Graduate Teaching Assistants Research Articles

Preparing the Next Generation of Teachers Inappropriately: When Introductory Course Directors Engage in Misbehaviors

ABSTRACT This study explores graduate teaching assistants’ experiences of perceived introductory course director misbehaviors. The investigation situates these experiences in the larger organizational dissent conversation – a heuristic that helps to frame how these perceived misbehaviors impact graduate teaching assistants’ understanding of their current and future work relationships with course directors. Participants (N = 55) were graduate teaching assistants in multi-section introductory communication courses across the United States who completed an online Qualtrics survey about their perceived introductory course director misbehaviors as well as how those misbehaviors were managed and shaped future interactions with their course directors. Thematic analysis identified indolent, offensive, and incompetence misbehaviors. The findings offer implications for improving organizational communication processes to positively impact the course director-graduate teaching assistant work relationship.

Assimilation, Organizational Support, and Impostor Syndrome as Predictors of GTAs’ Communicatively Restricted Organizational Stress (CROS)

This study extends research on Communicatively Restricted Organizational Stress (CROS) by documenting the impact of assimilation, organizational support, and impostor syndrome on CROS in a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) student population. Through a survey of 102 GTAs from U.S. universities, we found that higher levels of assimilation and organizational support, along with lower levels of impostor syndrome, predicted lower CROS Prevalence. Lower CROS Prevalence then predicted lower CROS Distress. Fellow graduate student familiarity, acculturation, and recognition appeared to play a more significant role in CROS Prevalence than other dimensions of assimilation. Our findings support the implementation of targeted socialization efforts for addressing graduate student mental health; we conclude with several recommendations based on our data.

The Ph.D. Panic: Examining the Relationships Among Teaching Anxiety, Teaching Self-Efficacy, And Coping in Biology Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs)

Anxiety among graduate students in the United States has increased over the last several decades, affecting not only their overall mental health but also reducing retention in graduate programs. High teaching anxiety can negatively impact teacher well-being and student learning, yet teaching anxiety in graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) is not well studied. Biology GTAs teach most introductory Biology labs and discussions nationally, thus broadly influencing the quality of undergraduate education. We investigated Biology GTA teaching anxiety at a large research-intensive university by (1) measuring teaching anxiety of Biology GTAs, and (2) exploring the relationships between teaching anxiety, self-efficacy, and coping. Using correlation plots and multiple linear regressions, we found that greater teaching self-efficacy was related to lower teaching anxiety in Biology GTAs (R<sup>2</sup>adj=0.65, p<0.001), and coping was positively correlated to self-efficacy. These results suggest that teaching self-efficacy is important to reducing teaching anxiety, and coping frequency may help to build self-efficacy. Thus, effective coping may be linked to reduced anxiety via increases in self-efficacy, although these specific relationships need to be further explored. Although anxiety did not differ significantly among graduate students in our population, reduced anxiety was linked to direct increases in self-efficacy and indirect increases in coping. With a rising mental health crisis in academia, particularly among graduate students, these results can inform teaching professional development for GTAs, by incorporating dialogue about teaching anxiety, self-efficacy, and coping. Encouraging greater awareness and discussion about mental health issues in academia, we can further reduce its stigma and mitigate its impacts.

Investigating Instructor Talk among Graduate Teaching Assistants in Undergraduate Biology Laboratory Classrooms.

Instructor Talk—noncontent and nonlogistical language that is focused on shaping the classroom learning environment—is a recently defined variable that may play an important role in how undergraduates experience courses. Previous research characterized Instructor Talk used by faculty teaching in biology lecture classrooms. However, graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) and laboratory classrooms represent critical factors in undergraduate education, and Instructor Talk in this context has yet to be explored. Here, we present findings analyzing Instructor Talk used by GTAs teaching in undergraduate biology laboratory classrooms. We characterized the Instructor Talk used by 22 GTA instructors across 24 undergraduate biology laboratory courses in the context of a single, urban, Hispanic-serving and Asian American and Pacific Islander–serving Institution. We found that Instructor Talk was present in every course studied, GTAs with pedagogical training and prior teaching experience used more Instructor Talk than those without, and GTAs teaching laboratory courses used more Instructor Talk than previous observations of faculty teaching lecture courses. Given the widespread use of Instructor Talk and its varying use across contexts, we predict that Instructor Talk may be a critical variable in teaching, specifically in promoting equity and inclusion, which merits continued study in undergraduate science education.

Creating a Teaching Community with Graduate Teaching Assistants: A Scholarly Personal Narrative

Our purpose in writing this scholarly personal narrative is to share our perspectives and experiences as graduate student researcher and supervisor/principal investigator implementing and studying teaching and learning reform in the laboratory component of an undergraduate exercise physiology course. We reflect on our grappling with experiential learning, the need for reflection for it to happen, and what it means in the learning context. We also reflect on developing a community of practice with graduate teaching assistants, influencing teaching and learning culture through that community, and exploring the role of whole-heartedness and care in the process. We hope to support readers who feel compelled to reform or improve teaching and learning in their unique context.

