Research Postgraduates

Serving as Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs)

All full-time Research Postgraduate (RPg) students receiving Postgraduate Studentships (PGS), including Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS) and Asian Future Leaders Scholarship Program (AFLSP) awardees, are required to serve as Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) at HKUST. They will take up ancillary duties in teaching and research work as assigned by the Postgraduate Programs Coordinators (PGCs) and supervising faculty in their department.

Responsibilities and Duties of GTAs

Responsibilities and duties of GTAs vary across disciplines and departments, but generally involve marking and grading assignments, teaching tutorials and/or laboratory sections, answering questions / queries from students, invigilating tests/exams, and managing courses on the learning management system. While a thorough understanding of the subject area is needed for GTAs to take on the teaching challenge, they also need to possess a good standard of transferable skills in teaching, communication, management, and presentation.

GTAs (recipients of PGS) at HKUST may be required to work for 36 effective hours per month on average. “Effective hours” includes both contact hours and preparation time. In the case of research-related duties, if the duties performed are directly related to the student’s thesis research or project, the 36-hour limit shall not apply. Details of the terms and conditions of Postgraduate Studentships (PGSs) regulating the rights and duties of GTAs at HKUST are accessible at the Handbook for Research Postgraduate Studies.

Teaching Assistant Training Program

Center for Education Innovation (CEI) provides GTA Training Program, a series of workshops covering basic teaching knowledge and skills, every Fall and Spring semester in preparation for new GTAs to assume departmental teaching duties. It is a mandatory program and all new GTAs are required to complete all core workshops on offer in the first semester to become acquainted with essential skills before being assigned with teaching duties. Certificate of Achievement is conferred to GTAs at the completion of the program. GTAs failing to fulfill the program requirements in two years will not be rewarded with the certificate.

Departmental GTA Briefing Session to orient new GTAs is offered on 23 August 2018. All new GTAs are expected to attend the sessions to meet the departmental Postgraduate Programs Coordinators (PGCs), Graduate Teaching Assistant Coordinators (TACs) and staff.

RPG T & L Resources

CEI provides GTAs with extensive teaching and learning resources. You can watch a collection of teaching and learning videos filmed from previous workshops and events to enhance and polish your teaching skills.

GTAs encountering problems related to departmental duties can contact their corresponding Teaching Assistant Coordinators (TACs) who are the experienced GTAs of various departments working closely with CEI in support of departmental GTAs in exercising GTA duties. GTACs will also work in collaboration with CEI and PGCs to provide RPg Developmental Support Program and activities for the continuous progression of GTAs.