Updated

October 7, 2019

Robotics Graduate Handbook 2019-2020

This document is intended for Robotics graduate students (MS and PhD) and
faculty

Contact Info:
Geoffrey Hollinger
Robotics Interdisciplinary Program Director
[email protected]
+1-541-737-5906

Table of Contents
1. Academic Requirements ................................................................................................. 2
1.1 Academic Progress ................................................................................................................. 2
1.2 Degree Timelines ................................................................................................................... 2
1.3 Robotics Program and Course Requirements ....................................................................... 3
1.3.1 Robotics Core Courses (MS and PhD) ....................................................................................... 3
1.3.2 Robotics MS Program ............................................................................................................ 4
1.3.3 Robotics PhD Program ............................................................................................................... 5
1.4 Fall/Spring Student Progress review ..................................................................................... 7
1.5 GPA Requirements ................................................................................................................ 7
1.6 Selecting and Switching Major Advisors ................................................................................ 8
1.6.1 Advisor selection ...................................................................................................................... 8
1.6.2 Switching Advisors .................................................................................................................. 8
2. Graduate Teaching Assistant Guide ................................................................................ 10
2.1 Time Management ................................................................................................................ 10
2.2 Course and GTA Organization ............................................................................................. 11
2.3 Feedback to GTAs ................................................................................................................. 12
2.4 Feedback to Faculty: From Improvements to Grievances .................................................... 13
2.5 Types of GTA Duties ............................................................................................................. 14
2.6 GTA Resources ..................................................................................................................... 16
3. Graduate Research Assistant Guide ................................................................................ 17
3.1 General Expectations .............................................................................................................. 17
3.2 Safety ...................................................................................................................................... 17
3.3 Publications and Communication ........................................................................................... 17
3.4 Degree Completion ................................................................................................................. 18

1. Academic Requirements
This chapter outlines all the academic requirements for graduate students in the
Robotics program. Official program requirements are available in the catalog.
If there is a conflict between what is stated here and what is presented in the
catalog, the catalog requirements take precedent.

Robotics program requirements: https://catalog.oregonstate.edu/college-

departments/engineering/school-mechanical-industrial-manufacturing-
engineering/robotics-meng-ms-phd/#requirementstext

Academic Regulations: https://catalog.oregonstate.edu/regulations/

The Graduate School at Oregon State University has a number of policies that
affect all graduate students as well as a number of resources for graduate students,
as described here: https://gradschool.oregonstate.edu/current

1.1 Academic Progress

A student’s academic progress is measured through coursework, oral examinations
(M.S. and Ph.D.), and meeting research project deadlines with their major advisor
(M.S. and Ph.D.).

Students will be warned if their academic progress is not meeting the requirements
below, and an academic plan will be developed to get the student back on track in a
reasonable time. Barring exceptional circumstances, not meeting our academic
progress guidelines in a subsequent quarter will result in dismissal from the
student’s graduate program, with possible allowance to change degree programs
(from Ph.D. to M.S. or M.Eng., or from M.S. to M.Eng.). Major professors will
provide feedback and consult on warnings and dismissals that are reviewed by the
Robotics faculty bi-annually at the end of Spring and Fall terms. In addition,
unsatisfactory academic progress may result in non-renewal of assistantships.

Reminders for deadlines (e.g. program of study, qualifier, spring academic review)
will be sent to students and (when applicable) their advisor.

1.2 Degree Timelines

Details of degree requirements are given in the rest of this guide, but these are the
major milestones. The quarter numbers do not count summer quarters: e.g., for a
fall start, the 4th quarter is fall of the second year. Relevant section numbers in this

document with further details are given in brackets.

