Graduate Teaching Assistantships

Application Deadline: September 3, 2020

Position Description:

PhD candidates who are currently just beyond their normal TA eligibility period are welcome to apply. Graduate students in Biology programs will be given preference.

Biology 1001A/1201A (Duties are separated into modules)
MODULE A (10h per week) This is a “tutorial” environment with one TA leader for each section of 40 students. The program is organized into five Modules that each play out over 2 weeks. TAs with full (140 hr) appointments typically have five, 2 hr, sessions over the 2-week period of each Module. Each session generates 2 hr of out-of-class grading (usually online). There are biweekly 1 hr organizational meetings followed by 2 hr of prep time. There will be 8 hrs of marking for the Final Exam on one designated day during the exam period. Proctoring within the course is typically one Term Test and the Final Exam.

MODULE B (5 or 10 h per week) This is a “virtual lab” environment with two TA leaders for each section of 40 students. The program is organized into five Modules that each play out over 2 weeks. TAs with full (140 hr) appointments typically have five, 3.5 hr, sessions over the 2-week period of each Module. There is no out-of-class grading. There are biweekly 2 hr organizational meetings followed by 2 hr of prep time. There will be 8 hrs of marking for the Final Exam on one designated day during the exam period. There will be roughly 4 hr of diverse administrative work over the term as assigned. Proctoring within the course may involve three Term Tests and the Final Exam. Familiarity with online teaching tools an asset.

Biology 2244A Introduction to Statistics (10 hours per week)
TAs may be responsible for the following: leading several computer lab sections (~50 students), marking/providing feedback on written assignments, attending regular course meetings, answering student questions about graded assignments, and (maybe) proctoring exams. Theoretical and applied understanding of statistical concepts (e.g. sampling & study design, probability, summary statistics, sampling distributions, confidence intervals, t-tests, correlation & regression, and ANOVA), clarity in spoken English, and excellent interpersonal/teamwork skills are essential. Familiarity with online teaching tools and R programming an asset.

Biology 2290F Scientific Methods in Biology (5 or 10 hours per week)
Responsibilities include teaching, providing feedback to students, and marking assignments and final exam. Applicants require demonstrable skills in writing, and should have teaching experience. Familiarity with online teaching tools an asset.

Biology 2483A Introduction to Ecology Tutorials (10 hours per week)
Responsibilities include teaching (online or in-person), marking assignments and record keeping. Applicants should have experience teaching and be knowledgeable in the fields of ecology and evolution. Familiarity with online teaching tools an asset.

Biology 2601A Physiology of Organisms (10 hours per week)
Responsibilities include supervision of students working through virtual labs and marking of assignments. Participation in safety training and attendance at weekly meetings is expected. Teaching experience is desired. Familiarity with online teaching tools an asset.

Biology 3338A Developmental Biology (10 hours per week)
TAing responsibilities will include organization, supervision and grading of students in tutorials, and marking of assignments. The tutorial duties include a brief presentation of current Vertebrate Developmental followed by the administration of short student presentations and discussions of those developmental topics. TA will mark short reports based on the presentation as well as presentation and participation. TAs may also be responsible for proctoring midterms and exams, as well as administering the course website and dealing with course related emails. Applicants require a broad knowledge in cell and developmental biology. Familiarity with online teaching tools an asset.

Biology 3592A Genomics and Beyond (10 hours per week)
Responsibilities include teaching, marking assignments, record keeping, attending classes and meetings, and (maybe) proctoring a final exam. Applicants should have experience teaching and be knowledgeable in modern experimental approaches in genetics and molecular biology as applied to such topics as genomics (gene identification and classification), functional genomics (genome expression profiles) and bioinformatics (computational genomic analysis) Familiarity with online teaching tools an asset.

These positions are subject to course and section enrollment.

Send the following information INLINE (NO ATTACHMENTS) to Tricia Gray (tgray5@uwo.ca) via your UWO email account only:
Full name, local phone contact, uwo email address, current program and status, name of supervisor with contact number and email, name of grad chair (if applicable) with contact number and email, brief description of subject background and teaching experience (or equivalent) PLUS the course number(s) to which you would like to apply.

