Undergraduate Teaching Assistants

Undergraduate Teaching Assistants

Get help in the classroom

The Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UGTA) and ASU 101 Section Leader (SL) program(s) select successful undergraduate students to serve as teaching assistants in a variety of classes offered by the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.

We aim to place a UGTA or Section Leader in every section of our introduction to engineering courses such as ASU 101, FSE 100, and EGR 101 as well as some of our content courses to assist faculty members with exploratory and collaborative learning activities.

UGTAs and Section Leaders:

  • Act as a cultural bridge from high school to the university environment
  • Guide freshmen through the institution
  • Promote self-confidence and self-reliance
  • Demonstrate personal and academic success
  • Offer academic support to their peers in the classroom.

Why request a UGTA for my class?

UGTA’s work with their faculty instructor to transform courses by creating environments in which students can interact with one another, engage in collaborative problem solving, articulate and defend their ideas, connect to ASU resources, and explicitly discuss aspects of the ASU experience.

Request assistance today

Elevate your teaching experience, foster student engagement, and enhance course delivery!

Use our faculty portal to request an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant or Section Leader.

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What are the faculty responsibilities?

All faculty members who request and receive a UGTA or Section Leader should be willing to leverage their experience and knowledge to increase the success of the students in the classroom as well as provide valuable mentoring to the UGTA or Section Leader.

Faculty responsibilities:

  • Setting a preliminary meeting with their assigned UGTA/SL at the beginning of the semester
  • providing mentoring and feedback to the UGTA/SL through one-on-one meetings
  • Meeting with UGTA/SL to explain upcoming lessons and lecture materials.

What is the difference between Section Leaders and UGTAs?

UGTAs and Section Leaders have different roles and responsibilities.

UGTAs

UGTAs are responsible for providing feedback to students, hosting office hours, leading discussions or labs, gathering materials, relaying student questions to the faculty instructor, and guiding students to ASU resources.

  • UGTAs work 5 hours per week

Section Leaders

Section Leaders act as peer mentors to share their educational and industry experiences with first semester freshman. They are responsible for attending each class, taking attendance, meeting with students throughout the semester, community building, entering grades, and providing feedback and support to students and instructors.

  • Section Leaders work 3 hours per week

How do I request a UGTA or Section Leader for my class?

Submit a request through the Faculty portal: https://fultonapps.asu.edu/ugta/.

Please note that not all faculty requests for a UGTA or Section Leader are filled. We cannot guarantee an assigned UGTA or Section Leader unless you specify a student you would like to work with.

You may view the status of each request through the Faculty Portal and will receive an email notification when student offers are extended for your section(s). 

All ASU 101 and FSE 100 classes will automatically have a student placed as long as schedules align between lecture schedules and student applicants.

Frequently asked questions

As soon as they have returned their offer letter

Students may begin working as soon as they have returned their Offer Letter signed and completed. Students do not need to be fully hired on as Student Workers to begin working; this can take several weeks to process in the system.

Please note, accepting a verbal offer to serve as a UGTA or Section Leader by you, the instructor, is NOT considered formal hire or guaranteed payment to the student. You MUST notify your intent to hire by submitting a request through the Faculty Portal and having your student apply.

If you are experiencing issues related to communication, conflict or classroom management, tardiness, lack of professionalism, or etc. please reach out as soon as possible. The UGTA/SL will try to intervene and resolve the issue as fast as possible. 

Contact Us

For more information, send an email to [email protected]

Our team:

Portrait of Alicia Baumann

Alicia Baumann

Associate Teaching Professor

ENGR Academic & Student Affrs

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Portrait of Jessica Witzke

Jessica Witzke

Assistant Director Academic Services

New College – Undergraduate Services

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Portrait of Alfonzo Mendoza

Alfonzo Mendoza

Program Coordinator Senior of Indigenous Innovation

Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law

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