Quarter M.S.
1-3 Identify major advisor (2.8)
Submit program of study (2.10)
Throughout Maintain 3.0 GPA (2.6)
Fall/Spring Student Progress
review (2.5)
Complete 2 courses per quarter
until coursework complete
(2.7)
Last Final oral exam (2.11)

Quarter Ph.D.
1-3 Identify major advisor (2.8)
5 Qualifier exam (2.12.1)
Program of study meeting
(2.10)
4-6 terms Preliminary exam (2.12.2)
before final
oral exam
Throughout Maintain 3.0 GPA (2.6)
Fall/Spring Student Progress
review (2.5)
Complete 2 courses per quarter
until coursework complete (2.7)
Last Final oral exam (2.12.3)

1.3 Robotics Program and Course Requirements

1.3.1 Robotics Core Courses (MS and PhD)
The intent of the Robotics core is to ensure each program of study both specializes
in robotics, and contains sufficient breadth. To that end, the four-course core
comprises one introductory course, one hands-on robotics course, one autonomy
course, and one fundamental dynamics/controls course:
1. ROB 514: Introduction to Robotics
2. ROB 521: Research Robotics
3. ROB 537: Learning-Based Control -OR- ROB 534: Sequential Decision
Making in Robotics

4. ME 531: Linear Multivariate Control Systems I -OR- ROB 545: Robotic

Manipulation

1.3.2 Robotics MS Program

A Robotics MS program of study comprises a minimum of 45 credits, with the
following options:

• MS thesis option: 12 credits of Thesis (ROB 503) and at least 30 credits of

coursework. The balance may constitute credits from the following sources:
research (ROB 501), reading and conference (ROB 505), seminar (ROB 507),
or additional coursework. Of the coursework credits, 16 must come from
approved core courses (see above). Students are required to submit a
formal Program of Study (POS) form prior to completing 18 credits of
coursework.
After completing all required coursework and thesis credits, and submitting the
pretext pages of their thesis to the Graduate School, students must schedule
their final oral examination through the Graduate School using their Exam
Scheduling Form. The thesis must be distributed to all committee members
(including the Graduate Council Representative) at least two weeks prior to the
examination.

• MS project option: 6 credits of Projects (ROB 506) and 36 credits of

coursework. The balance may constitute credits from the following sources:
research (ROB 501), reading and conference (ROB 505), seminar (ROB 507),
or additional coursework. Of the coursework credits, 16 must come from
approved core courses (see above). Students are required to submit a
formal Program of Study (POS) form prior to completing 18 credits of
coursework.
After completing all required coursework and project credits, and submitting
their project report to their committee, students must schedule their final oral
examination with their graduate committee. Copies of the project report must
be distributed to all committee members at least one week prior to the
examination.
At least 50 percent of the credits on a student's POS must represent stand-alone
graduate courses (500 level or above). The remaining credits may include the 5XX
component of 400/500-level courses.

1.3.3 Robotics PhD Program

The Robotics Ph.D. program of study comprise a minimum of 108 credits,
including at least 48 credits of coursework and 36 credits of Thesis (ROB 603).
The balance may either constitute additional coursework and/or thesis credits or
come from other sources such as research, reading and conference, etc. At least 50
percent of the course credits should represent stand-alone graduate courses (500
level or above). The remaining credits may include the 500 component of 400/500-
level courses. Of the coursework credits, 16 must come from approved “core”
courses.

Timeline of a Ph.D. in Robotics:

The major milestones in completing a Ph.D. in robotics at Oregon State are listed
below.

Selecting a major professor: Your major professor will serve as your primary
advisor throughout your graduate program. It is your responsibility to select your
major professor in your first year and assemble your committee prior to the end of
your fifth term. Your Ph.D. program of study, which must be filed with the
Graduate School prior to the sixth term of enrollment, requires your committee's
approval.

Qualifying examination: The purpose of the Ph.D. qualifying exam is to assess

students’ research skills (their ability to analyze, interpret, and communicate
fundamental scientific, mathematical, and engineering concepts) for the purpose of
determining their aptitude for the Ph.D. program. The examination also includes a
diagnostic function to highlight potential weaknesses in the students’ background
that can be addressed through additional coursework or independent study.

Qualifying exam format: The qualifying exam consists of:

• A written research paper on a topic selected by the committee. This will

generally consist of literature review with a discussion highlighting the
interesting research directions in that topic. The committee will specify the
format and length of the paper, which will be due one week prior to the
scheduled oral examination.
• A 20 minute oral presentation on the topic of the research paper.
• A 20 minute examination session on:
o topics presented in the research paper

o topics identified by the committee as a result of evaluating the research

paper
o material from two graduate courses (selected by the student from the
robotics core)
Qualifying exam timeline: The qualifying exam is conducted every Winter term
during dead week (the week prior to exams). Students must take the qualifying
exam by the end of their second year in graduate school. Students entering with an
MS degree have the option of taking it in their first year of graduate school.

