The Meta-TAs (MTAs) coordinate the UTA Program. They work closely with head TAs, faculty, technical staff (tstaff), administrative staff (astaff), and undergraduate staff (ustaff). The current MTAs are Christina Stepin, Tyler Gurth, Allie Masthay, Liz Jones.

The MTAs report to Tom Doeppner (the director of undergraduate studies) and coordinate the UTA Program's logistical and administrative details. Additionally, the MTAs help to interface between the undergraduate community and the rest of the technical staff. 

Beyond providing administrative and technical support, the MTAs help faculty and HTAs respond to day-to-day issues. Also, the MTAs advocate for the TAs with the administration and promote a positive work environment. With that being said, the MTAs are/were TAs too, so please reach out to them at mta at cs dot brown dot edu if you have any thoughts on improving the UTA program!  

What follows is a task list that is continually updated in response to new thoughts from the MTAs and their managers as well as suggestions from TAs, students, and faculty. 

 

Responsibilities

Documentation and Support

• Update, maintain HTA missive and HTA support documents
• Update, maintain UTA missive
• Update, maintain Ugrad missive
• Update, maintain TA technical documentation

General

• Propose, facilitate discussion on TA-related policy decisions
• Advocate for UTAs with administration
• Provide support on house-related issues
• Re-evaluate this document and general UTA/HTA job descriptions
• Sponsor a few fun TA activities each semester
• Ensure a friendly and positive work environment for UTAs and HTAs

Administrative

• Serve as the primary point of administrative contact between the TA program and the rest of the department
• Attend a weekly organizational meeting with the director of undergraduate studies

Technical

• Work with student and professional members of the technical staff to provide system and software support to the TA program and to individual courses
• Work to address the program's facilities needs (and, in cooperation with the head consultant, general undergraduate facilities needs)

Hiring Process Tasks

• Communicate with professors to establish schedule for UTA and HTA hiring
  • Coordinate STA hiring with the Head STAs
• Distribute completed applications
• Send UTA allocations using course rankings and candidate preferences
• Coordinate the UTA hiring blurbs
• Announce HTA/UTA hires to department
• Coordinate pre-hiring meeting with HTAs before UTAs are hired

New Hires Tasks

• Schedule TA camp dates 
• Maintain TA lists (and any eventual changes)
• Collect and distribute TA data to payroll manager
• Mail aliases for alltas/allheadtas
• Work with tstaff to update h/ta unix groups and mail aliases
• Coordinate HTA training with HTA facilitators

TA Camp Tasks

• Coordinate early housing with Res Life and department administrative contact two weeks before TA camp
• Help courses plan software support
• Allocate rooms to courses for TA hours, section, and grading
• Coordinate lunches with Financial and Outreach Coordinator
• Coordinate training with student advocates for diversity and inclusion and the Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning
• Run New TA training for hours, professionalism, grading, and tech presentation
• Meet with all HTA staffs separately to discuss budget, grading, and rooms

Ongoing Tasks

• Monitor TA room supplies and replenish as needed 
  • White board markers
  • White board erasers
  • Cleaning spray
  • Folders and tabs
• Oversee use of TA spaces, including scheduling of: Sunlab, Motorola, MS Lab, 169, 201, 203, 205, 207, 219, Moonlab, 265 267, 269, B-lab (348), J-Lab (367)
• Help to maintain course software as needed
• Provide technical assistance to HTAs and UTAs (on scripting and web pages)

Training Responsibilities

• Coordinate HTA training
  • Pre-UTA hiring training with student advocates for diversity and inclusion
  • Post-UTA hiring with facilitators
• Coordinate UTA general and technical training during TA camp
  • Student advocates for diversity and inclusion coordinate the diversity training
  • Update scripts and Tech presentation

Prospective and New Student Events

• In the Fall
  • Coordinate CS Day 
  • Help with new student orientation and concentration fair
• In the Spring
  • Coordinate ADOCH demos and mingling
  • Help with academic fair during ADOCH
     

 

MTA Hiring

The MTAs are hired during the first few weeks of the Fall semester, train with the previous MTAs through the Spring semester, and take over for the following school year. The term lasts until graduation and includes all interactions, from hiring through final exams, with the Fall and Spring course staffs. The MTAs are hired by the director of undergraduate studies.