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Teaching FAQs

Teaching training is considered an integral curricular component of  Ph.D. programs at Emory. Yes, teaching is a degree requirement imposed by both LGS and the CSI program for students in the doctoral program.

The CSI PhD program requires every PhD student to complete either: (1) Three semesters of teaching assistantship i.e. helping an instructor with the delivery of a course; OR (2) One semester of teaching assistantship PLUS one semester teaching a course as instructor of record.

Assisting the teaching of the course awards credit for TATT 605 and teaching a course as instructor of record awards credit for TATT 610

Yes, the teaching requirement is an educational requirement as part of your program and unrelated to funding.

Yes, LGS and the CSI program require Emory teaching experiences to fulfill your teaching requirement. However, feel free to speak with the DGS about the details of your situation.

In TATT 605, students serve as a teaching assistant (TA) and aid a course’s primary instructor.

In TATT 610, students serve as the course’s primary instructor.

Being an instructor requires strong organizational and interpersonal skills. A teacher must be patient but disciplined, always ready to help a student succeed but unafraid to set and enforce policies to ensure that all students are being evaluated consistently. Being a teacher also requires a good deal of creativity, problem solving skills and assertiveness. Honesty and integrity are necessary, in both your own work as well as detecting and confronting any dishonesty that may arise.

Finally, and maybe most importantly, an instructor must be empathetic and intuitive; your job is to guide students from their current level of understanding of a topic to a new understanding, augmenting their knowledge and preparing them for the next step. This takes more than an understanding of the material: you must also understand the students.

For most introductory (1xx and 2xx) level courses, the department makes TA assignments. For advanced or special topics courses, instructors often request specific TAs.  If you are interested in TAing for a specific course or topic, it is a good idea to speak with the instructor of the course informing them of your interest and availability.

For TATT 605, the expected workload is 10-12  hours per week. For TATT 610, the expected workload is ~12-15 hours per week.

No.

The TATT requirements must be completed before advancing to candidacy. For most students in the CSI program, this means within the first five or six semesters.

The requirement must be completed before advancing to candidacy. Applications for candidacy also require the completion of the TATT credits. Failing to complete the TATT requirements within the first two years may delay your progress toward completion.

The CSI program will ensure that every student has the opportunity to complete the requirements on time. If you are ever concerned about your status, please reach out to the DGS as soon as possible.

All CSI PhD students are required to take CS 590 Teaching Seminar, where students are guided in effective teaching practices. Student instructors teaching a course for TATT 610 are paired with a faculty mentor, who will help guide you through the process of being an instructor from material creation to giving effective lectures to dealing with situations as they arise.

Yes, students will receive proper teaching credit for summer enrollments in TATT 605 or 610 for summer school courses offered by Emory (but not Maymester or PreCollege courses).