Program of Study meeting: After passing the qualifying examination and

establishing a Ph.D. committee, students must convene a program meeting at
which all committee members (including the Graduate Council Representative) are
present. The purpose of this meeting is for you to present your program of study.
At this meeting you will also present an approximate timeline for Ph.D.
requirement completion (coursework completion, preliminary exam, and final oral
exam).

Preliminary exam: The preliminary examination evaluates a Ph.D. candidate's

research methodology, experimental plan, and interpretation of preliminary results
(if appropriate). The purpose of the exam is to allow the committee to aid the
candidate in planning and implementing the highest quality thesis.

Preliminary exam format: The preliminary exam consists of:

• A research proposal document describing the motivation, prior work, work to

date, and proposed work for the dissertation
• A presentation of the proposal to the committee

• An oral examination on the proposal’s content

Preliminary exam timeline: The preliminary exam must be scheduled through the
Graduate School using their Exam Scheduling Form, and exam takers must be
formally enrolled (for a minimum of 3 credits) during the term in which the exam
takes place.

Final Oral Examination: After completing all required coursework and thesis
credits and submitting the pretext pages of your thesis to the Graduate School, you
must schedule your final oral examination through the Graduate School using
their Exam Scheduling Form. Also, you must be formally enrolled (for a minimum
of 3 credits) during the term in which the exam takes place.

1.4 Fall/Spring Student Progress review

At the end of Fall and Spring terms, all M.S. and Ph.D. students will submit a
summary of their academic progress and goals as instructed by the Robotics
Program Director. The Robotics Faculty will meet to discuss the progress of all
students. Students will be issued a (S) Satisfactory Progress, (IN) Improvement
Needed, (FW) First Warning, or (U) Unsatisfactory rating in each category of
research, coursework, and service. Service includes ways of contributing to the
program in a non-academic or research role (e.g., running tours Graf Hall,
maintaining shared equipment, helping with seminar setup). It is recommended
that students meet with their advisors to discuss their academic progress in person
at this time. Students who have received a (FW) or (U) rating towards one or more
components of their progress (or do not have an advisor at the time of review) will
receive a letter listing a set of actions that must be completed. Barring exceptional
circumstances, a student who fails to complete the required actions will be
dismissed from the graduate program.

1.5 GPA Requirements

The Graduate School requires a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.00
for:
(a) all graduate courses taken at OSU as a graduate student, and
(b) for courses included in the graduate program of study.

The courses on a student’s program of study are those that are taken in order to
satisfy your program requirements. However, all graduate courses a student
takes while at OSU include any courses you take for personal interest and
repeats of courses: at OSU, if a student repeats a course, only the grade in the
second attempt contributes to their overall GPA. Grades on transfer courses will
be included in the calculation of the program-of-study GPA, but will not affect
the GPA of courses taken at OSU. Both the overall GPA and program-of-study
GPA must be above 3.0 before scheduling final oral or written exams (M.S. and
Ph.D.).

Given this strict requirement, the Robotics Program requires that students
maintain a GPA of 3.00 throughout their degree. If a student’s graduate GPA
falls below 3.00, the Robotics Program will issue a warning during the
Fall/Spring review, and a study plan will be developed to raise the GPA above
3.00 in a timely manner. The major advisor will be consulted in the
development of the study plan.

If a student’s graduate GPA in a single quarter is below 3.00, but the overall
GPA is above 3.00, the student (and their major advisor, if one is on record) will
be informed, but no warning will be issued.

1.6 Selecting and Switching Major Advisors

1.6.1 Advisor selection
Depending on how a student is admitted to our M.S. or Ph.D. program, they may
have an advisor of record from the start. If not, the student should identify an
advisor as early in the first year as possible, so that the student can start taking
thesis or project credits to get started in research. Students should begin research
even prior to identifying an advisor. To identify an advisor, we recommend:
• The student takes classes in their area of interest, as the faculty teaching this class
will be a good point of contact for identifying an advisor;
• The student attends reading groups or seminars in their area of interest, which
will help them get to know the faculty and graduate students in their area of
interest; and,
• The student talks to a prospective advisor about how to find out about the
research area and whether it is a good fit with the student’s interests.

