Qualified undergraduate students are occasionally selected to serve as undergraduate teaching assistants (UTAs) during the academic year. As such they can fulfill several roles, depending on the particular needs of a department and the nature of the course/lab to which the UTA is assigned.
Below is a list of functions UTAs may serve in Trinity College:
- Assisting the course instructor with class preparation and course materials (e.g., setting up AV equipment or lab specimens, maintaining course website, photocopying)
- Assisting students in help rooms or review sessions outside of class time
- Leading discussion sections or labs
- Assisting course instructor with grading (e.g., homework, quizzes, lab reports)
Detailed UGTA Information – Fall 2026
Undergraduate Teaching Assistants at Duke University
The information below provides requirements for Undergraduate Teaching Assistants (UGTAs) at Duke University. For policies concerning graduate teaching assistants, please see the graduate school’s documentation.
Appointment letters
Each undergraduate teaching assistant should receive a written contract. Contracts for UGTAs should include the role and expectations/duties of the position, the approximate hours required per week, and the financial support the student will receive. Departments must keep electronic copies of the signed contracts for three years (in Duke Box or another secure location).
Training/Onboarding
Training is mandatory for all UGTAs. Per SACSCOC accreditation guidelines, training must cover the following items: FERPA, mandatory reporting, harassment, the Duke Community Standard, conflicts of interest, and disciplinary-specific norms. Completion of this training must be documented. A recommended practice is to include a line in the TA contract that indicates the signee has completed all required trainings prior to the beginning of the semester. In order to facilitate the training process, UGTAs should complete the online training modules in Canvas, which include embedded quizzes. In addition to this online training, departments should supplement with disciplinary-specific training as necessary.
Evaluation
Both graduate and undergraduate TAs must be evaluated regularly and always prior to signing a new contract, at least once per semester. While anyone who assisted in supervising the UGTA (such as a course instructor, lab manager, graduate student, etc.) should be invited to provide comments on the UGTA's performance, instructors of record are primarily responsible for the direct evaluation. The evaluation must be documented in writing and maintained electronically by the department. Departments are welcome to supplement this form as they deem appropriate.
Acceptable Duties for Undergraduate TAs
Working as a UGTA should be an educationally enriching opportunity for undergraduate students. Assuming TAs are trained and evaluated properly, they may engage in the following responsibilities:
- Serving as a peer mentor
- Leading office hours/answering questions outside of class
- Leading review sessions
- Leading discussion sections during which no new material is presented
- Grading de-identified assignments that are objectively graded (i.e. multiple choice assignments against an answer key). Efforts must be made to deidentify the graded assignments and specific, objective answer keys/rubrics are required.
- Leading lab sections under the supervision of a lab manager/instructor of record; see forthcoming attachment regarding circumstances under which UG TAs can lead labs
Unacceptable Duties for Undergrad TAs
Undergraduate TAs may not engage in the following:
- Lead the training of their fellow TAs without supervision
- Grade subjectively graded, identifiable work (i.e. essays, open-ended questions, etc)
- See or enter final course grades
- Teach new content during unsupervised instruction