Topics Map > Budget & Finance
Topics Map > Teaching, Learning & Academic Administration > Graduate Student Affairs > Graduate Assistantships
TA Planning in L&S
Academic Year TA Planning Exercise
- For AY26-27, planning spreadsheets have been uploaded to departmental Box folders.
- Completed TA Plan spreadsheets and updated TA Workload documents are due December 15, 2025 via email to teach.learn@ls.wisc.edu.
- Departments/programs should use the TA and UA Request form to send changes outside of this exercise (link to form, form instructions for adding or changing a TA position).
- Note: this exercise is for academic year TAs only. Summer Term TAs are initially requested as part of a Summer Budget Proposal. Changes for summer TAs are also requested through the Instructional Staffing Form.
Overview: TA Planning spreadsheet
For AY26-27 planning, the starting spreadsheets have been uploaded to departmental Box folders. The TA Planning spreadsheet is a document assembled by L&S Teaching, Learning, and Academic Planning based on previous TA plans completed by departments.
Departments/programs will update the spreadsheet with their plans for the upcoming academic year. This exercise is intended to help departments/programs plan how to best deploy their TA resources. This process also documents TA position and workload details in a simple and systematic format for easy reference by L&S administration.
TA Planning Spreadsheet Details & Instructions
The bullet points below explain what details are needed for each field:
-
Course/Assignment:
-
A list of courses with TAs from AY25-26 is provided. Check for accuracy for AY26-27, making adjustments as needed.
-
Add rows for any new TA positions for AY26-27, and list the course number and name. Set course to "Pending."
-
For positions not associated with a course, please describe as needed (e.g., Learning Centers, course development)
-
A single course may be listed multiple times, if there are multiple appointment types for a course, e.g., head TA, different appointment percentages, etc.
-
-
Fall/Spring # of TAs: Planned count of TAs per semester.
-
Appt Structure: Briefly describe the structure of the position, e.g., number of discussions/labs. (ex: 4 discussions/TA)
-
Appt %: Appointment percentage of each position.
-
Changing TA Workload?: Indicate “Yes” if you are changing the structure of a TA position (e.g. increasing the number of sections per TA, increasing the number of students per section, changing the types of duties this position will be responsible for, etc.). When you submit your TA Plan spreadsheet, you will also need to submit updated TA workload documents for any such courses.
-
Position Status: Select from the options below.
-
Active - courses that are continuing to have TAs in 2026-27
-
Inactive - courses that will not have TAs in 2026-27
-
Pending - new TA positions for 2026-27
-
-
Funding: Select from the options below.
-
TA 101 (this will be most positions)
-
Other (please provide detail in the Notes column)
-
-
Notes: Add notes if modifying an existing position, or to add additional info as needed, such as other funding source.
-
Date of last workload review: For use by L&S Admin staff, do not modify these dates.
- FTE: For use by L&S Admin staff, do not modify these cells.
TA 101 FTE Comparison Tool
At the top of each departmental TA Planning spreadsheet is a TA 101 FTE Comparison Tool. This will automatically update your AY26-27 TA101 FTE as you make changes to your TA plans in the spreadsheet. You will then be able to compare your planned AY26-27 TA101 FTE to our estimated AY25-26 TA101 FTE (this estimate is based on your actual HR hires for Fall 2025 plus your previously submitted plan for Spring 2026). Due to the current budget constraints, L&S Admin expects AY26-27 TA101 FTE to be at or below previous levels.
Please note this important caveat:
The TA101 FTE calculation is based on the following columns: Fall # of TAs, Spring # of TAs, Appt %, and Funding. You must enter these accurately to receive an accurate FTE.
Contacts for L&S Administration
- L&S Teaching, Learning, and Academic Planning:
- Shirin Malekpour, Associate Dean for Teaching, Learning, and Academic Planning
- Lynne Prost, Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Affairs
- Cathy Yu, Administrative Assistant for Teaching, Learning, and Academic Planning
- For Budget Questions:
- Jennifer Klippel, Associate Deal for Innovation and Strategic Budgeting