Teaching Fellow

Overview

A teaching fellow is generally a graduate student at a college or university that teaches undergraduate classes. This educational role requires many of the same responsibilities as a regular professor, including course preparation, lecturing, and grading. The purpose is to prepare potential professors for the challenges of leading classes. A teaching fellow often takes on a greater responsibility than a teaching assistant, sometimes including supervision sessions with an experienced professor, and is typically offered a financial stipend on a semester‑by‑semester basis.

• Design and prepare course material.
• Deliver lectures to undergraduate students.
• Grade assignments, exams, and student work.
• Run discussion or tutorial sessions under the guidance of a full‑time professor.
• Assist the supervising professor with assessment and course management.

A teaching assistant typically helps a professor grade papers, answer student questions, and lead discussion groups, but is not in charge of any individual class. A teaching fellow, on the other hand, teaches on his or her own while often receiving supervision and feedback from a full‑time professor. The teaching fellow role therefore carries more instructional responsibility and autonomy.

In the United Kingdom, a teaching fellow may be a full member of an academic staff, usually new to the staff with relatively little experience. In many institutions this position is a gateway role toward becoming a professor or lecturer. In other academic contexts, the title of teaching fellow may also be used as an additional honorific or thinly‑defined designation for senior staff.

Many graduate programs require Master's and Doctoral candidates to lead a specified number of classes each year. In some programs, teaching is a voluntary activity, but a teaching fellow often receives a stipend for their work.

Teaching fellows usually receive a contract on a semester‑by‑semester basis and a financial stipend for the duration of the role.