Job Description

Applicants MUST be a current student at DigiPen Institute of Technology to qualify for this position.

• Student Employment at DigiPen is open to all currently matriculated students if they meet the qualifications for the job.
• Students may not work during any time when they have a class scheduled, a class is canceled, or a class ends early.
• Student workers must reside within the State of Washington. Remote work outside of Washington will not be permitted.

Job Title: Student TA - GAM-255 (Holcomb, Onorati), S26

Reports to Chris Onorati

Class Times:

• Monday – 2:00 - 3:50 p.m.
• Friday Labs – 1:00PM – 5:50 p.m.
• Monday attendance is not necessarily required; Friday attendance is.

Essential Functions

A Teaching Assistant (TA) is expected to assist the instructor in the classroom as requested by the instructor. Responsibilities may include equipment setup and/or operation (e.g., running slide decks during lectures), facilitating student presentations, answering student questions during labs, pre-grading assessments, submitting attendance sheets, etc. TAs are expected to assist with grading outside the classroom, meet regularly with the instructor, and may be required to meet with students outside class to answer questions as needed. Other duties as assigned by instructor.

TAs will meet weekly with the instructor for performance feedback and duty modification and will receive a full evaluation once per semester.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Grading 5-8 report logs of student-reported work weekly.
• Providing playtesting for students/teams.
• Assisting students/teams during lab times with design and in-engine implementation.
• Giving constructive feedback to students/teams during presentations and playthroughs of milestone builds.
• Keeping in contact with assigned teams on a weekly basis (if applicable).
• Escalating any student/team concerns to instructors.
• Accountable for tracking and reporting the amount of time worked

Qualifications/Competencies

• Ability to mentor in at least two design disciplines, from pre-production through implementation to the polish stages of development.
• Comfortability in solving technical or technical-adjacent problems.
• Leadership skills in terms of providing objective-based support to interpersonal disagreements.
• Feeling investment in the success of those you mentor and support.
• Knowledge of how to prioritize tasks and ship a game in the context of a project course.
• Ability to provide feedback in a professional manner.
• Ability to work independently and without instruction.

Experience:

• Experience implementing design content in Unreal is required for this position, regardless of section.
• Experience working with the Unreal Engine in at least one large-scale group project (this does not have to be at DigiPen).

Expected dates of employment: January 5 – April 26, 2026

Expected number of hours per week: 7-9

*** Once again, students are not permitted to work during any time when they are scheduled for a class. ***

Wage Range:

$17.13 - $18.25 per hour, depending on number of terms worked at DigiPen

Requirements to Apply:

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• Current Semester Academic Schedule

Working Conditions:

The usual and customary methods of performing the job's functions require the following physical demands: some lifting, carrying, pushing, and/or pulling; some stooping, kneeling, and/or crouching; and fine finger dexterity. May need to lift up to 15 lbs. Generally, the job requires 60% sitting, 10% walking, and 30% standing.

DigiPen Student Employee Academic Requirements:

• Are currently a Matriculated student at DigiPen Institute of Technology
• Good Academic Standing – not on Academic Warning as defined in DigiPen Course Catalog
• A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher
• Have taken and passed GAM-250 or GAM-255 with a B or better

Requirement Exceptions:

It is possible to still be selected for a position with DigiPen if you do not meet the requirements above, so don't let that dissuade you from applying!

Once you have applied for – and the supervisor decides to offer you – a position, we will contact the necessary managers (Supervisor, Department Chair, and/or the Dean of Faculty) to complete and sign off on an Academic Waiver form, depending on which requirements need to be waived. Once the Waiver is returned to us, we'll continue you through the hiring process.

Equal opportunity is a priority of DigiPen Institute of Technology, as the institution is committed to fostering a positive learning environment for all. The Institute's intent is to hire the most qualified individuals for faculty and staff, attracting candidates from diverse backgrounds of race and ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status, veteran status, nationality, culture, religion, and physical abilities. We are committed to broadening our candidate pool to include more diverse individuals and ensuring fairness in hiring by avoiding bias and determining criteria to judge all candidates prior to posting each new position.