In EECS and Data Science, undergraduate ASEs may be appointed as readers, UCS1s, UCS2s, and summer uGSIs. These titles are defined and governed by Section G of our local agreement, Article 5 of our union contract, and the UC Berkeley Graduate Appointments Handbook.

Contents

Reader

Readers are appointed to render non-instructional, non-administrative services as employees. During the fall and spring semesters, they are appointed between 4 and 10 hours, inclusive, per week. Readers may perform the following duties:

  • Grading student papers and examinations
  • Attendance at lectures
  • Meetings
  • Proctoring examinations
  • Office hours for the purpose of retrospective review of assignments and exams they have graded on a non-recurring, case-by-case basis
  • Other course-related duties

Readers cannot engage in any teaching duties, including general office hours and answering questions on course forums. Readers also cannot perform the UCS1, UCS2, and GSI-specific duties outlined below. Readers may not develop course software.

We recognize that the reader position is more restrictive than most students and courses would like. The reader position was envisioned for a very small portion of courses and ASEs who desire a position that involves only grading and involves no student-facing instruction. We recommend that students who are interested in developing as teachers apply to UCS1 and UCS2 positions, which are part of a shared vision for pipeline of ASEs.

Undergraduate Course Staff 1

Undergraduate Course Staff 1 (UCS1), sometimes informally known as tutors, readers, or “ASEs,” are appointed to deliver limited instructional services and non-administrative course assistance. During the fall and spring semesters, UCS1s may be appointed between 6 and 12 hours, inclusive, per week. Under supervision, UCS1s can perform all duties of readers (listed above) and group tutors. In addition, UCS1s may perform a diverse array of instructional duties, including:

  • Rendering individual or group tutoring sessions
  • Holding office hours
  • Reviewing course materials for quality assurance
  • Scheduling and logistics
  • Developing software
  • Identifying potential student misconduct among their students
  • Implementing accommodations for their students

UCS1s cannot perform the UCS2-specific duties outlined below. UCS1s may limitedly assist in UCS2 duties under supervision for the purposes of their own professional and pedagogical development. However, this assistance must not be rendered for the purpose of hiring fewer UCS2s/GSIs or otherwise undermining the agreement.

Undergraduate Course Staff 2

Undergraduate Course Staff 2 (UCS2), also known as uGSIs or TAs, can perform a broad array of instructional and administrative duties. During the fall and spring semesters, UCS2s may be appointed between 8 and 20 hours, inclusive, per week. The UCS2 job title is not used during the summer. UCS2s may engage in all UCS1 and GSI duties. Additionally, the following are additional UCS2 duties that may not be performed by readers or UCS1s:

  • Mentoring, training, providing feedback to, and directing the work of other ASEs
  • Administrative and content work not related to their specific students, including
    • Creating course assignments, materials, and exams
    • Accommodations
    • Student misconduct and academic integrity
    • Academic intern administration
  • Teaching discussion and lab sections and review sessions

UCS2s may, but must not be compelled to, deliver a limited number of lectures. The university has agreed that at least 55% of all course staff hours across EECS and DSUS be hired into UCS2/GSI/TA roles.

Summer uGSI

Over the summer, undergrads performing TA/UCS2 duties are appointed into the summer uGSI job title. The UCS2 job title is not used during the summer.

The EECS/DS departments have historically employed “summer co-instructors” who serve an elevated role in delivering lectures for a course. Formally, summer co-instructors are appointed as 40-hour summer uGSIs.

Academic Intern

An academic intern, or AI, is not an ASE. It is a unpaid student enrolled in a bona fide pedagogy course meant to provide pedagogical benefit to the student.

In 2019, ASEs in EECS and other departments filed grievances with the university over the use of academic interns, alleging that the academic internship system in place at that time was exploitative. To resolve these grievances, the university and ASEs came together to agree on parameters for academic intern pedagogy courses:

  • The pedagogy course must be for credit and meet regularly.
  • Each student can only take the course once, limited to one semester.
  • Pedagogy courses are subject to appropriate Senate approval processes.
  • Course requirements must be consistent with the level of academic rigor associated with each class. Opportunities to engage in teaching, grading, tutoring, etc. will not take over all expectations/duties as a student in the course and will be opportunities for learning, not a substitution of paid duties.
  • There must be a specific syllabus and instructional content for the pedagogy course distinct from the course(s) in which the student performs instructional duties (for example, students must attend pedagogy classes in addition to the courses for which they perform instructional activities).
  • The student must complete academic assignments, such as writing papers, taking examinations, or completing portfolio projects assessed by the Instructor of Record. The student will receive a final evaluation or grade from the pedagogy course’s Instructor of Record.
  • The course provides pedagogical benefits to the student that are described in the syllabus for the pedagogy course.
  • The student will not have sole discretion over the assignment of grades, curriculum choices, content of assessments, or the facilitation of sections or labs for the course that they are assisting.

If the pedagogy course does not meet the above criteria, all academic interns associated with the course are ASEs and must be appointed into one of the above titles and paid an appropriate wage.