Once an advisor has been identified, the student simply emails Robotics Program
Director (contact info on title page of this document) with the new advisor cc'd to
notify the program of the new advisory relationship. Having an advisor is an
important signal of academic progress. Not having a major advisor by the end of
your third quarter will result in discontinued enrollment in the M.S. or Ph.D.
program. In exceptional circumstances, this deadline may be extended, but needs
prior approval from the Robotics Program Director.

1.6.2 Switching Advisors

Changing advisors is fairly common. Ideally, this comes from conversation
between the student and their current advisor with the current advisor supporting
the effort to identify a new advisor. However, situations are not always ideal, in
which case the Robotics Program Director and the Robotics faculty will work to
facilitate this process. A student or major advisor should notify the Robotics
Program Director (contact info on title page of this document) of the intent to
change the advising relationship.
1. If the student has identified a new major advisor, then the student will email
the Robotics Program Director who will update the program records.
2. If a new major advisor has not been identified, then either the student or the
previous advisor will email the Robotics Program Director. The Robotics

Program Director will work with the student to facilitate a transition to a

new advisor; the earlier this facilitation can happen, the better. This may
include mediating conversations with the previous advisor to understand
reasons for the switch and to ensure that the student will have every chance
to be successful with a new advisor. However, the student is ultimately
responsible for identifying a new advisor (see “Procedure for Selecting an
Advisor”) by the end of the following academic term. In the absence of
exceptional circumstances, not doing so may result in discontinued
enrollment in the M.S. or Ph.D. program.
3. Results of formal exams and meetings (qualifiers, oral exams, program
meetings) are respected through advisor changes: for example, if you pass
your qualifier but later switch advisors, you do not need to retake the
qualifier exam. A student’s committee may also be helpful during a
transition to a new advisor.

2. Graduate Teaching Assistant Guide

Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) are covered by the CGE-OSU contract (see
references section of this document). This document serves to provide Robotics-
specific guidance to Robotics GTAs and Faculty on:

GTAs receive training from OSU, the Graduate School, COE and e-campus.
Additional training may also occur, and is considered part of a GTA’s
employment. Coalition of Graduate Employees (CGE), the union representing
GTAs, also provides resources to help navigate employment at OSU.

Each GTA works most closely with the faculty to whose class they are assigned,
and the assigned faculty assumes responsibility for delegation of tasks and
evaluation of work. Student are hired as GTAs if they are in good academic
standing and based on instructional need. Students who are on internship are
generally not hired as GTAs.

2.1 Time Management

While students are usually appointed as a Graduate Assistant for 9 months from
September 15 to June 15, their work assignments may change from quarter to
quarter. GTA work assignments for Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer quarters
begin on September 16, December 16, March 16, and June 16, respectively, and
each assignment is 13 weeks long. The College of Engineering recognizes that an
assignment for Winter quarter may extend past March 16 (i.e., the start of Spring
quarter assignment). However, the expectation of the College is that as long as a
student has a Graduate Assistant appointment for Spring quarter, they will not be
asked to start work for their Spring quarter assignment until tasks relating to their
Winter assignment are complete, generally through the end of final exam week of
Winter quarter. A student without a spring graduate assistantship should inform the
faculty they are assigned to, as they may only work until March 15.

Some courses require substantial time during critical grading periods; however, the
number of hours a student may work per week is regulated by their appointment
fraction, the CGE-OSU contract, and Federal regulations (particularly for
International students):
• A 0.25 FTE appointment corresponds to an average of 10 hours per week; a
0.3 FTE appointment corresponds to on average of 12 hours per week; and,
0.49 FTE appointment corresponds to an average of 19.6 hours per week.

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• “[H]ours shall not fluctuate more than 50% above the weekly average in any
one work week throughout the course of the employment period, unless by
mutual agreement between the supervisor and the employee.” (Article 11,
Section 3i)
• The time before and after the academic quarter starts and finishes cannot be
redistributed over the weeks of academic quarter. (Article 11, Section 3i)
• International students on F1 or J1 visas may not work more than 20 hours in
any week during term.