Scholars for a New Deal for Higher Education: Taking on Austerity

Scholars for a New Deal for Higher Education: Taking on Austerity

Developing, Implementing and Evaluating Training for Online Graduate Teaching Assistants Based on ADDIE Model

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) play an important instructional role in teaching undergrad- and graduate-level courses, yet they receive very little training. The most common form of teaching professional development to GTAs is a pre-semester workshop held at the course, department, or college level. In this study, we describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of GTA training programs using the ADDIE model (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation). We used observation and interviews for data collection. ADDIE is generally used in instructional design. The results show the value of utilizing ADDIE in developing and evaluating a training program. It is intended to analyze the multi-dimensional connection of designing a training program: meeting expectations of trainees seeking to acquire skills sets as well as understanding the nuances and navigating the complex system that is needed to be successful on the job.

Particle Focus in Prep Chem

WVU students who do not meet the pre-requisites for first semester general chemistry (Chem 115) are placed in prep chem (Chem 110). A minimum grade of C- in Chem 110 is the effective pre-requisite to Chem 115. For decades, an expectation that the same collection of assessments would be administered to all Chem 110 students obligated our instructors were to follow a relatively uniform course presentation across all sections. This practice was justified by our data that indicated Chem 110 “graduates” passed first semester general chemistry at the same rate as those entering directly. Unfortunately, the Chem 110 pass rate was consistently low. In an effort to boost prep chem student success, we developed an alternative prep chem course pedagogy. This course possesses a strong focus on presenting and testing students’ understanding of the particulate nature of matter. Our premise was that particulate understanding was a more meaningful focus to carry forward to future chemistry courses than our prior emphasis on significant figures. The content was reduced and new assessment questions were written to target and test a single topic at a time. Graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants facilitated in-class problem-solving using both Socrative and Chem101 online platforms. We report on initial prep chem class data in the preparatory chemistry course and student success in the subsequent first-semester general chemistry course.

Effective use of peer teaching and self-reflection for the pedagogical training of graduate teaching assistants in engineering

ABSTRACT The use of the graduate teaching assistant (GTA) to support the teaching activities of higher education institutions has been growing over the years and it is now a well-established practice. Conventionally training sessions, consisting usually of workshops, remain general and overemphasise policies, not providing sufficient preparation for in-service teaching. This study proposes to overcome these shortcomings by introducing a new methodology that is based on the use of peer teaching and self-reflection and that is both continuous and discipline-specific. The analysis of the feedback, collected from GTAs’ teaching practical engineering sessions during a full academic year, shows that by engaging with the training, each GTA developed their reflective practice and their student-centred teaching. Interestingly, results also show that some GTA underwent a regression phase during the second semester. It is expected that only a training method that continuously supports their pedagogical development can lead these GTAs towards a recovery phase.

Graduate Teaching Assistants’ Experiences Teaching Physical Education at a Youth Development Center

Purpose: This study examined the pedagogical experiences of former graduate teaching assistants following their teaching experiences at a youth development center. Method: A case study approach was utilized to investigate each participant case while a phenomenological approach was employed to analyze each case. The participants, Malik, Dante, and Ray, previously taught physical education at a youth development center as graduate teaching assistants. Results: The results of this study are presented as three cases centered on the participants and their experiences. The first case, “developing people from where they are, not where you want them to be . . .” (Malik) highlights the participants’ appreciation of their students’ culture and context. The second case, “resiliency to teach well regardless of circumstance or situation . . .” (Dante) features the participants’ ability to teach diverse learners. The third case, “uphill battles . . . you cannot learn this in a textbook . . .” (Ray) features the challenges faced while teaching at the youth development center. Discussion: Consistencies across participants’ experiences, the impact on their current careers, and implications for introducing culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogies via nontraditional settings are discussed.

Effectiveness of a large-scale implementation of hybrid labs for experiential learning at Imperial College London

Experiential learning is an integral component of engineering education. The Chemeng Remote Experience Augmented through TEchnology (CREATE) labs concept was implemented in the academic year 2020–21 in response to COVID19 for first-, second-, and third-year chemical engineering undergraduate students studying at Imperial College London. Using a range of technologies including pan-tilt-zoom cameras and Microsoft HoloLens 2 to provide real-time views of the lab environment from anywhere in the world. Students could control the experiments remotely while graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) operated the equipment based on the students’ instructions. This study is aimed at assessing the effectiveness of this implementation with a focus on student communication and confidence. Students and GTAs were surveyed at the end of labs, and a year-dependent response was observed. The majority of students (>70%) reported experiencing effective communication with team members and GTAs and there was a strong positive correlation between communication and confidence in applying engineering concepts in the labs (χ2 = 79.96; p = 1.69 ×10−10). 5–10% of students from all year groups reported that they disliked the lack of in-person activities. The majority (>90%) of GTAs assisting with experiments stated that they associated their role in the CREATE labs with that of a facilitator. The overall delivery of CREATE labs during academic year 2020–21 was positively received by both students and GTAs with recommendations for in-person activities for first- and second-year students. With minor modifications, CREATE labs has the potential to prepare students for effective remote communication and gain experience in using smart technologies which are key components of Industry 4.0.

