Mission Statement

Teaching is at the core of the academic enterprise of The New School.  Teaching Assistants and Teaching Fellows are considered apprentice teachers and, as such, play an important role in an educational environment that supports the University’s historic mission to develop life-long learners. To support this role, the University provides its advanced graduate students with opportunities to obtain education, training, mentoring, and experience in college and graduate-level teaching.

Service as Teaching Assistants in undergraduate or graduate courses is considered an important early step in this apprenticeship process to become future teachers.  An appointment as a Teaching Fellow represents the natural progression in this training program.  An invitation to become a returning teacher of undergraduates is a sign of confidence in one’s ability and future potential.  All of these steps and stages are integral to developing future teachers and providing quality instruction to our undergraduates.

Teaching Assistant

Teaching Assistants assist in course delivery and serve as apprentices under the supervision of the instructor(s) for a course. They are selected through an application process coordinated by the Provost’s Office in close consultation with the lead faculty for each course.

Criteria for Eligibility—
Applicants must meet the following minimum requirements for appointment:

•   Must be matriculated full-time (enrolled in courses or maintaining status) in the semester in which they teach
•   Must have completed 50% of Masters program with no Incompletes, or be admitted to PhD program 
•   Must not have more than 3 courses or 33% of attempted course credits, whichever is smaller, as Incompletes
•   Must have achieved a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.4 
•   Must be within the time limit for attaining their degree
•   Additional qualifications may be set by the Lead Faculty

Duties as a Teaching Assistant—

• Attend all course meetings
• May read and grade a percentage of the assigned coursework
• Make themselves available to their students for individual academic assistance
• Participate in the University Pedagogy Seminar and New Faculty Orientation prior to, or no later than, the first semester they are teaching as a Teaching Assistant
• If the course is online, complete Blackboard tutorial prior to the beginning of semester teaching
• Familiarize themselves with student services and other academic support so that students can be referred for support or assistance as needed
• Abide by all University academic and personnel policies and guidelines

Graduate Students may teach no more than two (2) Teaching Assistantships in any single semester.

Teaching Fellow

Teaching Fellows serve as the instructor of record with independent responsibility for the course. They work under the supervision of a department or program chair in the Division/Program in which they teach. They are also considered apprentice teachers and, as such, will have already participated in the University Pedagogy Seminar and new Faculty Orientation prior to teaching, or will do so the semester in which they teach. Teaching Fellows are selected through the Fellowship Program application process coordinated by the Provost’s Office. Teaching Fellows may teach courses in the discipline of their own graduate major, in related disciplines where an interdisciplinary approach to teaching is encouraged and/or warranted, as well as in courses designed to develop research skills and other proficiencies, such as mathematics and statistical methods, and foreign languages.

Criteria for Eligibility—
In addition to meeting the requirements for appointment listed above for Teaching Assistants, applicants for Teaching Fellowships:

• Must be accepted into a doctoral program before the semester they intend to serve or must have completed at least 50% of terminal degree
• Will be given preference if they have already completed the Pedagogy Seminar, completed at least one semester of Teaching Assistantship at The New School or have teaching experience/assistantship at another institution

Duties as a Teaching Fellow—

• Revise syllabus as needed in consultation with appropriate divisional faculty member or chair who will determine and clarify (if needed) course goals and objectives for student learning
• Develop all assignments in consultation with appropriate divisional faculty member or chair
• Assess all student learning including assignments, papers, projects and attendance
• Make themselves available to their students for individual academic assistance
• Participate in a Pedagogy Seminar and New Faculty Orientation in the first semester they are teaching as a Teaching Fellow if they have not already done so for their Teaching Assistantship
• Familiarize themselves with student services and other academic support so that students can be referred for support or assistance as needed
• Abide by all divisional and University academic and personnel policies and guidelines

Graduate Students may teach only one course each semester as a Teaching Fellow. Graduate students may teach one course as a Teaching Fellow and one course as a Teaching Assistant in a single semester.

Application Procedure—
The completed application consists of FIVE copies of each of the following, stapled together:

• A completed application form
• A cover letter that addresses your academic and professional goals, and projects a timetable for completion of your degree
• A curriculum vitae (vitae should detail academic courses taken at the graduate level and any prior teaching or Teaching Assistant experience)

The five copies of the application should be dropped off to Karen Hudson at 66 West 12th Street, room 708A, 7th floor. If Karen is not in, there will be a box clearly labeled in which to submit the application.

Timetable for Application Process—
January 22, 2008—All Teaching Assistantship and Teaching Fellowship applications due
February 26, 2008—Ineligible applicants informed of their status via Groupwise email, with letter to follow by regular post
April 18, 2008—Applicants are informed of decision via Groupwise email, with letters to follow by regular post