Teaching Personnel
The Teaching Excellence Handbook is provided as a resource for individuals who are responsible for instructional activities at UNT. Included in this resource are helpful tips and important university information that will assist instructors — whether a first-time teaching assistant or an experienced full professor — in carrying out their teaching responsibilities.
“Instructor” is used in this document as a generic term referring to teaching personnel at the university.
Types of Teaching Personnel
Teaching Assistants
A teaching assistant (TA) is a graduate student who assists a faculty member in a class or laboratory, but does not have total instructional responsibility for the class. TAs working during a long semester must be enrolled as students; specific guidelines are available in the Policy Manual (Chapter 6, Policy 06.020 ). In order to qualify for reappointment as a TA, a graduate student must demonstrate competence and responsibility in carrying out TA duties, maintain high academic standards (usually a minimum 3.0 GPA), and continue to make satisfactory progress toward degree completion.
Teaching Fellows
A teaching fellow (TF) is a graduate student who assumes total responsibility for instruction in one or more classes. The TF is the instructor of record and is responsible for assigning grades. TFs working during a long semester must be enrolled as students; specific guidelines are available in the Policy Manual (policy.unt.edu [Chapter 6, ]). In order to qualify for reappointment as a teaching fellow, a graduate student must demonstrate effective teaching skills, maintain high academic standards (usually a minimum 3.0 GPA), and continue to make satisfactory progress toward degree completion.
English Language Certification for International TFs
An international student must be certified by the International TA/TF Program (sponsored by UNT’s Intensive English Language Institute; ieli.unt.edu/) before being appointed by a UNT academic department as a TF. The certification program is designed to measure the candidate’s effectiveness in spoken English and provide training and assistance tailored to individual needs. A detailed description of the International TA/TF Program and the Intensive English Language Institute is given in Chapter 9, “Advice to International Teaching Personnel.” Contact the Intensive English Language Institute (ielimainoffice@unt.edu or 940-565-2197) to schedule the review. See: https://international.unt.edu/ieli/international-teaching-assistants
Adjunct Instructors
Adjunct instructors are faculty members who have been appointed on a temporary, semester-by - semester basis to teach specific courses. Adjunct instructors must meet the faculty qualifications established by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (sacs.org). They serve as instructor of record in the courses they teach, and they may not be enrolled as UNT students. Reappointment decisions are often based on department resources and demand for specific courses. While there is no guarantee of reappointment of adjunct instructors, an adjunct who wishes to be reappointed should make an effort to demonstrate teaching effectiveness to the chair or hiring committee of the department in which he or she works.
Lecturers
Lecturers are generally full-time teaching personnel working on a one- or multi-year contract with UNT. They may be promoted (from lecturer to senior lecturer to principal lecturer), but they are not eligible for tenure.
Professors
Professors are full-time employees of UNT who are either working toward tenure (assistant professors) or have tenure (associate and full professors). Professors generally have responsibility for teaching, research, and university service.
Employee Benefits Eligibility
TFs, TAs, adjunct faculty, and other salaried faculty and staff whose appointments require them to work 20 hours or more per week are eligible to participate in the university’s group insurance program. Under certain conditions, adjunct instructors are eligible for employee benefits and should consult with their department chair and the Business Services Center to determine their eligibility. TF and TA enrollment information may be obtained from the Business Services Center at