G9.8 Guidelines for TA Course Assignments in the Language Programs

Criteria for Assigning Classes to Departmental TAs with Teaching Guarantees

Single sections

Single sections will be assigned to TAs with teaching guarantees.

Double sections

1. Double sections are not automatically granted. TAs wishing to teach a second section must submit a request to the graduate program manager and director of the language program via the designated system and by the deadline for graduate registration. Double sections are awarded based on teaching performance, which includes performance of administrative duties related to teaching. Such awards will be contingent upon the student’s academic standing in the department, scheduling compatibility, departmental needs, and the following eligibility criteria.

Students on probation cannot receive double sections. A student on probation is one who fails to maintain a cumulative 3.00 average. See G3.6 “Minimum Graduate GPA and Probation” above and the Graduate School policy on Satisfactory Progress: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1218

Students who do not consistently satisfy the minimum semester course-load requirement in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese will not receive double sections. See G3.2 “Minimum Credit Load for Residency and the Two-Course Rule” above.

2. Double sections are reserved for graduate students at the second year or above, with the following exceptions.

• Up to three double-section appointments may be reserved for recruitment purposes, for exceptional incoming students.
• First-year MA students may be eligible for double-section assignments in their second semester, provided they have taught previously in the department and that they have taken Spanish 770 Introduction to the Profession prior to or during their first semester.

3. There is a standard limit of three sections that may be assigned during the two-semester academic year. All guarantee requests up to three sections during the two-semester academic year will be filled before considering additional remaining assignments beyond this standard limit (see above).

Criteria for Assigning Remaining Classes

Once single and double sections have been assigned to students with teaching guarantees, remaining sections will be assigned based on teaching performance (which includes performance of administrative duties related to teaching) according to the following ranked priorities.

• First: Students who are one or two semesters beyond the PhD guarantee before taking preliminary examinations.
• Second: First-, second-, and third-year dissertators who are not needed in the Spanish 226 pool and who are making satisfactory progress on their dissertation, as validated by a written statement from the dissertation director.
• Third: Second Language Acquisition (SLA) PhD students and other PhD students minoring in Spanish or Portuguese before taking preliminary examinations who are in good academic standing and making satisfactory progress in their program (as validated by a written statement from their advisor).
• Fourth: Fourth- and fifth-year dissertators who are not needed in the Spanish 226 pool and who are making satisfactory progress on their dissertation, as validated by a written statement from the dissertation director. Any dissertator who has exceeded the five-year limit for writing the dissertation will not be eligible for a teaching assignment, except by special petition.
• Fifth: Students who are one semester beyond the MA guarantee before submitting the MA portfolio. Students two or more semesters beyond the MA guarantee will not be eligible for a teaching assignment, except by special petition.
• Sixth: Students who are three or four semesters beyond the PhD guarantee before taking preliminary examinations.
• Seventh: SLA dissertators and other dissertators who minored in Spanish or Portuguese and who are making satisfactory progress on their dissertation (as validated by a written statement from their advisor).
• Eighth: Graduate students enrolled in academic programs outside the department who are in good academic standing and making satisfactory progress in their program (as validated by a written statement from their advisor) and have not taught more than eight semesters at UW-Madison. No consideration will be given to teaching assistants whose teaching performance is assessed as lower than “Acceptable.”

In order to maintain the integrity and quality of the department’s language programs, the chair may, at their discretion, supersede the criteria stated above and assign additional sections beyond the stipulated limit of three courses per academic year to graduate students in the department who are still on guarantee. The additional double sections will be assigned using the same criteria and contingencies as stipulated above.

Summer TAships

The guidelines outlined above for TAs will also apply to the granting of summer employment to teaching assistants. Accordingly, preference will be given to departmental graduate students with current guaranteed appointments. The chair, in consultation with the director of the language program and graduate program manager, will rank teaching assistants according to their teaching and academic excellence. These two factors being relatively equal, preference will be given to those teaching assistants who have received fewer summer appointments. Teaching assistants who are not in good academic standing at the beginning of the spring semester will be given lowest priority. No consideration will be given to teaching assistants whose teaching performance is assessed as lower than “Acceptable.” The recommended list of summer TAs (and alternates) will be approved by the Executive Committee.

Selection of Head TAs

There will be one Head TA for Spanish 101/102, Spanish 203/204, and Portuguese 101/102. The Head TA will be selected according to the following guidelines:

1. Each October and March, the Language Coordination Committee will review the Head TA status for the above-listed TA-taught courses for the upcoming semester.
2. A call will go out as needed for applications for Head TA by the last week of October or the second week of April, respectively. Applications will be reviewed by December 1 or May 1, respectively, with the decision(s) to be announced shortly thereafter.
3. All applications will be evaluated by the following: the coordinator and the director of the Spanish language program (Spanish 101-204) or the Portuguese Steering Committee (Portuguese 101/102). Applicants are evaluated on administrative experience/ability as TA and teaching performance. The performance of the Head TA will be evaluated each semester, for continuation in the position for up to four consecutive semesters.