Teaching Assistants form an integral part of the Department’s human resources, responsible for the Department’s core mission of undergraduate teaching and learning. The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering hires a limited number of Teaching Assistants annually to support its undergraduate programs. In 2023/2024, we will hire a small number of undergraduate student TAs.
September Winter 1 (2023) and January Winter 2 (2024) Undergraduate TA applications are open until April 30, 2023.
Current members of the CUPE 2278 bargaining unit (Teaching Assistants Component): please submit applications by the above date to be reviewed for eligibility as preferred candidates.
Although the precise duties will vary depending on the course for which an appointment is made, in general they will include duties from one or more of the following types:
- Laboratory Assistant – assisting in the supervision of electric power, electronics and/or computer laboratory experiments, marking of the laboratory reports.
- Tutoring and answering questions – assisting in or taking charge of tutorial sessions, marking of assignments, preparing or writing solutions, reviewing of assignments with undergraduates.
- Marking – marking of assignments and exams.
- Invigilation – invigilation of midterms, quizzes, and finals. All TAs are expected to be available to invigilate one final exam, which may not be the exam of your assigned course; invigilation assignments will be made by the department near the end of term.
If you are assigned to a course that has a laboratory or tutorial component, you should expect to be involved in the supervision of lab or tutorial sections unless explicitly indicated otherwise by the instructor.
The expected time commitment is 50 – 100 hours per term.
Requirements for holding an Undergraduate TA appointment include:
- Must be a full-time, registered student in an undergraduate-level program at UBC during the period of the appointment. If you will be completing your courses before the start of a term then you are not eligible to be a TA for that term.
- Must have received a grade of at least B+ in relevant courses.
- Cannot be on leave from your program during the appointment.
- Must be legally eligible to work in Canada for the duration of the appointment and must provide proof of your legal eligibility to work (such as a study permit / SIN document for international students).
- Must be willing to perform on-campus work for the entire period of the appointment. If you will be out of town for a significant portion of the term, please do not accept a TA position in that term.
- Must live within British Columbia for the period of the appointment.
- After receiving an offer, must promptly inform the department and the instructor of your intent to accept the offer.
- Must inform your instructor and the department of any additional TA positions or conflicting responsibilities before accepting the offer.
- Availability to complete the mandatory APSC TA training (if you have never completed it before); multiple sessions will be offered within the first few weeks of the term.
- Must complete all Workday onboarding steps after your appointment is processed in Workday (UBC’s HR / Finance system).
Applicants will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Mastery of the course academic material
- Ability to help students actively learn
- Ability to explain subject matter clearly and logically
- Ability to effectively lead discussion groups that facilitate student learning
- Ability to constructively evaluate student presentations
- Ability to effectively assists student learning by enabling different sets of skills, including oral and verbal communications, problem-solving, critical thinking, numeracy, teamwork, leadership, and planning
Please read the entirety of this webpage before applying.
APPLICATION FORM: 2022/2023 Undergraduate TA application form
Further Information:
Undergraduate student experience and performance is the principal underlying driver for the appointment of Teaching Assistants. Financial need is not part of the evaluation criteria.
You will be asked to submit an up-to-date resume outlining your educational and employment experience related to a Teaching Assistant position, and an unofficial transcript.
Applications will be accepted after the deadline until all positions are filled but, other considerations being equal, candidates who applied by the deadline will be preferred.
Be advised that Teaching Assistants at The University of British Columbia (UBC) are represented by the Canadian Union Of Public Employees Local 2278 (CUPE 2278) and that a Collective Agreement between UBC and CUPE 2278 is in effect.
In some cases, the department or an instructor may reach out to you for an interview to determine your suitability for a course.
ECE hires Undergraduate Teaching Assistants at the following pay rates and classifications:
UTA I: an undergraduate student who is registered in a bachelors degree program at the University of British Columbia who is required to perform Teaching Assistant Duties with substantial student contact. (~$22.77/hour)
New TAs and returning TAs who have not participated in the Faculty of Applied Science (APSC) TA training program must complete the training, as it is designed to help ensure that TAs are successful in their roles. If you receive a TA position, information on this training will be provided to you (typically within the first few weeks of the term).
TAs at UBC are represented by the Canadian Union Of Public Employees Local 2278 (CUPE2278) and a Collective Agreement between UBC and CUPE2278 is in effect. Under this agreement, previously appointed undergraduate TAs must be given preference (for a certain number of teaching years) over new undergraduate applicants. All positions are offered on the basis of union preference and merit based on the criteria listed above. Please note that applicants should apply before the April 30, 2023 deadline in order to be reviewed for eligibility as preferred candidates.
Please consult the CUPE2278 Collective Agreement for more information on how TA preference is determined.
https://hr.ubc.ca/working-ubc/collective-agreements-and-terms-conditions-employment
Applicants should be aware that generally not all applicants will be offered TA positions.
Because the Winter TA application is posted before course schedules are released and registration numbers are determined, it is difficult to estimate the number of hours and TA positions that will be allocated to each course. Some of the courses listed on the application may also not be offered every year.
We typically hire approximately 200 total TAs in Winter term 1 and approximately 150 total TAs in Winter term 2. However, please note that the large majority of these positions are expected to be filled by Graduate TAs.
The time commitment for a TA appointment varies, but is typically 50-100 hours per term.
Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person.