How to Apply
The positions listed are limited availability positions.
Applications and materials requested below are all DUE BY AUGUST 21, 2026.
To apply,
- Apply to job posting # 281154 on the careers.umich.edu website.
Send the following materials in a single combined pdf to [email protected]
- Cover Letter. This should include the following: indicate the courses you feel you could teach and your qualifications for each course you list. If interested in multiple positions, please indicate your order of preference. Include if you are available to attend the required lecture times listed in the descriptions in this posting. Include your teaching history, if available.
- A Resume/CV
- Unofficial transcript (if you are just starting your graduate program in fall, include your unofficial transcript from your previous institution).
- Past Teaching evaluations (if available)
Contingent offers will be extended by August 28, 2026.
Responsibilities*
Additional GSI job responsibilities are included in, but not limited to, the items listed for each specific position in the GSI course descriptions. Hired GSIs are required to attend their course's weekly lectures in person unless noted otherwise.
The GSI employment appointment period for Fall 2026 Term runs 8/25/26-12/31/26. Hired GSIs are expected to be available for any listed training, orientations, or GSI course responsibilities prior to the appointment period as noted in the Fraction Calculation Form and job description, and to be available to work in person throughout the appointment period and term.
REQUIRED GSI TRAININGS:
TRAININGS ARE REQUIRED AS PART OF YOUR GSI OFFER. It is your responsibility to plan your travel, etc., around these training sessions.
FIRST TIME GSIs for the Psychology Department are required to attend all of the following trainings:
1. Psychology Department New GSI Orientation: Wednesday, August 26, 2026, 9am-1pm in EHB247. Note - Psych Ph.D/Joint Psych Ph.D students who have taken Psych 609 Teaching Academy do NOT attend this orientation.
2. Center for Research on Learning and Teaching GSI Orientation (CRLT GSITO): Canvas course with required asynchronous session (available starting August 4, 2026), AND required synchronous components (only offered Aug 20-28, 2026). Both components are required. All due by 9/2/26. NOTE: If you have already attended the CRLT GSITO, you do not have to attend again.
ALL RETURNING GSIs, who have taught for the Psych Dept. in a PRIOR Term:
2. It is recommended returning Psych GSIs attend a CRLT Seminar during the Fall 2026 term. Seminars will be listed on the CRLT website closer to the start of the term - http://www.crlt.umich.edu/events .
In addition, ALL students hired as Psychology GSIs are required to take U of M's Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Online Training Module, RO 100: FERPA, through My Linc. This only needs to be taken once.
Required Qualifications*
Applicant must be a graduate student in good standing at the University of Michigan. Applicant must not have exceeded the College's Ten Term Rule. Additional qualifications are listed for each specific position in the GSI course descriptions.
Graduate students hired as GSIs (0.5 or higher appointment) for a Psychology course should not hold another 0.5 appointment (GSI/GSRA/Staff) during the same term.
Students who did not attend an English-speaking undergraduate institution must be evaluated by the English Language Institute (ELI) for English proficiency and either pass the GSI-OET, or have this test waived by the ELI before they can be eligible for a GSI Appointment in LSA.
ALL GSIs who are teaching courses for the first time which include a Sweetland Writing Center percentage (ULWR courses) are required to attend the Writing 993 (1 credit) training course in the Fall 2026 term.
Desired Qualifications*
Additional qualifications are listed for each specific position in the GSI course descriptions. Priority will be given to current LSA graduate students.
Course Description
Fall 2026 GSI Job List & Descriptions
Current course days and times for the courses below can also be viewed in the LSA Course Guide and Wolverine Access Class Search.
- LECTURES: Lecture attendance is required. To avoid scheduling conflicts, compare your own course schedule against the schedule for the courses to which you are applying as a GSI.
- SECTIONS: Discussion sections and lab sections days and times are all listed in the LSA Course Guide. If a course has sections and more than one GSI, hired GSIs will work together to divide up sections assignments after GSIs are hired.
- Course GSI allocations and FTEs are subject to change based on enrollment.
Descriptions:
Psych 211-100 and 211-500 PROJECT OUTREACH (includes Psych 306) (0.5 FTE each)
NOTE - 211-200 is not available.
Colleen Seifert, [email protected]
Project Outreach (Psych 211) is an experiential learning lab where students join one of three lecture sections and an associated laboratory section. Lecture sections address a psychological theme: Section 100 on development offers labs at community preschool sites; Section 200 on mental wellness holds a lab on campus to learn about clinical skills with peers; and, Section 500 on biopsychosocial health offers labs in clinical health settings in the community. Sections 100 and 500 have enrollments of 100 students with 2 GSIs assigned in each section paired to team teach, and section 200 has a single GSI.
Psych 306 (Group Leading in Project Outreach) enrolls students who serve as teaching assistants in Psych 211. GSIs recruit and train the 306 students to support small group discussions each week during the term. These 306 students also assist with grading assignments in 211. Outreach GSIs manage student activity across a 211 lecture section (meeting 2 hours weekly), a 306 section meeting (1 hour weekly), and student visits to field sites during lab times. The Canvas site provides all materials and assignments for each section and is organized to guide all students in class and lab activities. GSIs also recruit and host experts as guest speakers each week on research and practice for each section. The faculty director leads curricula and course policies across all sections, and meets with GSI as a team to support and manage the lecture course sections.
