At its meeting of February 25, 1997, the Academic Senate approved the following policy on undergraduate instructional aides:

Increasingly, undergraduates are functioning as Instructional Aides in the classroom. The roles, duties, and responsibilities of both faculty of record and Instructional Aides must be clearly defined in order to enhance benefits to participating faculty and undergraduate students, and to ensure the integrity of the academic process and its outcomes.

"Instructional aides" are undergraduate students who, as part of their academic experience, are selected by faculty of record to participate in the teaching of a regular instructionally related class. As part of this experience, the Instructional Aides must be registered in a "685" course. It is not appropriate for students to participate in these activities under any other course number or name.

"685" is the course for which the Instructional Aide is receiving units of credit. This course is a practicum/internship experience which includes an instructional component and a fieldwork experience component.

"Faculty of record" are the supervisors to the Instructional Aides, determine that the discipline-specific learning objectives of "685" are met, and are at all times in charge of the regular instructionally related class.

"The regular instructionally related class" is the course in which the Instructional Aide is assisting.

The primary purpose of Instructional Aides in the classroom must be to provide the student, who is earning units of credit for "685," with a genuine learning experience which is consistent with that student's overall educational and career goals. Assisting the instructor must be secondary.

The faculty of record, who is an employee of the university, must remain at all times in charge of the regular instructionally related classroom. The faculty of record is responsible for preparation of the syllabus and the learning objectives for the class in which the Instructional Aide is assisting, being present whenever the regular instructionally related class is formally in session, and being responsible for the evaluation of the students taking the regular instructionally related class.

The faculty of record is also responsible for supervising and evaluating the Instructional Aide, and for working with the Aide to understand the learning objectives of "685".The faculty of record also ensures that the Aide participates in planned training in the principles of teaching and learning, and the preparation necessary to function as an effective Instructional Aide.

Faculty of record who are supervising Instructional Aides are strongly encouraged to take advantage of workshops and support groups, to be offered by the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching, on the supervision of undergraduates in the classroom.

Each Instructional Aide must be enrolled in a "685" course. This course has two components, an instructional component and a fieldwork component:

1. Instructional component:

To foster the intellectual growth of Instructional Aides, to ensure their continued learning, and to prepare them for assuming responsibilities as an Instructional Aide, each student must be trained in teaching and learning principles.

Additionally, each student enrolled in "685"shall meet on a regular basis with the instructor of the class for which s/he is an Instructional Aide to ensure that all the discipline-specific and the general learning objectives are being met. These consultations may also focus on discipline-specific or class-specific elements of the regular instructionally related class. The learning objectives and training methods for the course"685" must be clearly stated.

2. Fieldwork component:

Instructional aides may, for example:

• lead rehearsals or practice sessions while the instructor is present;
• run laboratory classes while the instructor is present;
• tutor, mentor, and lead study groups;
• assist in preparing non-exam materials and distributing un-graded materials;
• provide feedback to the instructor on student performance; and
• run audio-visual equipment and deal with props.

Instructional aides may not:

• be enrolled concurrently in the class for which they are an instructional aide;
• design the course syllabus or learning objectives;
• grade non-objective tests or papers;
• write exams; or
• have access to student records, including addresses, phone numbers, social security numbers, and grades.

Any and all activities of the Instructional Aide, including contributing to lectures, presentations or demonstrations, or leading class discussions, must be carefully monitored by the instructor of record, who must be present at all times when the regular instructionally-related class is formally in session.

Each academic unit (e.g., program, department or college) wishing to include Instructional Aides in the classroom shall create and offer a course, numbered 685, and titled "Projects in the Teaching of..." and each Instructional Aide shall be enrolled in the appropriate "685" course.

Syllabi for the course "685" must clearly state the learning objectives for the Instructional Aide and the methods being used to train the Instructional Aide in the principles of teaching and learning. This training may be offered by the academic unit or may be taken under the auspices of the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching (CET).

"685" shall be a variable unit course which may be taken for a maximum total of 4 units of credit toward the baccalaureate degree. Each program or department shall decide whether or not "685" may meet part of the requirements of its major. Each academic unit shall determine which of its course offerings are suitable for the use of Instructional Aides.

FTE shall be assigned to the academic unit which offers "685." Instructor Weighted Teaching Units(WTU) for "685" shall be assigned by the program or department to the instructor.

Each "685" course shall be approved through the standard course approval process.

Each academic unit shall decide upon its criteria for Instructional Aides and shall set up a process for application and selection of students to be enrolled in "685." Opportunities to be an Instructional Aide enrolled in a "685" must be announced along with specific criteria to be met. Every Instructional Aide must be a currently matriculated student in good standing, who has already completed the regular instructionally related class, or its equivalent, for which s/he will function as an aide.

Deans shall be responsible for seeing that this policy is followed in their respective units.

This policy shall be re-examined by the Academic Policies Committee three years after its passage to evaluate its success and determine whether it shall continue in effect.