Teaching Support: GSIs, GSSAs, IAs, and Graders

Teaching Support

Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs), Graduate Student Staff Assistants (GSSAs), Instructional aides (IAs), and Graders are all students employed to assist in the instructional programs of UMSI. They have a work commitment but they are also students and their education should always come first.

GSIs and GSSAs

Graduate students appointed to regular, semester-duration appointments as teaching assistants or classroom instructors are covered by the Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO) collective bargaining agreement with the university. At UMSI, graduate students working in a teaching capacity are generally employed as graduate student instructors or graduate student staff assistants. There are strict rules about how much GSIs and GSSAs can work. GSIs are typically hired at a .50 (20 hour per week) appointment. If the workload is particularly heavy, in some circumstances, the percentage can be increased. The GEO strictly requires that the average hours of work do not exceed the fraction to which a GSI/GSSA is appointed.

The current GEO contract can be found here. In this contract you will find the definition of a graduate student instructor (GSI) and graduate student staff assistant (GSSA) which are quoted below:

Graduate Student Instructors (GSI)

The title “graduate student instructor” shall be given to a graduate student who:

Is employed to teach courses, or coordinate, lead, or assist in the instructional process in direct interaction with students in recitation, laboratory, quiz, or problem sessions or to teach or during office hours; or,
Is employed to provide tutorial instruction on a regularly scheduled and pre-arranged basis throughout not less than one term, but specifically excluding individuals who provide tutorial instruction on a demand or on-call basis, regardless of the frequency of the demand or calls; or
Is employed on a regularly scheduled and prearranged basis throughout not less than one term to grade papers or examinations in a manner that requires subjective evaluation above and beyond the mechanical or routine comparison of submitted papers or examinations with answers, responses, or elements predetermined as correct or acceptable by another individual or method or(b) provides tutorial instruction. It is understood, however, that the title need not be given to an individual who grades on a demand or on-call basis regardless of the frequency of the demand or calls; or
Is employed to create and test assignments and exams; explanatory materials for regularly scheduled discussion or tutorial sessions;
Is an experienced GSI and is employed throughout not less than one term by an academic department, school, or college as a consultant and teaching mentor for graduate student instructors in that department, school, or college and whose activities include but are not limited to; observing GSIs, providing feedback to GSIs; and consulting with GSIs on teaching-related issues.

Generally, a GSI is assigned for every 50 students enrolled in a course. Classes with a lecture and group session/labs will have one GSI for every two group sessions/labs of approximately 25 students. Some studio- or project-based classes with enrollments of 40-45 also are assigned GSIs. The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs authorizes GSI allocations. The GSI process begins in September for the winter term; February for the spring/summer term; and March for the fall term.

UMSI doctoral students are required to serve as GSIs for at least two semesters. GSI assignments are first vetted by faculty instructors and doctoral student advisors. Instructors and advisors should all verify that the assignment is a reasonable fit for the student. If the assignment is acceptable to the instructor and advisor, the doctoral student will be offered the position. Once an assignment is made, changes are discouraged. Changes are prohibited unless there are exceptional circumstances after April 1 for the spring/summer term; July 15 for the fall term, and November 18 for the winter term. Changes after this point in time cause serious problems for your fellow instructors and staff who must hurry to identify an alternative GSI and due to the lateness of the assignment the quality of the GSI pool will be diminished.

For courses to which no doctoral student is assigned, UMSI Human Resources will coordinate with the faculty instructor to confirm a position description which will be sent to UMSI master’s students. Graduate students from other departments may only be hired with the permission of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. The instructor screens the GSI applicants, interviews candidates, and confirms the selected candidate with UMSI HR. Hiring is not final until all required paperwork and a background check are completed.

Graduate Student Staff Assistants (GSSA)

The title “graduate student staff assistant” shall be given to a graduate student whose employment (1) fulfills a degree requirement or (2) is otherwise considered academically relevant by the department or degree program in which the degree is being pursued and who is employed to perform administrative, counseling or educational duties other than those of a graduate student instructor. An experienced GSI is often employed as a GSSA throughout not less than one term as a consultant and teaching mentor for graduate student instructors in that department, school, or college and whose activities include but are not limited to; observing GSIs, providing feedback to GSIs; and consulting with GSIs on teaching-related issues.

If you need help interpreting this contract, please contact UMSI Human Resources (umsi.human.resources@umich.edu).

Instructional Aides (IA)

NOTE: The below information does not apply to undergraduate students that are Instructional Aides, as they are not graduate students and thus would not be eligible to be GSIs or members of the GEO union. As such, undergraduate IAs are able to be used for a broader range of duties. The duties of undergraduate IAs can include teaching or assisting in courses, preparation of instructional materials; giving laboratory or clinical demonstrations; preparing, administering, and grading examinations; lecturing, and leading laboratory and recitation sections. Provisions of the University's collective bargaining agreement with the Graduate Employees' Organization govern the terms and conditions of employment of graduate students who are assigned academic duties such as instruction, grading, and tutoring. Please consult Article I "Recognition and Definitions" of the UM-GEO agreement prior to appointing a UM graduate student in this role. Questions about the application of the contract should be directed to UMSI HR (umsi.human.resrouces@umich.edu).

Graduate Student Instructional Aides CAN and SHOULD:

Provide support as detailed in the University job description
Be an undergraduate student (or may be a graduate student for higher level courses)
Work on average 5-10 hours per week, with fluctuation up or down depending on volume
Be considered more ‘on-call’ or on-demand than a GSI, and have a more fluid working schedule
Provide support in some or all of the following: Support instructing faculty in helping facilitate courses and the preparation of instructional materials; give laboratory or clinical demonstrations; prepare, administer, and objectively grade examinations, or assignments, under the guidance of faculty
Refer students with questions or concerns about course content or grades to faculty or GSIs

Graduate Student Instructional Aides SHOULD NOT:

Have the same level of accountability and responsibilities as a GSI, including highly subjective grading and instructing students
Interact with students about course content or grades.
Be expected to work the entire 4-month term
Be expected to hold regularly scheduled office hours, attend every class or discussion section

Graders

Graduate Student Graders CAN and SHOULD perform duties such as:

Assessing objective answers in examinations and papers guided by a rubric
Computing and recording examination scores
Work no more than 8-10 hours per week only during the weeks when grading services are needed;
Be considered more ‘on-call’ or on-demand than a GSI, and have a more fluid working schedule

Graduate Student Graders SHOULD NOT:

Be scoring, grading, or handling assignments that have any degree of subjectivity
Have the same level of accountability and responsibility as a GSI
Be expected to work every week throughout the entire 4-month term
Be expected to hold regularly scheduled office hours, attend every class, or discussion section

Temporary Instructional Support

We regularly hire temporary assistants to support various teaching functions. These temporary assistants are variously categorized according to such titles as “graders,” “instructional aides,” “computer consultants,” etc. The University’s Academic Human Resources department has generic job descriptions to help classify these positions. Because the University is bound by the terms of collective bargaining agreements with the GEO and LEO unions, it is important that temporary instructional support positions be properly classified, that the job descriptions and responsibilities are clear, and that the duties assigned conform to the job description. Positions covered by GEO are considerably more costly to UMSI and entail a number of other constraints, so it is important to know which type of position we are creating and to conform to the legal distinctions. For example, graders are limited to grading assignments and exams based on a rubric; while the grader can explain the rubric to a student, the grader is not allowed to engage in office hours or other instructional activities.