Seminar Instructor Application Process

Graduate Teaching Assistants and Adjunct Faculty

Prospective University Seminar instructors must meet the following requirements:

To be hired as a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) and be listed as instructor of record, you must be officially admitted to a University graduate program, have 18 graduate hours completed prior to the semester of application, have at least a 3.0 GPA, and be a student in good standing;
To be hired as an Adjunct, you must have completed your MA/MAIS/MS degree (or a higher degree) from an accredited institution prior to the start of the first semester of teaching.

Conditions of Employment

Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs), are required to enroll in at least six (6) semester credit hours (SCH) of graduate classes while teaching. GTAs must complete at least 12 SCH during each year of your appointment, and maintain at least a 3.0 GPA
An appointment as a Seminar instructor is per semester and pending enrollments and evaluations of performance.
GTA and adjunct faculty will be evaluated during each academic year of their employment, and continued employment will depend on teaching evaluations, participation in program duties and activities (such as faculty meetings and weekly meetings with teammates).

University Seminar Instructor Duties and Responsibilities

GTAs are hired to teach one or two courses per semester. Adjuncts may be hired to teach up to six courses, depending on availability of courses.

University Seminar instructors are responsible for:

fulfilling University Seminar and First-Year Learning Communities Program goals, objectives, and expectations;
following a common Seminar syllabus;
using assignments and activities appropriate for program goals and consistent with learning community plans and agreements;
communicating (via email and in-person) and meeting regularly with LC teammates and supervisors when applicable;
contributing the assessment of UNIV 1101 and 1102; and
participating in departmental professional development opportunities.

Teaching University Seminar requires a commitment of 8-10 hours weekly for each section, which includes:

scheduling one office hour per assigned section,
attending connected learning community lectures (as a master learner) when applicable,
attending Seminar faculty meetings and learning community team meetings, and
participating in department meetings and professional development opportunities.

Finally, you must attend an initial training workshop during the summer or winter before the semester you begin teaching, and participate in Seminar and learning community faculty events the week before classes begin and throughout the semester.

Supervision of Seminar Instructors

The University Seminar Coordinator will mentor and supervise GTA and adjunct Seminar faculty in best practices related to teaching first-year students in University Seminar.

GTA and adjunct faculty teaching in learning communities should keep up to date with announcements posted by the FYLCP Coordinator. Lead Seminar faculty in each learning community will also mentor GTA and adjunct faculty work in learning community activities.

Selection of Seminar Instructors

University Seminar instructors are hired annually (and sometimes mid-year) by the University Seminar Coordinator, with assistance from a search committee that might include the FYLCP Coordinator and professors who teach in learning communities. The search committee will review completed application packets to determine candidates to be interviewed. Selected candidates will be invited for interviews.

Decisions about re-appointment will be made by the University Seminar Coordinator, and will depend on enrollments, funding, and performance as an instructor and team member.

Seminar Instructor Application Materials and Deadlines

To apply to teach University Seminar as an adjunct or GTA, email our University Seminar Coordinator, Amanda Marquez (amanda.marquez@tamucc.edu), the following materials:

Cover Letter (2-page maximum)
- Describe
  - why you want to teach University Seminar.
  - how your educational background and work experience qualify you for this position.
  - the teaching philosophies that inform your approach to the classroom.
Curriculum Vitae
Copies of unofficial transcripts for all degrees

Once submitted, application materials will be reviewed by a committee led by the University Seminar Coordinator. Priority will be given to applicants who submit applications for the fall semester by April 1 and for the spring semester by November 1. Interviews will take place beginning in April and November, respectively, until positions have been filled for the upcoming semester.