General Information
All doctoral students in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of California, San Diego are required to fulfill a teaching requirement as specified in the Bioengineering Graduate Student Handbook. The role of Graduate Student Instructors (GSI) in the Department of Bioengineering is to assist in the instruction of undergraduate courses. The Bioengineering faculty regard this as an essential academic experience and a valuable opportunity for professional development. Accordingly, the performance of every GSI in every course is separately evaluated by the faculty instructor before credit for satisfying the teaching requirement is granted. Formal participation as a GSI is by enrollment in the graduate course BE 501. Service as a Teaching Assistant or Reader in another department will not satisfy the departmental teaching requirement.

Under faculty supervision, the duties of a GSI include holding regularly scheduled tutorial discussion sessions, assisting in laboratory instruction, holding office hours, conducting review sessions, assisting instructors in designing courses, preparing materials and tests, proctoring exams, grading students' papers, homework and exams, and maintaining records of grades for assignments. A GSI is not responsible for the instructional content of a course, the course policy, the selection of student assignments, writing examinations, or assigning grades.

GSIs are required to comply with all relevant University regulations. These prohibit sexual harassment, misuse of University property, substance abuse, and any violations of the law. (For details, refer to the UCSD Policies and Procedures Manual.)

One quarter of teaching credit (BE 501) is earned by a 25% (10 hours per week) assignment to one course for a period of one quarter including final exam week. It is expected that a 25% GSI will work up to 100 hours over the course of a quarter, and a 50% GSI will work up to 200 hours during that time.

It is both department and University policy that all GSIs must complete a training course prior to the first quarter of assigned teaching. GSI training workshops are offered by the department at the beginning of every quarter, refer to the information on training under this section.