General
TA Application
Payment Issues
Office Hours
TA Room
MS-TA Related
General
Q: How is a TA assigned for a course?
All students interested in being a TA must
fill out an application. TAs are then assigned
based on the preferences
of the instructor. If the instructor does not specify any preference, then
several factors such as past TA experience at Columbia University and other
schools and letter grades in the course are considered. Assignments are
made by the TA czar. Although many classes have TAs assigned to them before
the start of the semester, some courses (especially introductory level)
will have additional TAs assigned during the first two weeks of classes.
Q: How do I know if I have been
selected as a TA?
You will receive an email from Prof. Tal Malkin (TA
Czar) confirming your appointment as a TA.
Q: I am confused about the TA units.
Can you explain?
A TA unit is loosely defined as being a TA for 20-25 students (depending on the
course). Unless your TA appointment email (which comes from MICE) explicitly
says that you are a TA for 2 units, you should assume that you are a TA for one
unit. If still in doubt, please send an email to taczar [at] cs.columbia.edu.
Q: My courses has registered CVN
(Columbia Video Network) students. Have I been assigned as a TA for them also?
If the course to which you have been assigned as a TA has registered CVN
students and there are more than one assigned TAs for that course then the
course instructor will decide which TA will be responsible for CVN students.
Q: How many hours per week I am
supposed to work?
You are obliged to work 10 hours per week for ONE teaching unit and no more. If
you are asked to do more by the instructor then you should first take it up
with the instructor first. If that does not work then take it up with the
taczar.
Q: Will I be paid for helping students
who are NOT taking the course?
You are NOT paid to service the students who audit the course. This means
that you don't have to grade auditors work (hw, exams, etc) and you
don't have to spend office hours (or other time) helping auditors. If you
do help auditors, it's on your own time.
Q: I
worked hard during the semester as a TA. Is there a best TA
award?
Yes, there is a best TA award with a cash prize of 500$. Students nominate
their respective TAs for the best TA award during course evaluations.
TA
Application
Q: I do not have a MICE account.
Whom should I contact?
PhD students: Please contact Lily Secora at lily@cs.columbia.edu
MS students: Please contact Remi Moss at remimoss@cs.columbia.edu
Q: I am a MS student and I did not take
all the import classes. Can I still apply?
Yes, you are eligible to apply.
Q: I have applied for grader position and I want to change my
preferences. Please advise?
Payment
Issues
Q: How much I will be paid as a TA?
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Undergraduate Grader: $1,300
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MS Grader: $1,500
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MS Teaching Fellow : $3,000 + 12
credits of tuition
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MS Teaching Fellow (half): $3,000 + 5 credits of tuition
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PhD Grader: $2,000
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PhD Teaching Fellow : PhD stipend + tuition
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PhD Requirements : PhD stipend + tuition
Q:
When will I get paid?
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For Fall semester
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For Spring semester
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Exception: PhD and MS-TA stipends are paid monthly.
Q: I had already applied and paid for a
CS account before I was assigned as a TA? How do I get refunded?
If you have already paid for a CS account by credit card, you will be refunded
only if you apply for a refund request within 30 days of
your payment.
The CS account credit card payments are processed by
www.kagi.com. To apply for a refund request send an email to
refund@kagi.com . Also send a separate email to
tacoord@cs.columbia.edu and cc it to crf@cs.columbia.edu with
the subject 'TA: CS Account Refund Request'.
Kagi Refund / Return Policy
You can request a refund within 30 days of the purchase by
sending an email to refund@kagi.com. Please include the transaction information
in the email and explain why you are requesting a refund. When we initiate a
refund, we will send an email to both you and the product supplier. We notify
the product supplier to give the supplier the opportunity to resolve the reason
for your refund request. Refund requests that have not been resolved within 2
weeks are processed and, for credit card purchases, the refund should then
appear on your credit card statement.
Q: I am a CVN (Columbia Video Network)
TA. How do I get paid?
The CVN TAs are not paid by the CS department. The CVN TA payment has to
be arranged by the instructor. You should request your instructor to
send an email to CVN. This email will explain that you will be a TA for CVN
students for that course.
Q: I was a TA last semester and will be
a TA during current semester. Do I need to complete any paper work?
Generally, you do not need to complete any paper work.
Office Hours
Q: Where should I hold my office hours?
If you are an undergrad or MS student, you should hold your
office hours ONLY in the TA room. If you are a Ph.D.
student you may hold your office hours in your office or in your research lab.
Q: How many hours of OHs shall I hold every week?
For each TA unit, you should hold two hours of office hours every week.
As full MS-TA fellowship holder, you are required to hold four
hours of OHs per week. As half MS-TA fellowship holder, you are required
to hold two hours of OHs per week.
Q: Am I supposed to hold OHs during the first week of
classes?
Yes
Q: Am I supposed to hold OHs during the last week of
classes?
Yes
Q: Am I supposed to hold OHs during reading days?
Yes
TA Room
Q: It has been one week since I applied
for swipe access to TA room. What should I do?
Send an email to Patricia Hervey (hervey[at]cs.columbia.edu) and cc it to
Chris Murphy (tacoord[at]cs.columbia.edu) explaining your problem.
Q: The printer in the TA room is not
working. What should I do?
Send an email to crf[at]cs.columbia.edu.
MS-TA Related
Q: Can I apply for MS-TA fellowship
during first semester?
Unfortunately, no. You must complete a semester at Columbia before
applying for MS-TA fellowship.
Q: How many credits my MS-TA fellowship covers?
Full fellowship: 12 credits
Half fellowship: 5 credits
Q: What is half MS-TA?
From Fall 2006, we are introducing half MS-TA fellowships on experimental
basis. The goal is to benefit as many deserving students as possible. Half
MS-TA fellows are responsible for one teaching unit. The fellowship covers five
credits of tuition and carries a stipend of $3,000.
Q: I am confused by the number of credits covered by
MS-TA fellowship. Can you explain?
The number of credits covered by a MS-TA fellowship depends on the funding
available during that semester. The number of covered credits can vary from
semester to semester. For Fall 2006, the full fellowship will cover 12
credits. Half fellowship will cover five and
not six credits.
Q: How many TA units MS-TA
fellow is responsible for?
Two.
Q: How many TA units half MS-TA fellow is responsible for?
One.
Q: I am applying for MS-TA fellowship. Can I ask non-Columbia
faculty for recommendation letters?
Generally, we require that the recommendation letters must be from the
Columbia computer science faculty members.
Q: I am a MS-TA fellowship
holder and I want to apply for renewal? Can you explain the process?
Request the faculty member(s) to whom your were assigned as a TA to submit a
recommendation letter to the TA czar by the deadline.
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