Interested in working as an STA?
Responsibilities
STAs integrate content on societal issues relevant to their designated course. Before and throughout the semester, STAs work with course staff to design, create, grade, and collect feedback on SRC content for their course.
The role of the STA varies by course, depending on the maturity of the SRC content and the preferences of instructors and course staff. Some courses have well-established content which has been refined over the course of several semesters, while courses which only recently joined the program may have no or little existing content at all.
Beyond individual course development, STAs meet as a group throughout the semester for several tasks relevant to the entire program, like discussing learning goals and grading practices, reviewing each other's content, and planning whole program changes.
Prerequisites
The program is looking for students with a genuine interest in aspects of socially responsible computing, and who want to work closely with course staff to develop content connecting the technical material in their class to its social context. The program doesn't expect STA applicants to be experts, but as an applicant, you should have engaged with dimensions of socially responsible computing in the past. You should feel ready to expand and refine your knowledge, and share it with others. If this sounds like you, please apply! If you are still wondering if becoming an STA is right for you, feel free to get in touch with the Head-STAs (HSTAs) or with Julia Netter.
Application and hiring process
Submitting your application
The STA hiring process starts early in the semester preceding the one in which a course is offered. It runs in parallel with the UTA hiring process in the CS department. You can find more information about the application logistics, including the current hiring timeline on the CS Department website. This is also where you will find the STA application form when applications are open in any given semester.
Pre-interview steps
Once STA applications have closed, you will be contacted by the Head-STAs with information to guide you through the pre-interview process.
As a first step, you will be asked to fill in a pre-interview questionnaire which asks about your SRC-related interests and skills, and how you would apply them concretely in the context of one of the courses you are applying to. Your answers will be the basis for your interview (see next step).
Please note that some (not all) courses will ask you to submit a separate questionnaire as well. This is a separate part of the process and you need to complete both the course-specific and the general STA pre-interview questionnaire in order for your application to proceed. In some cases, both kinds of questionnaires may ask for similar information and it is fine if your responses are similar as well. Make sure to look out for any application-related communication from both the Head-STAs and the staff of the courses you applied to.
Interviews
After completing the pre-interview questionnaire, you will be asked to sign up for an interview with the SRC program team (the Head-STAs and program director). This interview will focus on your SRC-related experience and skills. You should be prepared to talk in more detail about your answers on the pre-interview questionnaire.
Some courses will conduct additional, separate interviews for STAs in addition to the interview by the STA leadership team. In those cases, the HTAs of the courses you have applied to STA for will contact you to schedule the additional interview. In order to be considered for an STA position for a course that conducts course-specific interviews, you must attend both the course-specific interview and the general STA interview.
Combined UTA-STA Position
Many courses hire joint UTA-STAs. In order to be eligble for those positions, you must both apply as a UTA and as an STA. Joint UTA-STAs can work up to 15 hours per week and are expected to spend about half their time on UTA work and half their time on STA work.