Please do not send a CV or lists of publications. Applications that do not meet the above requirements or do not have the consent of supervisor(s) will not be considered.

Application Deadline: August 27, 2020

Position Description:

CS 1026 - COMP SCI FUNDAMENTALS I
Preference will be given to applicants with a strong knowledge of the Python programming language.

CS 1027 - COMP SCI FUNDAMENTALS II
Preference will be given to applicants with a strong knowledge of the Java programming language.

CS 1032 - INFORMATION SYSTEMS & DESIGN
Preference will be given to applicants with basic programming knowledge and experience with Microsoft Access and Excel. Familiarity with HTML and XML code is also an asset.

CS 1037 - COMP SCI FUNDAMENTALS II
Preference will be given to applicants with a strong knowledge of the C/C++ programming language.

CS 2208 - COMPUTER ORGANIZATION
Preference will be given to applicants with programming knowledge and experience with Assembly language, as well as machine language encoding/decoding.

CS2209 – Applied Logic for C.S.
Applicants must have knowledge in the following areas: Propositional and predicate (first-order) logic, familiarity with basic set theory, Induction and recursion, Boolean circuits. Need to know and can write mathematically precise proofs using induction etc.

CS 2210 -
Applicants must be proficient in Java and have taken a course on data structures, hashing, trees, and graphs.

CS 2211 - Software Tools and Systems Programming
Preference will be given to applicants with programming knowledge and experience with C language and Linux OS

CS 2212 – Intro to Software Engineering
Applicant must be proficient in Java and have software engineering and project management experience.

CS2214A - Discrete Math
Knowledge required: Discrete Mathematics (including logic, set theory, induction, recurrences, modular arithmetic, probability theory, graph
theory).

Responsibilities include attending group meetings with the instructors, marking of assignments and exams, consultation (electronically), and posting of marks to Sakai Owl 2.

All positions will be for 140 hours or an average of 10 hours per week. A TA must be available to mark the final exam if necessary.

Due to the nature of the courses, graduate students in the Dept. of Computer Science will be given preference. Graduate students registered in graduate programs outside of C.S. should indicate in their CV, what undergraduate CS courses they have taken together with their grades in those courses.

Applicants should send their CV and cover letter to Janice Wiersma (jwiersm2@uwo.ca).

The Lead TA program is a new initiative on campus to facilitate the professional development of teaching assistants at a discipline-specific level. Sponsored by the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (SGPS), in collaboration with several Faculties on campus, it provides outstanding graduate students with an opportunity to apply their interest, teaching experience, and training beyond traditional TA duties.

During this pilot year, the program will position Lead TAs in 8 departments across campus where they will develop discipline focused TA training activities. By facilitating workshops, developing resources, and offering peer feedback through classroom observations, Lead TAs will serve as mentors, coaches, and liaisons for TAs in their home department.

This initiative to improve the teaching effectiveness of TAs at a departmental level complements the general, interdisciplinary TA training offered by the Teaching Support Centre (TSC).  In order to support the Lead TAs in their own professional development during the year, the TSC will provide ongoing training and resources to the group on facilitation, peer mentoring and teaching excellence.

The Lead TA pilot program is a result of collaboration between the SGPS, the Faculties, the GTA Union and the TSC.  If you would like to learn more about the program, please contact Mihaela Harmos.

The Teaching Assistant Training Program is a hands-on, two-and-a-half- day session taught by current Teaching Assistants (TAs) and designed for new TAs embarking on their teaching careers. Learn about fair grading practices, diversity in the classroom, lecturing, and giving students feedback on written work. Choose from concurrent sessions designed to meet your specific discipline-related teaching needs. Get real-time, hands-on teaching experience in our unique micro-teaching sessions, where you can try out your teaching skills and techniques with a small group of your peers and receive helpful, constructive feedback. At the end of the session, you’ll receive a certificate as evidence of your commitment to the development of your knowledge and skill as a teacher.

For more information: http://www.uwo.ca/tsc/graduate_student_programs/tatp.html