assessment and feedback without being in receipt of a formal contract and payment, including students who have agreed to undertake specified duties as a condition of grant by a College of a bursary, studentship or similar award.

Further information for PTAs on Contract and Payment, Expenses, Right to Work, Ad hoc Work, Terms & Conditions and the Performance and Conduct and Grievance Procedures may be found on the University’s Employment website

3.Induction and training

a.University-level

  1. Formal training,for researchstudents employedasteachers, is available through the University’s ‘Learning andTeachinginHigherEducation’ programme. Theprogrammecomprises bothacore element anda range ofother sessionsontopics of teaching, learning andthe contextofhighereducation.
  1. All researchstudentsemployedasteachers will be requiredtoundertakeLTHEStage 1 or equivalent.
  1. Inaddition,allPTAsengagedinaleadroleintheteachingactivity,withoutthepresenceofa memberofstaffwithintheclassroom, andinformative and/or summative assessment and feedback,will be requiredtoundertakeLTHEStage2, as defined in their HAT.
  1. LTHEStage1isofferedinSeptemberandJanuary eachyear,andwillprovideanintroductiontoarange ofprinciplesofteaching andlearning. LTHE stage 2comprises six 2-hour sessionsand looks inmoredepthatlearning, teaching, studentsupport,assessment andevaluation. LTHE2is alsoofferedtwicea year, followingLTHE1.
  1. Itisnecessary toregister for theLTHEprogramme, andplaces are limited, soearlyregistrationisadvised.

b.College, Discipline and module-level

  1. PostgraduateresearchstudentswhoarenewtoPTAwork will begiven aformalinductionprior toteaching.ThisinductionshouldbeorganisedatDiscipline level, thoughtheoptionshould remain forDisciplinestoco-ordinate sharedevents.
  1. The inductionshouldincludethe following:
  • General expectations and requirementsoftheroleofPTA intheDiscipline;
  • Appropriate information about the College, its ethos, policy and procedures, as well as information about the facilities available to the student by virtue of their employment
  • Workload(preparation, classroommanagement, marking andoffice hours), andbalance with researchwork;
  • Support andtraining (LTHE, Discipline Leads,ModuleConveners, College support);
  • Administrative requirements;
  • General discussion/questionandansweronteachingissues.
  1. The inductionsessionshould befacilitatedbythe appropriate memberofacademicstaffwithin thediscipline (Director ofEducationorPTACo-ordinator), andideally shouldalsoincludemore experiencedPTAs whowill be abletooffer practical advice ontherealitiesofPTA work.
  1. A furthersessionshouldbe convenedtodiscussmarking/assessment,atwhichthepresenceofexperiencedPTAs wouldbe appropriate.Thissessionshouldincludethefollowing:
  • DiscussionofUniversity, College andDiscipline-specific marking criteria and strategies
  • DiscussionofFeedback(written andoral)andCollegeFeedbackStrategy
  • Formative and summative assessment
  • Moderationofmarks
  • Practice marking activity. The focusshouldbeontrying toensuremarking consistency acrossmarkers.

4.Ongoing support and mentoring

a.General principles

The supportfor researchstudents whoundertaketeaching dutiesshouldbeembeddedintheoverall mentoringofresearchstudents. EachDiscipline shall appoint one (or more if appropriate) Postgraduate Teaching Assistant Coordinator(s) (who could also be the Director of Education),who have undertaken recruitment and selection trainingtocoordinate teaching orotheremploymentactivitiesof researchstudents,to coordinatethenecessary induction, training,monitoring andsupportofthe studentsandtoensurethatanyproblems andissues are resolvedpromptly.

b.Postgraduate Teaching Assistant Representatives

EachDiscipline shouldnominate atleastoneexperiencedPTA as a Postgraduate Teaching Assistant Representative, following an openprocess, including inviting nominations from experienced PTAs,to help withthe induction, mentoring, peerobservationandsupportofthosewithlessexperience, and towork closelywithDiscipline PTACo-ordinators.