Perspectives on How 1.5 Years of the COVID-19 Pandemic Have Impacted Biophysicists at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions

Perspectives on How 1.5 Years of the COVID-19 Pandemic Have Impacted Biophysicists at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions

Linguistic Justice on Campus: Pedagogy and Advocacy for Multilingual Students: Brooke R. Schreiber, Eunjeong Lee, Jennifer T. Johnson, and Norah Fahim: [Book Review

This book offers college writing instructors strategies for creating linguistically diverse classrooms. Building on theories of language that multilingualism is a student’s strength not a deficit, the book will help faculty, staff, and graduate teaching assistants design lessons, courses, professional development opportunities, and writing center programs that support multilingual students and challenge notions that success on US campuses requires strict adherence to communicating in Standard Academic English (SAE). Through a highly engaging series of studies, the authors in this collection provide evidence that their approaches strengthen their writing pedagogies and empower their students. Although this book is primarily addressed to writing instructors, it may have some utility for professional communicators in industry. The rhetorical listening framework outlined in Chapter 10 would support in-house training on communicating across differences. The editors note that their work on the collection occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, another relevant context emerged that is not addressed in the book explicitly. Following now-revoked Executive Order 13950, more than half of US states have enacted or are debating laws that would restrict classroom and professional development training around issues of diversity, inclusion, and equity. These laws may affect state-funded universities in ways that limit educators’ ability to enact the pedagogies described in this collection.

NAVIGATING A DISCIPLINARY CHASM: THE STATISTICAL PERSPECTIVES OF GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTS

Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) carry a substantial instructional role in introductory courses for many mathematics and statistics departments. As a result, many GTAs have first-hand influence on the initial statistical impressions of students from a range of disciplines. But as simultaneous learners of the discipline themselves, GTAs in statistics are still forming their conceptions of statistics and statistics instruction. Using multiple case study design, I conducted a longitudinal study with four, first-year statistics GTAs aimed at capturing their experiences and notions related to statistics. This paper highlights several important disciplinary perspectives and tensions expressed by the GTAs. In addition to examining their disciplinary notions, I also discuss noteworthy connections between the participants’ statistical perspectives and their pedagogical views for introductory statistics. Findings reveal that the participants struggled to reconcile how authentic statistical practice could be translated into the introductory curriculum. Implications for GTA training are discussed.

Disrupting the Hierarchy: Mentoring Graduate Students as Co-educators

In this paper, we describe our approach to mentoring Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) as teaching and learning protégés within the context of a challenging undergraduate honours thesis course. An approach to mentoring GTAs in this multifaceted course is outlined, while providing practical strategies that expose GTAs to various aspects of the teaching process so that they become co-educators. Reflections from two GTAs that highlight the benefits and challenges of the co-educator model are also presented. Evidence from course evaluations provide support for the critical role that GTAs engaged as protégés play to enhance student success in this academically rigorous capstone course. We argue that mentoring GTAs for teaching development by treating them as co-educators can be rewarding, improve course outcomes, and enhance the student experience.

Real-time text message surveys reveal student perceptions of personnel resources throughout a course-based research experience.

Course-based research experiences (CREs) are designed to engage students in authentic scientific experiences that are embedded into a standard curriculum. CREs provide valuable research experiences to large numbers of undergraduate biology students, however, CRE implementation can require many personnel. Because limited personnel may be a barrier to widespread CRE implementation, our goal was to discover which personnel students valued throughout a CRE and the ways they were valuable. We investigated students’ perceptions of personnel resources throughout a semester-long CRE using two survey approaches. Using a text message survey administered multiple times per week, real-time data was collected about which personnel resource students perceived to be the most helpful. Using a web-based survey administered five times throughout the semester, retrospective data was collected about how often students used each personnel resource and how helpful students perceived each personnel resource to be. Graduate teaching assistants (TAs) were consistently selected as the most helpful personnel resource by the majority of respondents throughout the semester, with most respondents describing graduate TAs providing project-specific feedback. Although less frequently, undergraduate TAs were also consistently selected as the most helpful personnel resource. Respondents described undergraduate TAs providing project-specific feedback, general feedback, and project-specific resources. Data from the retrospective, web-based survey largely mirrored the real-time, text message survey data. Throughout the semester, most respondents reported using graduate TAs “Often” or “Always” and that graduate TAs were “Very” or “Extremely” helpful. Throughout most of the semester, most respondents also reported using undergraduate TAs “Often” or “Always” and that undergraduate TAs were “Very” or “Extremely” helpful. The results of this descriptive study underscore the importance of graduate and undergraduate TAs in the development and implementation of CREs, emphasizing the need for departments and course coordinators to be intentional in planning TA training that prepares TAs to fulfill their critical role in CRE implementation.

