Faculty and Graduate Assistant Professional Interactions

Best Practices

Outlining and promoting best practices in faculty and graduate (teaching and research) assistant professional interactions.
CSU’s Principles of Community are foundational to professional interactions.

Faculty

For Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs)

Meet before the start of the term to discuss expectations for both you and the GTA.  

  • Develop your expectations for your GTA’s responsibilities in grading, taking student attendance, holding office hours, attending class meetings, leading discussions and meeting deadlines.  
  • Determine and convey your expectations and procedures for how you will provide guidance and feedback, mentoring, recognition and oversight. 
  • What are the expectations for communication? How will you communicate (phone, email, in-person, etc.)?  
  • How often will you meet? 
  • How will you provide constructive feedback to the GTA?  GTAs need to be told what they are doing well in addition to what they need to improve.
  • Orient the GTA to your course materials. What teaching tools will you provide (syllabus, rubrics, etc.)? 
  • Determine the average number of hours the GTA is expected to work each week; do not exceed that average number of hours over the term.  Clarify with your GTA that the contract is for an average number of hours a week, not 10 or 20 hours for each and every week.  Give your GTA an idea of how the workload may vary throughout the semester so that they can plan appropriately. 
  • If there are other course GTAs, how will the two of you coordinate with them?  Is any trading of hours or responsibilities allowed? 
  • When is the GTA trusted to make decisions about the class or students on their own? When should they come to you for guidance or to make a final decision about something? 
  • Exhibit mutual appreciation, consideration and respect for each other.
  • What should you do when expectations on either side aren’t met? It’s helpful to talk about how to resolve issues beforehand. Be sure to first discuss and try to resolve the issue with each other.  If this isn’t working, Conflict Resolution is an excellent resource for tips on having difficult conversations or even mediation in the rare cases that is needed. 
  • Consider assigning duties based on TA experience, year of study, academic interests, and professional goals. 

For Graduate Research Assistants (GRAs)

How can you best support your GRA? 

  • Provide project ideas and assist the GRA through research discussions. 
  • Schedule regular meetings; adjust as needed as the GRA moves through the system.  
  • Convey the culture of your research team. Provide your thoughts on how that culture came to be and how it flexes with new members. 
  • Describe how team meetings run; what their purpose is, and how members communicate outside of group meetings. Include information on how decision making occurs. 
  • Facilitate the exploration of avenues for funding.  
  • Ensure the GRA is aware of ethical standards and best practice in pursuing discipline research/scholarship activities.
  • Discuss realistic work expectations about your own research commitments, but also in graduate assistantship roles.  
  • Mentor your GRA on time management strategies. 
  • Create opportunities for collaborative research and creative projects with other faculty, including conference presentations and publications. Provide your GRA with opportunities to network.  
  • Develop forums and workshops for sharing student research, scholarship, and creative artistry. 
  • Oversee independent studies, portfolios, research projects and creative activities.
  • Support professional development.  
  • Serve as a committee member for theses, research projects, and portfolios.  
  • Consult and collaborate with others regarding the GRA’s needs in research, advising, and mentoring relationships.  
  • Provide timely, constructive feedback and respond in a timely manner to questions.  Remember to highlight the positive aspects of the student’s work as well as criticisms. 

Adapted from Colorado State University’s “Faculty Advising and Mentoring Task Force: Recommendations for Faculty Working with Graduate Students.” 

As a faculty mentor to a GTA, GRA, or GSA, you may find the LinkedIn Learning course Being a Good Mentor helpful. Part 3: Overcoming Obstacles is particularly relevant. Also available are the GCIM Mentor Well Faculty Certificate and “SMART Goals and Progression for Mentoring”, which was prepared by the Dean of the Graduate School, Dr. Colleen Webb, in collaboration with the Graduate Center for Inclusive Mentoring (GCIM).  

Graduate Teaching Assistants

Meet before the start of the term to discuss expectations for both you and your faculty member.  