Outreach applicants should indicate their interest by noting their past experience and interest in (1) Experiential learning courses; (2) Facilitation of learning in small group discussions; (3) Content expertise in development, mental health, or health psychology; 4) Project management, communication, and organizational experience; 5) Personal experience volunteering at community site placements; and 6) Spreadsheet and Canvas expertise to support course management. Because Outreach is an experiential course, students and GSIs must also be present each week for course meetings and teaching team meetings, and must respond to email communications within 24 hours on weekdays. Please specify your fit with a lecture section topic in your application.
It is important to note that teaching effort in Outreach is front-loaded, and advance preparation is required before the term begins. The instructor provides 211 and 306 syllabi, course policies, site planning, and Canvas page setup. GSIs work collaboratively as a team to prepare their lecture section curriculum in weekly Canvas modules with speaker scheduling, reading and media resources, tailored written assignment prompts, and weekly small group discussion plans.
Lecture section 100 meets from 4 to 6 pm on Tuesdays; and Lecture section 500 meets 4-6pm Thursdays. The 306-101 and 306-501 meetings follow from 6 to 7 pm to train and mentor the 306 students to facilitate small groups, plan discussion activities, and grade assignments. GSIs manage their section?s Canvas pages and gradebooks for 211 and 306, grade 306 work weekly, and meet with students by request (in person or remotely) to support their progress.
The Outreach GSIs and the instructor collaborate closely as a teaching team, and GSIs must attend team meetings on Fridays from 12-1:30 pm in East Hall. Availability for quick responses to emergent management concerns and emails from students, placement sites, and teaching team members is critical.
GSIs meet with their lecture sections from 4pm to 7pm weekly. Teaching team meetings are held from 12 to 1:30 on Fridays. GSIs are expected to respond quickly to emails (within 24 hours), including over weekends. GSIs may schedule meetings with students and teaching team members in the evenings and on weekends if desired, but that is not required. GSIs may choose their own schedules for completing work, but a meeting a weekly deadline for course preparation and grading is required. In addition to the job duties listed, GSIs will perform other teaching-related duties as assigned.
Psych 230 INTRODUCTION TO BIOPSYCHOLOGY (0.5 FTE)
Jennifer Cummings, [email protected]
Attendance is required at weekly lectures, Mondays and Wednesdays, 11:30am-1pm.
The main GSI duties for this role include, but are not limited to, the following: The GSI will be responsible for teaching 3 discussion sections/week, holding 3 hours of office hours per week (OK if GSI schedules during evenings), and answering student emails. GSIs are required to attend lectures and be sufficiently familiar with the course content to be able to assist students in need of extra support. (If a GSI needs to spend time learning the material for themselves, that time should not count toward their allocated weekly hours.) Some discussion sections may occur in the evenings. GSIs will assist the instructor with several aspects of the course, including development of lesson plans and assignments, coordinating sheep brain dissections (which are conducted in discussion section, but the coordination, set-up, clean up, and practice may happen outside of business hours, depending on GSI and lab space availability), and help prepare and grade 3 exams. GSIs will also track participation points in discussion, grade course-related assignments, and compute grades for their sections. GSIs are allowed (but not required) to teach a lecture. GSIs will meet once/week with the instructor for course planning, as well as be available via email throughout the week and weekend (as needed). GSIs are expected to answer instructor emails within one day, including on weekends. In addition to the job duties listed, GSIs will perform other teaching-related duties as assigned.
Psych 250 INTRODUCTION TO DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY (0.5 FTE)
Katie Jodl, [email protected]
Attendance is required at weekly lectures, Mondays and Wednesdays, 1pm-2:30pm
The main GSI duties for this role include, but are not limited to, the following: GSIs prepare lessons and lead 3 discussion sections each week; hold weekly office hours; conduct review sessions; grade papers and weekly discussion posts; write exam questions as needed; and compute final grades. GSIs are required to attend lectures and a weekly GSI meeting (at 9 am on Mondays). COMPETENCIES: Excellent knowledge of developmental psychology; clear communication style; works well with others and is a collaborative team player; enthusiasm for working with students; previous teaching experience desirable.GSIs are expected to answer emails within a day, including over weekends, if some matter requiring rapid action occurs. Some discussion sections are scheduled on weekday evenings, and GSIs may need to hold exam review sessions outside of normal working hours. In addition, GSIs may choose to hold office hours (2 hours/week) during evening hours, but that is not required. In addition to the job duties listed, GSIs will perform other teaching-related duties as assigned.