The PTA Representative shall coordinate any concerns arising from PTAs in that discipline and may support the PTA Coordinator in mentoring less experienced PTAs. The duties of PTA representatives will be specified on their Hours Allocation Template.

5.Responsibilities of PTAs

a.General

The student is responsible:

  1. for informing their home College of the number of hours they are employed across the University in any capacity.
  1. for ensuring that their ability to complete their degree programme is not put at risk by any employment they undertake, as such students are recommended to give consideration to the maximum hours of employment specified in this Code as inclusive of all employment, including with external employers. In this regard it should be noted that the University of Exeter Students’ Guild and INTO are external to the University and it is not a responsibility of the University of Exeter Students’ Guild or INTO to monitor the number of hours students they employ are working.
  1. for taking advantage of available development opportunities consistent with their employment in order to keep their skills updated.
  1. for meeting the requirements of their funding body, where applicable, with regard to any employment.

b.Preparation for teaching

PTAsmustensurethatthey takepartinall the stipulatedinductionsessions andtraining events organisedbythe University, College andDiscipline(LTHE,Discipline induction,marking preparationsessions).

PTAs are encouraged to read the HUMS Taught Student Handbookwhich acts as a basic guide tostudents on their programmes in the College.

c.Teaching

  1. Organisationofclasses
  1. Itisthe responsibilityofthe PTAtoplanandorganise unsupervisedclassroomsessions for whichhe/sheisresponsible, although thismaybe guidedbythemodule convener.
  2. Materialsandenvironment
  1. ThePTAshouldensurethatstudentsareprovidedwiththe relevantmaterials(suchas photocopiedhandouts)for theteachingsession, and thatthe classroomenvironmentis conducivetotheteachingactivitiesplanned.
  2. Attendancemonitoring and record keeping
  1. Somemoduleswill bemonitoredfor studentattendance. IfaPTAisprovidedwitharegisterfor his/her sessions, thecompletedregistersmustbe returnedtoeithertheDiscipline Officeorthe College Office assoonafterthe classaspossible.
  2. Recordsofmarking andfeedback shouldbe returned toAdministrators asrequired.

d.Marking and feedback and returning student essays

  1. PTAsinvolvedinformative or summativeassessmentshouldattendLTHE2(see3.aabove).
  1. PTAsare responsibleformarkingessaysdelegatedtothembythemoduleconvener.
  1. Assessedwork will bemarked accordingtothe agreedmarking criteria.These criteria shouldbe communicatedtothe students beingassessed.
  1. TheModule Convenerwill be responsible for the moderation of marking in order to ensure consistency of standards across the module.Where possible, oral feedback by the markerisencouraged.
  1. Feedback shouldbetimely, individual, easily understoodanddevelopmental(itshouldexplain whythe work receivedthemark itdid, andwhatcouldbedonetoimproveit.)However, feedback shouldalsobemanageablewithinthehours allotted.

e.Academic support and office hours

  1. Asthe classroomteacher,the PTA willbe approachedby studentsaskingquestions regarding academic practice. PTAsshouldattemptanswersuchenquiriestothebestoftheirability, but shouldalsorememberthatthereare othersourcesofsupportavailable tothestudent,including theModule Conveneror the student’sPersonalTutor.Listsoffurthersupportservicesare available viatheCollege of Humanities Intranet Advice and Support pages.
  1. PTAsare encouragedtohold‘office hours’ whenstudentscanseethetutor for feedbackon essaysanddiscussionofacademic issuesandwaystoimprove marks. Ifspaceisrequiredfor confidentialmeetingswithstudents,thePTA should discuss this with the module convenor.

f.Awareness of equality and diversity issues

PTAswill havediverse studentswithin classes withvaried needs. For example:international studentsfromdifferenteducational backgrounds; studentswhose firstlanguageisnotEnglish;and studentswithdisabilities. ItistheresponsibilityofthePTAtobe awareofthesedifferentneeds andtoaccommodatethemasfaraspossible.PTAsareencouragedtoreadtheappropriate sectionofthe LTHEhandbook‘In AtTheDeepEnd’.

g.Illness / inability to teach a class

PTAswhoare illor unabletoattendteaching sessions mustnotifytheirDiscipline Administrator and/ormoduleconvener assoonaspossiblesoareplacementteachercanbefoundortheclass cancelledin goodtime.

