Student TA - Prj-2000-A - Game Project I (Ortega), F26/S27

Applicants MUST be current students 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.

POSITION: Student TA - PRJ-2000-A - Game Project I (Ortega), F26/S27

REPORTS TO: Eddy Ortega, Chris Mosio, Joe Stachnik

Class Times:

Tuesdays- 2:00 - 3:50 p.m.

Fridays- 1:00 - 5:50p.m.

• Classroom Setup and Teardown:

You must also be available for ~20m before and after each scheduled class session to assist with classroom setup and teardown

PRJ-2000 Specifications

This two-semester position is for a student who has either successfully completed PRJ-2000/2050 (or GAM-205/GAM-250, MUS-240/MUS-242 equivalent) or has a good foundational knowledge of Unreal Engine and core game development practices.

Preference is for candidates who have an understanding of the needs of a project-based course, including project organization, communication skills, team management, and art/design production within a game engine environment. Working amid a team of TAs, you'll be assisting second year students in game project and Unreal Engine fundamentals.

After midterm, two TAs will split off and follow the cinematic track students who are in PRJ-2001. Upon applying, please explicitly state your interest in following the "Cinematic Track" teams.

The following are expected in addition to the core TA Responsibilities & Qualifications

PRJ-Based Skills

• Interpersonal & Team Capacity to communicate constructively with both course Faculty and Students, helping reduce confusion and nurture the student/faculty relationship
• Emotional Awareness - able to reasonably perceive what others may be feeling (sometimes non-verbally) and adjust your approach to understand and accommodate their needs
• Comfortable with running team discussions - able to guide small subgroups of students through professional discussions and feedback sessions
• Technical Understanding of Source Control - basic understanding of workflows such as SVN, Perforce, or similar
• Understanding of Game Engine Workflows - some experience with Unreal, Unity or similar engine - this course will be entirely Unreal based, but any game engine experience is welcome
• Software Troubleshooting Skills - especially with basic communication and project management tools such as Microsoft Teams or similar (Notion, Figma, Trello, Drive, etc.)

PRJ Based Responsibilities

• Supporting Student Teams- The most important part of your role will unfold in direct relationship with supporting students through the course, you will be assigned a handful of student teams for each project. You are expected to keep close contact with teams and individuals by meeting with them on a regular basis to support with their workload, organization, decision-making, and interpersonal dynamics. These meetings will occur primarily during weekly lab hours
• Report to the instructing faculty with team status and notes on the development and challenges of your assigned students
• Maintain awareness of student health and well-being by looking out for unhealthy patterns and promoting reasonable work-life balance, as well as interpersonal dynamics

Additional Responsibilities

• Attend lectures and labs - these will take place on Tuesdays- 2:00 - 3:50 p.m. and Fridays- 1:00 - 5:50p.m.
• Attend scheduled meetings with PRJ Faculty - to review projects, get updates, and stay current with the material, procedures, and practices of the course
• Follow up with students - on tasks or issues identified by the faculty during reviews
• Be available for a few non-scheduled hours per week - to meet with students and help as needed
• Support instructors in running class feedback sessions - directing cohorts of ~5-10 students at a time in constructive critique and peer reflections
• Support instructors in grading and providing useful feedback to students in a timely manner
• Accountable for tracking and reporting the amount of time worked
• The Sophomore Projects course has grown to include all degree disciplines. Because of this, accommodations in Johnson / The Wing require setup and teardown of foldable tables and chairs for students before class begins and after class ends. You must be available to assist with this task before and after every scheduled class session.

Expected dates of employment: August 31, 2026 - April 24, 2027

Expected number of hours per week: 11- 13 (additional hours are rare)

• 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

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 PRJ-2000 / PRJ-2050 and/or 2001 / PRJ-2051 (or GAM-205/GAM-250, MUS-240/MUS-242 equivalent)

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 have been offered 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.