Re-thinking virtual writing retreats in the Covid-19 higher education environment

This paper aims to explore the role of virtual writing retreats in supporting postgraduate students and enhancing the quality of their learning experience in the COVID-19 higher education environment. Besides treating the writing retreats as sessions exclusively organized to foster writing productivity for established academics and doctoral students, the first lockdown in April 2020 demonstrated the various ways in which virtual writing retreats can support postgraduate students. The discussion draws on a five-month intense (auto-)ethnographic work involving 15 Master’s full-time students and Graduate Teaching Assistants from the London School of Economics and Political Science (United Kingdom). From April to September 2020, we ran 44 writing retreats on Zoom for a total of 352 hours. Responding to concepts of community of practice, social support, productivity and isolation/alienation, we have explored virtual writing retreats as a way to: 1) build a community, 2) create a virtual library, 3) combat isolation, and last but not least, 4) maintain productivity, in a context of crisis (and beyond). According to qualitative feedback and online participant observation, virtual writing retreats can create communities and generate emotional support—something that has fostered student communication and interaction despite physical distance and social constraints. Writing retreats can create a virtual library that helps maintain productivity, overcome writer’s block and enhance students’ learning experience. Based on this, we propose that the emotional support and productivity enhancement that emerged through and by virtual writing retreats, improve the quality of student learning experience—catering to both students’ wellbeing and academic performance.

Design and Delivery of a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) Program in a UK University: Experiences and Perspectives

The value of postgraduates teaching in undergraduate chemistry laboratories has been a subject of interest at universities in the UK, Europe, USA, Australia, and New Zealand. The role of the teaching assistant (TA) is already well-established in many laboratories in the USA, and such roles have been increasing in popularity in the UK. Postgraduate (PG) demonstrators are however commonplace in UK higher education institutions (HEIs). Despite this, reports of formalized postgraduate programs involving a significant teaching component in the UK are rare. Here, we report on the first example of a Chemistry UK Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) program that started at The University of Sheffield in 2010. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first program reported of its type in the UK. For over 10 years, this program has resulted in a cohort of 24 GTAs who work alongside PG demonstrators in the laboratory and graduate with not only a chemistry Ph.D. but also enhanced teaching experience and professional development. Students in the GTA program have taken on a number of valuable roles, which are described herein. Positive outcomes include development of employability skills, contribution to the consistency of teaching, and knowledge transfer through involvement in training other PG demonstrators. The standard and consistency of the efforts of the GTA cohort have been demonstrated by a significant number receiving recognition for their teaching by gaining Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) accreditation, which is often associated with academic staff who are involved in teaching.

The Troubled Present and Uncertain Future of Academic Labor

AbstractThis review article surveys recent studies of the state of and challenges to academic labor in the ongoing regime of academic capitalism, corporate managerialism, and neoliberalism in colleges and universities in the United States, Europe, and select other countries around the world. Some works analyze changing funding models, accountability mechanisms, and forms of administrative power, while others explore the discourses pervading higher education and impacting the self-understanding of academics. Higher education administrators, boards of trustees, and politicians have sought to create flexible and inexpensive academic labor. New studies explore the three main strategies pursued: the failed effort to promote Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), the proliferation of for-profit colleges and universities (FPCUs), and the continuing expansion of contingent labor, full and part time. Other works analyze the innovative unionization efforts on the part of contingent faculty and graduate teaching assistants.

Learning from 2020: How the Challenges of Remote Teaching Reinforce the Need for Care-Informed Pedagogy

How did instructors design their sociology courses for remote teaching during the 2020–2021 academic year, and what challenges did they face in teaching those courses? To answer these questions, we surveyed lead instructors and graduate teaching assistants (n = 77) in the Sociology Department at the University of Michigan, supplemented by interviews with students and our experiences as remote course consultants. Through this case study, we found that instructors cited increased workload and lack of connection as challenges with remote teaching, in addition to pandemic-related struggles. Most instructors reported using either synchronous or a mix of synchronous and asynchronous instruction in course design, incorporating both formative and summative assessments, and implementing communication and community-building strategies to establish connections with and among students. We argue that these challenges and course designs highlight the importance of care-informed pedagogy to not only remote teaching in 2020–2021 but also sociology instruction in general.