6.Responsibilities of module convener

a.Oversight of PTA teaching on module

  1. Meetings/contactbetweenmoduleconvenerandPTA

Themodule convenershould meetthePTAsinvolvedinteachingthemodule prior tothe commencementofteaching todiscussthe syllabus, andtoexplain the intendedlearning outcomesandthe rationale behindthe assessment.Thereafter, itisexpectedthatthe module convenerwill meetPTAsatleastonceatermtodiscussissuesrelating tothe delivery ofthe classesandtheprogressofstudents.

  1. Review / classobservation

Themodule convenerhasoverall responsibility foroversightoftheteachingonhis/her module, includingthequalityoftheteaching.

The convenerisalsoencouragedtoarrange classroomobservationofPTAs, eitherby him/herself orby amoreexperiencedorseniorPTA,inordertoassistinthe professional developmentofthePTAthrough feedback.

b.Provision of necessary materials

  1. Handbook

All modulesshouldhave anELE pageprovidingbackgroundinformation, detailsofthe syllabus, anoverview ofthe lecturesandtutorialsor seminars, reading listsand assessmenttasks. The ELE pageshouldbeproducedin atimelyfashiontoallowPTAsto familiarise themselveswiththe syllabus and readingmaterial.

  1. Module-specific support

Ifthereare specific modulerequirements,theseshouldbecommunicatedtothePTAingood timetoallowfor appropriate preparation.

c.Training for marking

Inadditiontothe Discipline-levelmarking session(see 3.b above),module convenersare encouragedtodiscussassessmentissueswiththeirPTAs, andtoconducta practice markingsession toensure reliability andconsistency ofmarking.

d.Marking and moderation

  1. Themodule Convenerwillmoderatethemarking(second-mark a selectedproportionofthe essays)toensure consistency acrossPTAsandreliability accordingtothemarking criteria.
  1. Themodule convenerwillalsoensure thatfeedbacktostudentsby PTAsisconsistentwiththe SSIS AssessmentandFeedback Strategy.

7.Responsibilities ofDisciplines /Departments

a.Selection and allocation of PTAs

Itistheoverall responsibility oftheHeadofDisciplinetooverseetheselectionandallocationof PTAs, basedonthecriteriaoutlinedinsection2.aabove. Thisprocessshouldbe completedand communicatedtoPTAsina timelyfashiontoallowsufficientpreparationfor themodule.Ideallythe allocationshouldbe as complete aspossible priortothe summervacation.

b.Provision of information on PTA activity to College

Disciplines are responsiblefor providinginformationtothe Humanities Graduate School Officeabout eachindividual PTA’stotal hours, pay,andany otherrelevantinformation.

c.Pedagogic support (PTA co-ordinator / Director of Education)

  1. Disciplines areresponsiblefor safeguarding the quality ofteaching andlearning.
  1. As outlinedin4.a above, eachDiscipline shouldidentify one(ormoreif appropriate)suitably qualified andtrainedmembers ofstaff tocoordinate teaching orotheremploymentactivitiesof researchstudents,to coordinatethenecessary induction, training,monitoring andsupportofthe studentsandtoensurethatanyproblems andissues areresolvedpromptly.

d.Administrative support

Disciplineswill providethenecessary administrative supporttofacilitatethe efficientmanagementof PTA work andthe PTA-studentinterfacee.g. timetabling androomallocation,the collationof marking, andthe administrationofexams.

e.Disciplinary induction and training

Each Discipline is responsible for induction and training of new PTAs as set out in 3.b above, and for communicating the induction and training schedule to the Graduate School Office before the start of the academic year

f.Monitoring of workload

Disciplines areresponsiblefor ensuringthattheabilityofresearchstudents tocompletetheir doctoral studiesinatimelyfashionisnotcompromisedbyundertakingteaching duties.

g.Equipment and facilities

EachDiscipline willensurethatPTAshave accesstoofficeequipmentandITfacilitiestoenablethem toperformtheirteachingduties.