  • Talk with your faculty member and learn their expectations for your responsibilities in grading, taking student attendance, holding office hours, attending class meetings, leading discussions and meeting deadlines. 
  • Ask how the faculty member will provide guidance and feedback, mentoring, recognition and oversight. 
  • What are the expectations for communication? How will you communicate (phone, email, in-person, etc.)?  
  • How often will you meet? 
  • Review the course materials with the faculty member. What teaching tools will they provide (syllabus, rubrics, etc.)? 
  • Determine the number of hours you are expected to work each week and how this might vary over the term. 
  • If there are other course GTAs, how will the two of you coordinate with them?  Are you allowed to shift responsibilities or trade hours? 
  • When should you make decisions about the class or students on your own? When should you go to the faculty member for guidance or to make a final decision about something? 
  • Exhibit mutual appreciation, consideration and respect for each other. 
  • What should you do when expectations on either side aren’t met? Be sure to first discuss and try to resolve the issue with each other. If this isn’t working, Conflict ResolutionConflict Resolution is an excellent resource for tips on having difficult conversations or even mediation in the rare cases that is needed. 

For more ideas on questions to ask your faculty member as a new GTA, review Questions to Ask as a Teaching Assistant.  

Graduate Research Assistants

As a new graduate student, you are encouraged to: 

  • Seek out and understand relevant policies. Be aware of all deadlines and paperwork from the Graduate School, your department, lab, etc.  
  • Formulate well thought-out goals and timelines for your program. 
    Become aware of typical timelines in your program regarding finishing classes, taking examinations, acquiring certifications, and graduation-related activities. 
  • Understand which policies and deadlines you are expected to follow if multiple departments are involved in your education.
  • If co-advised, clarify responsibilities of and to each advisor. 
  • Stay informed through frequent Graduate School, department, and advisor communications. 

As a continuing graduate student, you are encouraged to meet before the start of or at the beginning of each year to discuss expectations for both you and your research advisor.   

  • Approach the research assistantship as a learning experience and seek clarification as to the expectations and benefits of engagement with the project and its applicability to academic requirements, roles, and expectations.  
  • Ask your research advisor if they use GRA-Supervisor compacts/agreements to set and continually review/renew expectations. If they do, those should clearly specify the expected duties of the GRA, and these duties must be acknowledged and agreed to by both the supervisor and you. It is also good practice to specify in the agreements activities that may be prohibited. GRA-supervisor agreements should also address performance standards for those duties. The University of Wisconsin-Madison has a number of Mentoring Compacts/Contracts Examples. Consider crafting an agreement in collaboration with your research advisor/supervisor.
  • Ask your research advisor if they use Individual Development Plans (IDPs) to help you establish research, professional development, and career goals.  Consider working with your research advisor/supervisor to develop an IDP. CSU has IDP materials and a description of the process. 
  • Establish the expectations for time management prior to the beginning of the semester. It is important to have both the GRA and the supervisor agree to these expectations. 
  • Be open to constructive criticism from advisor and committee. 
  • Seek out opportunities for professional development such as conferences, seminars, 
    symposiums, and/or internships. 
  • Take advantage of available resources for professional or personal issues as they might arise.
  • There are many on-campus resources available to graduate students including 
    those offered by the Graduate School, Health Network (including health and counseling services), The Institute for Learning and Teaching (TILT) and Office for Undergraduate Research and Artistry (OURA), Writing Center, Student Disability Center (SDC), Student Case Management, Adult Learner and Veteran Services, Career Center, Off-Campus Life, Student Legal Services, Graduate Student Council (GSC), Conflict Resolution Student Resolution Center, Office of International Programs, and the many cultural/resource centers under the Division of Student Affairs.
  • Agree upon the frequency of meetings and methods for communicating research progress and results during the term of employment. Reach out to committee members and organize meetings when appropriate. 
  • Be informed of resolution and grievance processes when problems arise. Colorado State University has the Conflict Resolution Student Resolution Center as a resource to both students and faculty.

Adapted from Colorado State University’s “Faculty Advising and Mentoring Task Force: Recommendations for Faculty Working with Graduate Students.”