The Office of Undergraduate Education (OUE) administers the Instructional Support Fund, which pays teaching fellows (TF) and teaching assistants (TA) in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS).
OUE expects departments to adhere to all GSAS policies on teaching fellow appointments, including those that give preference for teaching fellow appointments to students to whom a guarantee of teaching was offered at admission. After these students have been assigned, departments and course heads are expected to consider and prioritize all other qualified applicants from within GSAS.
Questions? Please contact us at instruct@fas.harvard.edu.
Section Allocation Tool (SAT)
Each spring, departments make requests for course discussion and lab sections for the upcoming academic year in the OUE's online Section Allocation Tool (SAT). OUE makes preliminary section allocations based on historical and estimated enrollment data, and FAS target section sizes—which vary depending on the type of course. Final section allocations are contingent on actual enrollment numbers.
Teaching Fellow (TF)
A TF is a Harvard graduate student who—as part of their education—assists a faculty member with course instruction. Information on the expectations for and responsibilities of TFs can be found on the GSAS website.
Teaching Assistant (TA)
In certain instances, a TA may be hired to join the teaching staff for a course; information on the expectations for and responsibilities of TAs can be found in the FAS Appointment and Promotion Handbook.
Appointment Start and End Dates:
- Fall TF/TA appointments start on August 1 and end on December 31
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Spring TF/TA appointments start on January 1 and end on May 31
- Start Date Tip Sheet: a guide to help administrators determine start dates
Helpful resources for departments appointing TFs/TAs:
- Appointment Schedule for academic year 2020-21: a schedule of deadlines and dates related to TF/TA appointments
- Pay Rates: TF/TA pay rates for academic year 2020-21
- Business Rules for Teaching Fellow and Teaching Assistant Appointments outlines GSAS administrative policies and procedures
- Exception Request Form for TF Appointments: must be used when a department requests a TF exception to a GSAS policy (ideally, prior to submiting Aurora actions)
- GSAS TF Policies: eligibility, expectations, restrictions, and pay
- I-9 procedures and guidance: I-9 Administrative Procedures Memo (2017) and Memo to Faculty about I-9 Policy (2017)
- Offer Letter Samples: Sample Preliminary Offer Letter for TFs and Sample Preliminary Offer Letter for TAs
- Central Application for Teaching Sections (CATS): a tool academic departments use to make TF opportunities visibile to graduate students
- FAS Teaching Fellow Welcome Guide: an overview of resources available at the Registrar's Office
- Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning: various opportunities for Harvard graduate students
TFs/TAs in General Education Courses
The Program in General Education makes its section allocations and teaching appointments separately from OUE.
Undergraduate Course Assistants (CA):
Undergraduate student instructional support staff are hired as Course Assistants.
Additional TF/TA roles:
Bok Center Media and Design Fellows (new AY2020-21) support innovative course development within the FAS, partnering with faculty and staff to design a variety of digital tools, course materials, and assignments for undergraduate courses and departments. Departments, as well as individual courses, can request support from a Media and Design Fellow. Most appointments will span the full academic year, allowing Fellows to develop technical expertise, create course materials and digital resources for an upcoming semester, and support the implementation of new activities. Fellows will be paid hourly. Visit the Bok Center website for more information about the program and about how to apply. This is a new role.
Departmental Writing Fellows provide discipline-specific writing advice and support for students in departments as they navigate their concentrations. The primary responsibility of each DWF is to work one-on-one with students on writing assignments for departmental courses. DWFs work directly with the Writing Program to implement programming over the course of the year, and candidates for the position are nominated by the department. This is typically a year-long appointment (beginning in fall) If your department would like to learn more, please contact James Herron, Director of the Harvard Writing Project (jherron@fas.harvard.edu)
Bok Pedagogy Fellows support TF training in departments. As part of the enhanced instructional support for remote teaching, departments that currently do not participate in the Pedagogy Fellows Program will be invited to apply to join for the 2020–2021 academic year. Pedagogy Fellows collaborate with faculty, administration, and the Bok Center’s senior staff to enhance training and support for teaching fellows within their departments and across the FAS. Consult the full job description for more details, and click here for a list of the 23 departments that already participate in the program. Please visit the Bok Center website for more information about how to apply.
Questions? Please contact us at instruct@fas.harvard.edu.