Psych 303 RESEARCH METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY: ADVANCED LAB (0.6 FTE. ULWR);
Thore Bergman, [email protected]
Attendance is required at weekly lectures on Tuesdays 10am-11:30am
International students are not eligible to hold 0.6 GSI appointments (0.6 standard weekly workload of 24 hours is greater than 20 hour/week limit for international students). The main GSI duties for this role include, but are not limited to, the following: This laboratory course provides an introductory ?how to? guide to conducting research in psychology, including library research, study design, data collection and basic analyses, and APA-style writing. GSIs attend lectures (80 min/wk) and a team meeting each week. GSIs work with students in their lab sections on active learning projects emphasizing ?hands on? activity rather than lecture. Several projects involve leading students in using Qualtrics and Excel, along with JASP, R, or SPSS for data analysis.
Each GSI is responsible for supervising two student lab sections, with activities planned collaboratively each week by the teaching team. GSIs also collaboratively prepare lesson plans and other materials for laboratory sections (though initial materials are provided). Finally, GSIs provide feedback on rough drafts of student writing assignments, grade final versions of writing assignments, grade other assignments (e.g., discussions and other lab activities), track their sections? grades, hold office hours (2 hours/week), respond to student emails within 24 hrs on weekdays, and collaborate and consult with the instructor and GSI teaching team as needed/desired. If there are too many scheduling conflicts, some regular meetings may occur outside business hours.Some sections are scheduled outside of business hours. In addition to the job duties listed, GSIs will perform other teaching-related duties as assigned.
Because this course meets the Upper Level Writing Requirement in LSA, GSIs must have previously taken or concurrently take the 1-credit course, WRITING 993: Teaching Writing in the Disciplines (http://lsa.umich.edu/sweetland/graduates/courses.html)
Psych 342 Research Methods Brainwaves (Res Meth in Human Electroencephalography - EEG/MEG/ECoG) ( 0.6 FTE. ULWR)
David Brang, [email protected]
Attendance is required at weekly lectures, Thursdays 4pm-530pm.
International students are not eligible to hold 0.6 GSI appointments (0.6 standard weekly workload of 24 hours is greater than 20 hour/week limit for international students). Every week, each GSI leads two 80-minute lab sections (20 students per section), attends one 80-minute lecture, and attends one GSI meeting. GSIs will follow a prepared lesson plan while also preparing additional content for their specific sections (as is necessary). The course fulfills the LSA Upper Level Writing Requirement, so a significant portion of GSI responsibilities involves providing structured feedback on student writing and facilitating revision activities. GSIs will grade brief written commentaries submitted onto canvas, oral presentations given in their sections, problem sets, and a mini-review. GSIs will additionally host weekly office hours and meet students at individually scheduled times as necessary. Weekly lab sections include presentations by the students on research articles and 'hands-on' activities to walk students through EEG data acquisition, analysis, and interpretation, largely using Matlab-based software (Brainstorm). In addition to the job duties listed, GSIs will perform other teaching-related duties as assigned.
COMPETENCIES: Experience with cognitive neuroscience techniques, preferably neurophysiology tools (EEG, MEG, ECoG, or LFPs).
Because this course meets the Upper Level Writing Requirement in LSA, GSIs must have previously taken or concurrently take the 1-credit course, WRITING 993: Teaching Writing in the Disciplines (http://lsa.umich.edu/sweetland/graduates/courses.html).
Modes of Work
All Fall 2026 LSA Psychology Department Graduate Student Instructor positions are on-site positions. GSIs are required to teach in person, on campus throughout the entire Fall term, including following final exams.
Contact Information
Carefully read entire job posting and all instructions on how to apply. If you have questions, contact Megan Wolgast ([email protected]) in the Psychology Student Affairs Office.
Decision Making Process
Faculty review applications for positions in their courses and note their preferences and indicate any applicants deemed unqualified.
Selection Process
Faculty recommendations, relevance to graduate training and academic preparation for teaching the course are considered. Psychology Ph. D graduate students will have priority in placement, and then current LSA graduate students.
GEO Contract Information
The University will not discriminate against any applicant for employment because of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, genetic information, marital status, familial status, parental status or pregnancy status, sex, gender identity or expression (whether actual or perceived), sexual orientation, age, height, weight, disability, citizenship status, veteran status, HIV antibody status, political belief, membership in any social or political organization, participation in a grievance or complaint whether formal or informal, medical conditions including those related to pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding, arrest record, or any other factor where the item in question will not interfere with job performance and where the employee is otherwise qualified. The University of Michigan agrees to abide by the protections afforded employees with disabilities as outlined in the rules and regulations which implement Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Information for the Office for Institutional Equity may be found at https://oie.umich.edu/ and for the University Ombuds at https://ombuds.umich.edu/
Unsuccessful applications will be retained for consideration in the event that there are last minute openings for available positions. In the event that an employee does not receive their preferred assignment, they can request a written explanation or an in-person interview with the hiring agents(s) to be scheduled at a mutually agreed upon time.
This position, as posted, is subject to a collective bargaining agreement between the Regents of the University of Michigan and the Graduate Employees' Organization, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO 3550.
Standard Practice Guide 601.38, Required Disclosure of Felony Charges and/or Felony Convictions applies to all Graduate Student Assistants (GSAs). SPG 601.38 may be accessed online at https://spg.umich.edu/policy/601.38 , and its relation to your employment can be found in MOU 10 of your employment contract.
U-M EEO Statement
The University of Michigan is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.