Course Support Positions

Yale Summer Session is committed to helping faculty members secure the instructional support they need to manage the number of students enrolled in their course. 

Courses offered online and in New Haven will become eligible for a Grader or Summer Assistant based on the enrollment of their course. The responsibilities, level of supervision, and type of course determine the assistant level, and enrollment thresholds determine when a course is eligible to hire a grader or assistant. 

Please read below for more information about each position type:

Grader

Under close supervision by a faculty member, work consists of grading papers, homework, and/or exams. This position is typically for a course with substantial daily homework or problem sets such as a math heavy course or a language course. An instructor may hire one grader for every 10 students enrolled.

Summer Assistant 1

Under supervision by a faculty member, work consists of that of a grader with additional responsibilities such as leading a discussion topic or supporting lab work. This position is typically for seminars or science courses with lab components. An instructor may hire a Summer Assistant 1 if their course enrolls 18 students, a second assistant if their course enrolls 30 students, and further assistants for every 10 additional students enrolled.

Summer Assistant 2

Under limited supervision by a faculty member, work consists of that of a Summer Assistant 1 with additional responsibilities such as being in charge of a lab. This position is rare, and the hiring of a Summer Assistant 2 is determined at the discretion of the Dean of YSS.

In all cases, the Director of Academic Affairs will reach out to instructors when the appropriate enrollment thresholds are met to inform instructors that they may hire an assistant or grader. An instructor may not hire an assistant or grader without prior approval of Yale Summer Session. Please note there are specific requirements for international students who have recently graduated. YSS will work with the Office of International Students & Scholars (OISS) to determine eligibility.

Faculty teaching in YSS Programs Abroad may hire Program Assistants, according to the policies outlined in the YSS Programs Abroad Instructor Handbook.

Please note: The summer assistant levels are not equivalent to the Graduate School levels listed in the Teaching Fellows Handbook and the Teaching Fellows Handbook does not apply to Summer Session. Our general rule of thumb is that a Summer Assistant works approximately 20 hours per week.

Instructors and Summer Assistants are responsible for obtaining their own teaching materials; YSS does not coordinate this nor does it provide additional funding for these. In addition, YSS does not reserve space for office hours and encourages Summer Assistants to utilize available space on campus.

Online Course Support

Each online course will be assigned an Online Support Assistant (OSA) who will provide instructional design and technology support before and during the summer term. The OSA's duties will include helping faculty prepare course content and assessments for an online audience and assist with Canvas course builds and configuration to deliver the courses. They will be the first point of contact for academic technology issues for the faculty as well as the students. The scope of the OSA role does not include grading or have other academic responsibilities in a course; it is separate from the YSS Grader and Summer Assistant I & II positions. For more information about Summer Session online education support, please contact richard.collins@yale.edu or jennifer.conroy@yale.edu.