PRINT DISCLAIMER: Official version of this document is accessible in the online policy library at https://policyoffice.ku.edu/. Printed copies may not reflect the most recent updates.
DOCUMENT TYPE:
Policy
PURPOSE:
In order to assist Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) in developing their instructional skills, academic units are required to provide GTAs with regular, written performance evaluations. This policy outlines the University’s expectations and requirements for academic units in managing GTA performance evaluations and describes the processes associated with those evaluations.
APPLIES TO:
Graduate Teaching Assistants with active appointments during the academic year.
CAMPUS:
Lawrence
POLICY STATEMENT:
Each department or school shall evaluate its GTAs each semester using a method to be determined by the school or department. As deemed appropriate by the department, the method may be as informal as one-on-one meetings with the appropriate supervisor or reviews of student course evaluation results or may be more formal and structured. Such evaluations shall be based on the performance of duties communicated to the GTA in accordance with Section 7 of the Memorandum of Agreement and upon adherence to applicable published University and Board of Regents policies.
If a written evaluation is used, the GTA shall receive a copy of the evaluation. Each GTA shall receive a formal, written evaluation at least once during employment as a GTA.
Criteria under which the GTA will be evaluated and method of evaluation shall not be subject to grievance under any grievance or appeal procedure established in the Memorandum of Agreement or under any other grievance or appeal procedure available within the University. A GTA who asserts that the evaluation was based on factors other than performance of duties and adherence to applicable published University and Board of Regents policies or if the evaluation has an overall rating of unsatisfactory may grieve and/or appeal the results under the grievance procedure established within the Memorandum of Agreement.
Duties as Basis for Performance Evaluations
The assessment of performance will be based on job duties assigned to the GTA as articulated in a position description, the GTA Appointment form or Section 7 of the Memorandum of Agreement.
Performance Evaluations Deadlines
GTA evaluations for current academic-year appointments (academic year, fall semester, or spring semester). Performance evaluations are optional for GTAs teaching summer sessions.
Recommended Components of Performance Evaluations
Recommended components include a self-assessment from the GTA and performance goals. Written feedback from course evaluations should be used in the evaluation process whenever possible, though the timing of the course evaluation process may delay the use of the information until the next semester.
Conducting the Performance Evaluation
As deemed appropriate by the academic unit, performance evaluations may be conducted by the instructor of record, the dean/chairperson, or designee. The evaluator is encouraged to schedule a meeting to discuss the performance evaluation with the GTA; providing advance notice is recommended. The evaluator should take into consideration input from the GTA when finalizing the performance evaluation.
Special Evaluations and Disciplinary Actions
If performance deficiencies exist, performance improvement goals should be established and counseling should occur and be documented. A special evaluation may be conducted at any time to address performance inadequacies. Performance deficiencies may affect a merit-based salary increase or may result in a recommendation for suspension without pay or termination of an appointment. Disciplinary actions will be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the University of Kansas and the Graduate Teaching Assistants Coalition (GTAC), American Federation of Teachers - Kansas and in consultation with Human Resources.
Retention and Submission of the Performance Evaluation
Departments are required to retain a copy of the performance evaluation and supporting documents and to provide a signed copy to the GTA. The evaluation is a part of the GTA’s official work record. If the overall rating is “unsatisfactory,” the evaluation and any supporting documents (e.g., counseling letters, goals, etc.) must be submitted to Human Resources.
Completed evaluations must be retained in departmental records in accordance with the University’s Records Retention Schedule.
Appeal Avenues
A GTA may grieve the results of an evaluation if the GTA asserts that the evaluation was based on factors other than job performance and adherence to University and Kansas Board of Regents policies or if the GTA receives an overall evaluation rating of “unsatisfactory.” The grievance Memorandum of Agreement will be handled in accordance with the grievance procedures described in the MOA and in consultation with Human Resources.
EXCLUSIONS OR SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES:
This policy does not apply to GTAs with summer session appointments.
Failure to complete required GTA performance evaluations may jeopardize the department’s continued GTA appointment lines. Academic units that fail to conduct regular performance evaluations as required by this policy will be held accountable by the appropriate administrative office.
CONTACT:
(For professional schools)
Office Graduate Studies
213 Strong Hall
1450 Jayhawk Blvd.
Lawrence, KS 66045
785-864-8040
graduate@ku.edu
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Dean’s Office
200 Strong Hall
1450 Jayhawk Blvd.
Lawrence, KS 66045
785-864-3662
coga@ku.edu
Human Resources
101 Carruth-O’Leary Hall
1246 W. Campus Road
Lawrence, KS 66045
785-864-4946
hrdept@ku.edu
APPROVED BY:
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor
APPROVED ON:
2011-01-10
EFFECTIVE ON:
2011-08-15
REVIEW CYCLE:
Annual (As Needed)
RELATED FORMS:
Methods and associated forms for GTA evaluations are to be determined by the school or department; however, in all cases evaluations must be based on the performance of duties communicated to the GTA in accordance with Section 7 of the Memorandum of Agreement. As such, units employing GTAs should develop evaluation materials that are tailored to the specific course and GTA assigned duties. GTA supervisors should contact their department chair/director to confirm department and or school/College practices in their unit.
RELATED RESOURCES:
Grad and Student Hourly Evaluations
GTA Memorandum of Agreement
CHANGE HISTORY:
06/26/2025: Corrected grammatical error.
06/25/2025: Updated to align with the agreed upon Memorandum of Agreement.
06/16/2025: Updated Contact section.
05/01/2025: Updated links.
03/26/2025: Migration to TeamDynamix from Drupal.
09/20/2024: Updated Human Resource Management (HRM) to Human Resources (HR).
10/05/2022: Added links to the Related Forms section.
09/30/2022: Updated broken links.
10/05/2018: Updated to correct names of labor union and HRM. Changes approved by Vice Provost for Operations.
07/11/2016: Updated to remove gendered pronouns.
06/21/2016: Updated DLR.
11/24/2015: Technical edits (broken link).
12/15/2014: Policy formatting cleanup (e.g., bolding, spacing).
07/09/2014: Technical edits - updated formatting; updated title for Office of Graduate Studies for accuracy; selected 'Lawrence' for Campus; moved some links from Related Other to Related Forms for accuracy; updated title of official listed in Approved by to ensure consistency.
01/10/2011: Approved by Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor; effective for the 2011-2012 academic year and for all subsequent years.