When UI junior Joe Whitlock was offered a teaching-assistant position as an undergraduate, he was shocked.

The 20-year-old mechanical engineering student was one of two sophomore undergraduate students on the 12-person TA panel for Associate Professor Geb Thomas’ Engineering Problem Solving II course last school year.

“I think I was chosen because I was 1 percent from an A-plus when I took the class,” Whitlock said. “Professors seek students who are successful and are going somewhere.”

UI engineering Professor Er-Wei Bai said his department has guidelines when seeking undergraduate help. Students must have a high GPA, and they must have previously earned a high grade in the course.

“There is no real difference between an undergraduate TA and a graduate TA’s performance if the undergraduate has taken the class and performed well,” Bai said.

The department chooses undergraduate assistants for numerous reasons.

“This experience provides undergraduate students with a chance to be a leader and set an example,” Bai said. “It’s a very useful skill in the engineering profession.”

Beyond being a positive experience for students, officials said the department benefits as well.

“It’s about finding a balance,” he said. “It is not our intention to replace graduate students.”

But undergraduate students are a cheaper commodity.

Graduate TAs’ contracts include a salary, tuition incentives, and benefits for the year. However, undergraduates don’t sign a contract, receive no tuition coverage, and are paid less, Bai said.

Most graduate TAs have a base salary of roughly $16,000 for an academic year, according to the state Board of Regents’ TA contract. Whitlock made just $1,500 in one semester last year — though rates vary.

While undergraduate TAs might not solve a budget crisis, they help the college’s budget to a small degree, Bai said.

Other UI colleges also use undergraduates for teaching.

Linda Maxson, the dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said her school may occasionally offer a TA position as a special opportunity for outstanding students. The college also offers an intern program for undergraduates interested in teaching at a college level.

UI junior Mark James, an intern in the sociology department, teaches a discussion section for Sociological Theory.

As an intern, he assists the class for free.

“It’s a great opportunity to see how it is on the other side,” he said. “It helps you understand how the grading and teaching process works.”

Undergraduate TAs are easier to approach than graduate students or professors, James said.

“Many of the students prefer coming to me for help over the other graduate TA, because they feel like they are talking to more of an equal,” he said.

Though undergraduate TAs are cheaper, Maxson said, she doesn’t foresee adding more of them to ease budget pains.

“I consider teaching internships and peer mentioning to be wonderful opportunities for undergraduate students,” she wrote in an e-mail. “They are not intended to save the college money.”