Guidelines for the Resource Room

GUIDELINES FOR UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY

This document details guidelines for the use of Undergraduate Teaching Assistants (UTA) in the Department of Physics & Astronomy. These students will help staff the departments "Resource Room", a room where students in the introductory physics courses may come to ask questions pertaining to these courses.
 

Prerequisites

To be considered for a UTA position, undergraduate students must satisfy the following prerequisites
  • The student must be a major in the Physics & Astronomy department.
  • The student must have at least 13 credits of Physics and/or Astronomy courses (including the current term).
  • The student must have a GPA of > 3.2 in PHYS/ASTRON courses.
  • The student must have an overall GPA of  > 3.0.
  • The student must have obtained the following grades in introductory physics courses.
       (1) A- in PHYS 0475 or A in PHYS 0174 or A+ in PHYS 0110
       (2) A- in PHYS 0476 or A in PHYS 0175 or A+ in PHYS 0111
 

Duties

A student will sign up for specic hours in the Resource Room at the beginning of the term in which they will be serving as a UTA. The UTA is expected to be present in the Resource Room for the same hours every week for the duration of the term. The UTA is expected to be able to help students who visit the Resource Room with questions relating to their Physics and/or Astronomy courses, but the UTA will not solve homework problems for the students. The Department's Director of Graduate Studies or his/her designate will conduct a training session at the beginning of the year for students staffing the Resource Room. All UTAs will be expected to have attended this session.
 

Other Possible Duties

It is possible that the department may decide to utilize a UTA in activities other than staffing the Resource Room. The UTA must still satisfy the prerequisites listed above. Faculty wishing to propose these activities should do so in writing to the Department. The proposal will be reviewed by a committee composed of the Chair of the department and the Undergraduate and Graduate program directors or their designates.