Graduate Student TeachingGraduate Council

Current Policy• Graduate Student Teaching• Students working toward graduate certificates or advanced degrees are not

permitted to teach graduate courses.• http://catalog.oregonstate.edu/ChapterDetail.aspx?key=38#Section1814

• Issues with current policy• Multiple definitions of “teach graduate courses”• If a GTA grades the work of a peer, is that “teaching”?

Proposed Change• Focus on removing all potential conflicts of interest• Graduate students A and B are peers• Student A is TA for course X• Student B is TA for course Y• Student A is enrolled in course Y, student B is enrolled in course X

• There is a potential conflict of interest.

Scenario 1 – Instructor of Record• For a graduate student to be appointed as the Instructor of Record for

a graduate course (including the 500-level component of a slash course):• The unit/program of employment must be separate and distinct from the

unit/program of enrollment.• The instructor must be appointed to the graduate faculty based on their

academic/professional qualification by the unit/program of employment.• OAR 580-020-0005 specifies that one may not simultaneously be an OUS faculty

member and an OUS graduate student• In the event that graduate students from the instructor’s unit/program of

enrollment are enrolled in the course, alternative arrangements must be made for evaluating the work of those graduate students.

Scenario 2: TA for Graduate Course• For a graduate student to be appointed as the Teaching Assistant for a

graduate course (including the 500-level component of a slash course), the Director of the Graduate Program must ensure that potential conflicts of interest are avoided to the maximum extent possible. This may include:• Making alternative arrangements to evaluate the work of graduate students

from the same unit/program as the Teaching Assistant, OR• Ensuring that the Teaching Assistant has advanced to candidacy status (after

prelims) and all graduate students in the class have not advanced to candidacy

• If neither of these criteria are met, the program must have a conflict of interest plan approved by the Graduate School.

Why?• Intent is to provide guidelines to programs• Many programs will be able to operate within the guidelines

• If special situations exist with a program:• Request exception from the Graduate School

Action• Need approval to change policy

• http://catalog.oregonstate.edu/ChapterDetail.aspx?key=38#Section1814