Reader Policy

Resources – Reader Policy

Use of Readers: Each quarter during the third week of classes, courses eligible for Readers will be sent a Reader Allocation letter from the Dept. Manager. Reader eligible courses are those with an enrollment of at least 30 students without a TA, with the exception of English 4, seminars, creative writing courses and graduate courses. If the budget is insufficient to meet your needs, you may make a written request to the Chair for additional funding. Be sure that your request includes the number of additional hours needed, along with a thorough justification based upon the number of papers assigned, the timing of these papers in the course, whether or not your Reader is attending your course, and any other details to make your case. Please be sure to keep track of your Reader’s hours since you must sign the time sheets acknowledging time actually worked (including course attendance). Any overdraft may be deducted from future allocations. If you need advice in the selection of a Reader, you may ask other faculty who have taught the course. If you need to find a Reader for a particular course, you can provide that information to the Graduate Office, who will post your search for a Reader in an email to the graduate student listserv, and to the Chair’s office. Reader positions will also be posted on the campus website as required by the SAGE contract.

Rules and Guidelines for the Reading Program

Rules for Selection of Readers:

 

  • Only currently enrolled UCLA students can be employed as Readers. Once chosen, the students should see the Academic Personnel Manager to be placed on the Payroll.

 

  • In selecting a Reader, priority must normally be given to English Department graduate students, although undergraduate majors are also eligible if (1) they have completed at least 120 units; (2) have an English GPA of at least 3.20; and (3) they are reading for a course they have themselves previously taken, having received a grade of “B” in that course.

Rules for Utilization of Readers:

 

  • Readers are appointed on an hourly basis to assist with the reading and grading of students’ papers and exams under the guidance and supervision of faculty members.

 

  • Readers must have earned at least a “B” grade in the course for which they are reading, and are not to be used as teaching assistants or graduate student researchers.

 

  • Readers must not be used as quiz-section or discussion-section instructors, or in any way be involved in the “teaching process” beyond the reading, annotating, and discussion of quizzes, examinations and papers.

 

  • Readers are not to make up course examinations, nor are they to assign course grades. Readers are expected to respect the confidential nature of the student records to which, during the period of their employment, they have access.

 

  • Readers are expected to disqualify themselves from reading the work of personal acquaintances, and under no conditions will a Reader, graduate or undergraduate, be permitted to read the work of graduate students.

 

  • Both faculty and Readers should keep Abigail current on accounts. Reader claims in excess of the budgeted amount for a course may not be honored by the Department.

 

General Guidelines:

 

  • Since Readers are usually not qualified to read highly specialized term papers, they should ideally be asked to read only quizzes and examinations, or papers of a general nature written on a limited number of assigned topics.
  • In addition to reading highly specialized term papers, faculty are expected to read at least a portion of all examinations; normally at least one question through an entire set of exams or quizzes.

 

  • The intention to utilize a Reader in a given course, along with the identity of that Reader, should be announced to the class early in the quarter.

 

  • Readers are expected to make frequent, constructive, impersonal comments on all papers, examinations, and quizzes which are to be returned to students.

 

  • Following the return of quizzes and examination papers, Readers will normally hold office hours for students who wish for additional comments on their performance.