Preparing and Supporting Graduate Students in Their Role as Teaching Assistants: An Exploration of TA Training in a School of Criminology

Abstract

Teaching Assistants (TAs) play an important role in many undergraduate courses throughout North America. TAs have a range of responsibilities to fulfil, such as facilitating tutorials, delivering lessons, applying rubrics, invigilating exams, and/or providing students with feedback and academic support during the term. This article presents key findings from a project designed to identify how TAs in a School of Criminology in Western Canada are currently being prepared for and supported in their roles as TAs, their perceived utility of the preparation they receive, and their recommendations to improve their training and support preparation. Given the centrality of TAs in the delivery of undergraduate education, it is vitally important that institutions adequately train and support graduate students for their roles. This article provides recommendations for individual instructors, academic units, and universities to consider to better prepare and support graduate students for their increasingly complex roles as TAs.