It is important to keep track of hours worked because it can be useful in resolving

disputes related to time management, and it can help the School determine the
appropriate number of GTAs to assign to each course. CGE provides a template for
tracking hours.v

GTAs observe the holidays recognized by the universityvi and are entitled to 15
days of leave time without loss of pay during the academic year (Article 10,
Section 7). A GTA must request this leave time in writing from the Associate Head
for Graduate Programs “sufficiently in advance [to] allow for planning for the
absence,” with a recommendation of two weeks lead time for leave between
quarters and two months lead time for leave during quarter. Except in exceptional
circumstances, leave is unlikely to be approved for an absence in week 1, exam
week or for more than a few days during the academic quarter. Any additional
schedule adjustments should be arranged between the GTA and the faculty to
whose class they are assigned.

GTAs also have sick leave benefits (Article 30).

Preparation activities to be an effective GTA should be started as soon as possible

once the appointment begins. This involves reviewing the lecture material,
preparing and testing labs and assignments, and other activities requested by the
course faculty. Providing startup tasks to GTAs can allow GTAs to front- load
work before they start their own courses.

2.2 Course and GTA Organization

Courses should be designed with assessment in mind. The amount of feedback a
GTA can give is proportional to the amount of time they’re given on a per-
assignment basis when grading. Automating repetitive, quantitative portions will
allow GTAs to focus their time on providing more valuable, qualitative feedback.

11


Well-defined work schedules aid GTAs in balancing their time, relative to

scholarly activities. GTAs should be given an idea of their work assignments
throughout the term up front to assist with planning. To this end, a document
clarifying faculty expectations for GTAs, and their responsibilities (e.g., grading,
material-related, and otherwise) should be provided at the start of their assignment
(the 16th of the month before the start of a quarter).

From a resource-expenditure point of view, GTAs should be assigned where they

are most valuable.
• More experienced GTAs will require less time grading, and will be more valuable
to students for office hours. They may also be interested in developing tools to
streamline their tasks or have suggestions for new subject explorations for the
students.
• Less experienced GTAs may have difficulty with office hours until they fully
understand the material - but they may be helpful in helping designing learning
activities (since they themselves are still learning the materials).

Mechanisms for communication between GTAs and students should be established

in the course syllabus. Ideally, GTA preferences can be taken into account. For
example, Canvas Inbox may be used if GTAs do not want their email addresses
published. Slack may also be used if that is set up for the course.

For Faculty/GTA communication, the following is recommended:

• an email at the beginning of the quarter detailing duties/timelines
• a meeting before or at the start of quarter to have everyone get to know each
other, to establish a working relationship and learn about
capabilities/preferences, and establish office hours
• establishing an open communication among the instruction team will help
solve issues before they become problems;
• regular (weekly or bi-weekly) check-in meetings for conversations about
grading issues, student conceptual gaps, GTA conceptual gaps, suggestions
for supplemental explorations, status on development of explorations, etc.;
• an end-of-term meeting where the term's work is discussed prior to final
grade-posting.

2.3 Feedback to GTAs
Feedback is important, especially at the beginning of a job. Early and frequent
feedback (highlighting both the things that are going well and the things that need
improvement) will help to improve our classes and help clarify expectations.

12


Therefore, faculty are encouraged to meet with the GTAs assigned to their classes
early and regularly to set clear expectations and let them know if they are straying.
It is great to meet in person, but we recommend following up with email to help
overcome any communication barriers and remove any uncertainty that may arise
from a face-to-face meeting.

Formal evaluations of GTAs are required by the CGE-OSU contract (Article 15)i.
In Robotics, faculty are asked to evaluate all GTAs assigned to their courses at the
end of every quarter on whether they meet the following criteria:
• possessed, demonstrated or showed the ability to learn the technical and
academic content necessary to answer student questions, competently grade,
and perform other duties for this particularly class; and 

• performed tasks on time, responded quickly and professionally to emails and
other communications, showed up to meetings and office hours on time, and
acted ethically, fairly and consistently. 


At the end of the academic year, this feedback will be summarized in an evaluation
letter and made available to the GTA. GTAs who do not meet expectations in one
or both aspects will be informed in writing with constructive criticism and a plan
for improving performance as soon as possible, ideally before the start of a new
academic quarter. If a GTA continues to underperform, despite notice and
progressive and commensurate intervention, the GTA’s contract may be suspended
or the student may become ineligible for a GTA position in the future. Students
may refute any charges and may seek the support of Union representatives. Refer
to Article 17 of the CGE-OSU contract for details. Above all else, the aim is to
improve the performance of our GTAs so that our classes run smoothly and the
educational experience for both undergraduate and graduate students is a positive
one. 