8.ResponsibilitiesofCollege

a.General

The Student’s Home College is responsible for keeping a record of the number of hours for which a student has declared that they are being employed, and monitoring this to ensure it remains within the University’s stated hourly limits, although they cannot take responsibility where a student has failed to properly declare the hours they are working.

The employing College or Professional Service is responsible:

i) for employing students in accordance with the requirements of this Code.

ii) for providing role/discipline-specific training and support for students consistent with their duties.

b.Contractual

The Humanities Graduate School Officeisresponsible fordrawing upandcommunicatingletters ofappointment andfor ensuring that all financeandpayroll forms are completedandsigned.

c.Management and oversight of PTA system

i.Identifyingbestpractice

  • TheGraduate School Office maintains this document, hasgeneraloversightofPTA contracts and workload, andwillendeavour to identify andpromote bestpractice. Disciplines are responsible for the recruitment, induction, training, delivery and monitoring of PTA work and support

ii. ResponsibilityforPGRstudents

  • The Graduate School Office maintains recordsofPGRworkloadandthepotential forPTA worktoimpedeaPGRstudent’sabilityto completehis/herPhDwithinthe stipulatedmaximumperiod. Ifanexample ofthisoccurs, the supervisor should contact the Graduate School Office, who willrequesta reviewofthe situation from the Discipline Lead concerned.

iii. Responsibilityfor studentsbeing taughtbyPTAs

  • ResponsibilityforthestudentsbeingtaughtbyPTAsresideswithintheEducationteamofthe College: Associate Dean(Education);AssistantCollege Manager(Education) andDiscipline DirectorsofEducation.

9.Monitoring of PTA work and support

a.Feedback on PTAs’ teaching-related activity

  • Peerobservation
  • Every PTA shouldbeobservedin classatleastonce peryearandbegiven feedback. Thepeer observationmaybecarried outbythemoduleconvener, a seniorPTAor otherqualified person. PTAsare alsoencouragedtoobserve eachothertofacilitate professionaldevelopment.
  • Moduleevaluation
  • MACEfeedback fromstudentsshouldbesharedbetweenmoduleconvenerandPTAs asa meansfordiscussinghowwell a module wasreceivedby students and tothinkofwaysto improve it.

b.Provision of feedback to College on PTA support

TheGraduate School Office willcommunicatefeedback receivedfromPTAs via Postgraduate Liaison Forums, the PRES survey, annual monitoring and other regular fora onissuesrelating toemployment,training, supportandworkload to disciplinesinordertofurtherimprovethemanagementof teachingbypostgraduate researchstudents.The PTA Coordinator in each discipline should collate feedback received from PTAs. All feedback received will be taken into account by the Annual Student Experience Review process.

10.Complaints,grievancesanddisciplinaryprocedures

Any concerns thatthe researchstudentmayhave relating totheiremploymentby theUniversity– including the termination ofemployment -will bemanagedin accordancewithprocedures issuedby HumanResources, whichcanbe foundinthe appendix of the terms and conditions for postgraduate students

Wherethe College has concerns thatthe researchstudentisnotfulfillinghis/her dutieseffectively,the College willmake arrangementstodiscuss its concerns andagree appropriate remedies.Where, following suchmeetings, the student’sperformance does notimprovetothe requiredstandard,the College shouldtake advicefromthe HRBusiness Partner fortheCollege.The performance and conduct procedures for studentemploymentintheappendix of the terms and conditions, will applyin such circumstances.

Appendix (a)

List of Contacts by Discipline

Discipline / PTA Coordinator / PTA Representative
Archaeology / Gill Juleff / TBA
Classics & Ancient History / Elena Isayev / TBA
Drama / Kara Reilly / TBA
English / Henry Power / TBA
History / Catherine Rider / TBA
Humanities Penryn / Richard Noakes / TBA
Modern Languages / Ulrike Zitzlsperger / TBA
Theology & Religion / Louise Lawrence / TBA