Course Assistant/Teaching Assistant/Grader Applicant Guide

Applicant guide for students who would like to assist with my courses.

I do not recruit students who have not taken the course they are applying for. Please do not apply if you have not taken the course.

Teaching Schedule

Fall Semester: I generally teach ECE-GY 9433: Agile System-on-Chip Design
Spring Semester: I generally teach ECE-GY 6443: VLSI System and Architecture Design

Position Description

Course Assistants (CAs) are expected to:

• Assist with grading assignments
• Assist developing exam questions, proctoring (invigilating) exams, and grading exams
• Host at least 1 weekly office hour (the time is flexible)
• Respond to student questions (via Piazza)
• Help develop new material for the course (tutorials, assignments, resources, etc.)
• Meet with me weekly to discuss your current status and any course concerns or questions

I generally do not recruit any graders as CAs are expected to fill that role. The number of CAs per class is determined by the course enrollment. Generally I need 1 CA for 9433 and 1-2 CAs for 6443.

Recruiting Criteria

• Demonstrate a mastery of the course material. This means earning high grades on the assignments, exam, and project when you took the class.
• Strong communication skills. Being able to promptly and clearly identify any course issues to me, as well as being able to explain topics well to other students.
• Be able to work independently. I expect students to be able to identify and resolve course problems without always waiting on me.
• Have ideas on how to improve the course. I am always looking to improve the course, and I strongly value direct feedback from CAs on how to improve the curriculum. I also expect CAs to undertake at least one task to improve the course.

Applying

To be clear: I will generally reach out directly to students to inquire about CA positions rather than the other way around. However, if you meet the requirements, it is not harmful to let me know that you are interested in a position. If you are, please send me an email with:

1. “[CA Applicant]” at the start of the subject line. Please include the square brackets. This helps the email get filtered to the right inbox
2. The course number in the subject line (either “ECE 9443” or “ECE 6443”)
3. A copy of your CV
4. Your undergraduate transcript
5. Your graduate transcript
6. Any ideas you have to improve the course which you would be interested in working on during the semester