The College of Engineering will also recognize our most outstanding GTAs with
awards at the end of the academic year.

2.4 Feedback to Faculty: From Improvements to Grievances

GTAs play an important role in courses, as they interact with students and evaluate
them. Furthermore, GTAs execute the tasks assigned by the faculty they are
assigned to. Therefore, it is important that GTAs provide feedback to faculty, if
they feel the need to. It is also important that faculty ask for feedback about the
course from the GTAs. Feedback may include (but is not limited to):

13


• the amount of time that assigned tasks take to be completed, 


• suggestions on how to improve the quality and structure of the course, and 

• suggestions on how to improve the course evaluations. 


Faculty and GTAs should agree on the best mechanism for GTAs to share their
feedback (e.g., via email or in-person meetings). 
GTAs should inform their
assigned faculty if they are unable to perform their assigned tasks, for example, if:

• the amount of work assigned requires more than their contractual obligation;
or,
• the GTA does not have the knowledge to complete the assigned tasks.

It is recommended that the GTA talk directly with their assigned faculty about such
issues. If this does not resolve the issue or the GTA does not feel comfortable
broaching the issue with their assigned faculty, the GTA should contact the
Robotics Program Director. The Director will mediate communication between
GTAs and faculty to determine necessary actions to help resolve the issue.

2.5 Types of GTA Duties

The most critical duty of a GTA is to know the material for the class they are
assigned. GTAs will start their assignment one to four weeks before the beginning
of the term so it is imperative that the GTA has access to the syllabus so they can
determine any deficiencies and learn the material.

Duties of a GTA may include:

• Holding office hours either on campus (face-to-face) or online via web

conferencing. 

• Testing and grading both written and programming assignments. (GTAs will
need to learn any software used to grade programming assignments.) 

• Preparing solutions to homework assignments. 

• Grading quizzes and exams.
• Providing meaningful feedback to students. 

• Entering grades into online systems. 

• Promptly answering students’ questions on grading via email or other
communication platforms. 

• Testing and proctoring midterms and final exams. 

• Holding help and review sessions. 


14


• Assisting with in-class activities. 


For some courses, GTAs will be responsible for labs and/or recitations sections of
the course. GTAs may need to create lab materials to present weekly to a small
section of students. 
A more experienced GTA may be given more advanced
duties for the course, such as: 


• Designing new quizzes and homework assignments. 


• Generating grading rubrics. 

• Giving a guest lecture or creating a PowerPoint presentation. 

• Updating the course website. 

• Meeting with small groups of students to review projects. 

• Creating active learning modules. 


For large classes with many GTAs, a lead GTA may be identified who will
primarily manage the other TAs for a course and may have duties such as:

• Manage GTAs.

o Ensure grading is done on time and correctly.

o Organize office hours/meetings.

o Handle grading rubric standardization (for consistency). 

• Filter/Handle extension requests before they get to the faculty. 

• Filter/Handle grading disputes before they get to the faculty. 

• Assist faculty with collecting evidence for academic misconduct cases.

GTAs for E-campus courses may have some different responsibilities such as: 


• Checking discussion boards. 


• Creating videos. 

• Holding a Q&A via Slack or other communication platform. 


The duties of a GTA for any given course should be given in written form before
the first day of class along with the due dates for grading and exams, with the
understanding that adjustments may need to occur as the course progresses. 


15


2.6 GTA Resources

1. CGE-OSU contract: https://hr.oregonstate.edu/employees/administrators-
supervisors/graduate-employee-cge-contract-resources
2. GTA training available at OSU:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/11qD0eNCtOr7cSKk8ABVd9f3ZoSJ4j
mMW6eVMzcqaFmk
3. CGE resources: https://www.cge6069.org/
4. International Affairs, Oregon State University:
https://international.oregonstate.edu/ois/employment
5. University holidays: https://hr.oregonstate.edu/benefits/current-
employees/time-holidays-protected-leaves/holiday-schedule
6. OSU’s HR resources for Graduate Employees:
https://hr.oregonstate.edu/benefits/student-employee/graduate-assistants
7. See these examples of GTA duties for a specific classes, including pre-term
activities: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CUo4o3xYc-Q8ZK-
PP55qOAVb2yiBKpubOvLV5r1nurk/edit
http://people.oregonstate.edu/~vanlondp/cs101/teaching-assistants.php
http://people.oregonstate.edu/~vanlondp/cs391-new/teaching-assistants.php
8. Student Conduct & Community Standards: Academic Misconduct -- Faculty
https://studentlife.oregonstate.edu/studentconduct/academicmisconduct-
faculty

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3. Graduate Research Assistant Guide

3.1 General Expectations

Graduate research assistants are expected to remain in good standing with the
graduate school and the student’s home department, including maintaining at least
a 3.0 GPA. Graduate research assistant duties may include research paper
development, literature reviews, testing and evaluation of techniques, research
presentation, reports to funding agencies, etc. The expected duration of the Ph.D. is
5 years and the expected duration of the M.S. is 2 years. Students on GRA may
take up to 3 weeks vacation (15 weekdays), including Winter and Spring Breaks;
they must notify their advisors when they plan to take vacation. Vacation policies
may vary based on faculty advisor. Students are expected to conduct high quality
research, including the development of algorithms, theory, software, and/or
hardware.

3.2 Safety

Graduate research assistants are expected to follow all laboratory and field safety
precautions even if the result is a delay in research productivity. This includes, but
is not limited to, being knowledgeable in the health hazards associated with
hardware and/or chemicals being used, using all appropriate Personal Protective
Equipment for the hardware and/or chemicals being used (appropriate gloves,
safety glasses, closed toe footwear, etc.). Students are expected to maintain a clean
workspace wherever they work in the labs and participate in occasional clean-up
days. Students are expected to be supportive and helpful to others working in the
laboratory and share in laboratory housekeeping chores, such as disposal of waste,
hardware maintenance, and ordering of supplies.

3.3 Publications and Communication

Graduate research assistants are expected to be effective communicators. This will

be accomplished through formal and informal oral presentations and by writing
manuscripts involving their research. First authorship will only be given if the
student has written the majority of the manuscript. Your advisor will expect to be
included on manuscripts that are prepared by you while you are enrolled under
his/her supervision at OSU. Students will share their research findings with their
advisor and the rest of the research group on a regular basis, including group
meetings. Effective communication also means seeking help when one encounters

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difficulties. Running into snags is a normal, functional part of doing research.

However, if after a reasonable effort you cannot find a solution to a problem that
you face, please do not continue in isolation hoping that you can work the problem
through. Advisors and other students are a tremendous resource, and you are
expected to seek them out if you need help.

Students are expected to meet with their advisors on a regular basis and to attend
all research group meetings. It is the student’s responsibility to meet with their
advisor one-on-one, approximately every, or every other, week, to discuss research
progress, course work, and graduate student life in general. At these meetings, you
are expected to be organized and take good notes. . In addition, students should
seek to collaborate with OSU colleagues and others as appropriate.

Graduate research assistants are expected to be informed members of the scientific

community. This includes successfully completing course work, attending OSU
seminars and external scientific meetings (with advisor’s approval) relevant to
your research topic and degree field, and staying current in publications relevant to
your research topic. Some journals of interest to our research groups include:
Journal of Field Robotics, International Journal of Robotics Research,
Autonomous Robots, IEEE Transactions on Robotics, and Robotica.

Students are expected to be proactive members of the scientific community. This

includes proactively seeking additional or new directions for their research that
enhances the quality and/or significance of the overall program and proactively
seeking supplemental fellowships (such as NSF Graduate Fellowships, Hertz, and
DOE Fellowships, etc.) as well as other award opportunities – in particular for
travel.

3.4 Degree Completion

Students are expected to obtain their degrees within reasonable time periods and
with good productivity. This includes obtaining a Ph.D. within 5 years and
obtaining a M.S. within 2 years of starting the degree program. Funding cannot be
expected to be provided beyond these time periods except with extenuating
circumstances. Ph.D. students are expected to publish at least three high quality,
peer-reviewed journal papers, while M.S. students are expected to publish at least
one high quality, peer reviewed journal paper. The published manuscripts will be
used as the basis of the student’s thesis.

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