The perceived benefits and problems associated with teaching activities undertaken by doctoral students

Postgraduate students involved in delivering undergraduate teaching while working toward a research degree are known as graduate teaching assistants (GTAs). This study focused upon the problems and benefits arising from this dual role as researchers and teachers, as perceived by GTAs at the University of Cambridge. To this end, GTAs at Cambridge were invited to participate in an online survey (n?=?153). Teaching is seen to offer a wide range of benefits to GTAs, including benefits to the GTAs’ own research, transferable skills development, career development and teaching skills. Time pressures emerged as the principal problem associated with the role. The data are consistent with findings from previous studies, while also providing further detail about the nature of the benefits and problems. In particular, additional insights are offered relating to benefits and problems associated with different teaching activities, and disciplinary differences.     

Exploring teaching concerns and characteristics of graduate teaching assistants

The purpose of the study was to explore a conceptual structure of graduate teaching assistant (GTA) teaching concerns. Results indicated that GTAs experience five distinct, inter-related types of concerns: class control, external evaluation, task, impact and role/time/communication. These ‘teaching concerns’ were further analysed by examining their relationship with the value placed on them by the GTAs and the confidence in dealing with the teaching-related issues of concern. The results revealed that GTAs tend to have concerns about self, task or role/time/communication-related issues when the nature of the concerned issues is perceived as being valuable but challenging. On the other hand, GTAs are more likely to have concerns with impact-related issues when the nature of the issues is perceived as both being valuable and manageable. Several GTA characteristics, such as teaching experience, teacher efficacy, participation in professional development and values on teaching practices, were examined as predictors of GTA teaching concerns.     

Exploring pedagogical content knowledge of biology graduate teaching assistants through their participation in lesson study

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are responsible for teaching the majority of biology undergraduate laboratory sections, although many feel underprepared to do so. This study explored the impact of biology GTA participation in a professional development model known as lesson study. Using a case study methodology with multiple qualitative data sources, this study found that lesson study was beneficial for this group of GTAs in that it modified critical aspects of their beliefs about biology instruction. Each participant felt that lesson study helped revise their teaching and changes were seen in some aspects of the participants’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). Despite this, there was an observed disconnect between participants’ vocalized intent and classroom practice. This disconnect could be attributed to the difficulty of implementing new strategies, the short duration of the lesson study, and the instructional inexperience of the participants in the study.     

Graduate teaching assistants: motives,difficulties and professional interactions and their relationship to perceived benefits

ABSTRACT

Graduate students play a major role in teaching in higher education, particularly in undergraduate programs. The purpose of the present study was two-fold: first, to identify graduate students’ motives for working as graduate teaching assistants (GTAs), describe some aspects of their work, and ascertain their perceived benefits; second, to predict GTAs’ benefits as a function of their individual background characteristics, motives, job difficulties, and richness of professional interactions with the course instructor. Data were collected from 189 GTAs who led discussion groups at a large research university in Israel by means of an internet questionnaire. Findings revealed that graduate students accepted the position of GTA mainly for extrinsic reasons, such as salary and convenience. They claimed to have faced few difficulties and that their professional interactions with the course instructors focused more on job responsibilities and less on pedagogical issues. They reported having gained a greater understanding of course content and improved teaching skills due to their experience as GTAs. Richness of contact with the course instructor, motives, difficulties, and faculty match significantly contributed to predicting perceived benefits. The implications of the results are discussed.     

Graduate teaching assistants’ perceptions of teaching competencies required for work in undergraduate science labs

ABSTRACT

Many post-secondary institutions provide training and resources to help GTAs fulfil their teaching roles. However, few programmes focus specifically on the teaching competencies required by GTAs who work with undergraduate students in laboratory settings where learning tends to be more active and inquiry based than in classroom settings. From a review of 8 GTA manuals, we identified 20 competencies and then surveyed faculty and lab coordinators (FIS) and GTAs from a Faculty of Science at a comprehensive Canadian university to identify which of those competencies are required of GTAs who work in undergraduate science labs. GTAs and FIS did not significantly differ in the competencies they view as required for GTAs to work effectively in undergraduate labs. But, when comparing the responses of GTAs and FIS to TA manuals, ‘Clearly and effectively communicates ideas and information with students’ was the only competency for which there was agreement on the level of requirement. We also examined GTAs’ self-efficacy for each of the identified competencies and found no overall relationship between self-efficacy and demographic characteristics, including experience and training. Our results can be used to inform the design of training programmes specifically for GTAs who work in undergraduate science labs, for example, programmes should provide strategies for GTAs to obtain feedback which they can use to enhance their teaching skills. The goal of this study is to improve undergraduate lab instruction in faculties of science and to enhance the teaching experience of GTAs by better preparing them for their role.     

How is a professional development programme related to the development of university teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and teaching conceptions?

This study explores how the impact of a five ECTS professional development programme for university teachers affects their self-efficacy beliefs and teaching conceptions using a mixed methods approach. For the quantitative part of the study, participants completed pre-post surveys. From these surveys, we find that the programme led to an overall significant increase in reported self-efficacy beliefs. A sub-sample of ten participants participated in the qualitative part, which consists of four phases: three reflective assignments and an interview. Individual teachers demonstrate a dominant teaching conception in each phase and in almost half of the sub-sample it developed over time, moving from a teacher-centered to a more student-centered conception. When examining the development of self-efficacy and teaching conceptions collectively, three development groups are identified. Noteworthy is that teacher development is credited to the programme as a whole and not to a specific aspect.     

Graduate teaching assistants: how well do their students think they do?

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) constitute a valuable and economical teaching force in many higher education undergraduate programmes. However, student satisfaction with their teaching has attracted little attention in the research literature. This study aimed at examining students’ evaluation of teaching of GTAs in discussion groups, as well as exploring the effects of group and GTA variables on these ratings. Data were collected using a questionnaire administered online and completed by 7078 undergraduate students. Participants were enrolled in classes taught by 278 GTAs from four faculties in a major Israeli university. Results indicated that ratings assigned to clarity of instruction were the most salient predictor of students’ overall evaluation. Generally, findings were consistent with those reported in the literature for other categories of instructors. Groups taught by GTAs in exact sciences and engineering were rated higher than those in social sciences and business management. Group size and the percentage of men students were inversely correlated with student ratings, while student attendance rate was positively correlated. Women GTAs and GTAs who taught more than one group tended to receive higher ratings. Overall student attendance rate was the most prominent predictor of student ratings. The implications of the findings are discussed.     

Student Self‐evaluation Processes in Student‐centred Teaching and Learning Contexts of Australia and England

Student self‐evaluation processes and their impact on pedagogy, in the promotion of sound reflective student [1] practices, are the focus of this article. The ways in which students self‐evaluate and teachers integrate these self‐evaluative processes into their teaching practice in Australian and English contexts are analysed. The educational sites chosen for focus are engaged in implementing student‐centred teaching and learning practices. This article is based on research that draws on data analysed using case‐study methodology. For a period of 6 months student self‐evaluation processes were examined in both an Australian secondary high school and an English Further Education (EE) college which was piloting the advanced General National Vocational Qualification (GNVQ) science programme. The introduction of the skills of self‐evaluation to students offers an added dimension to the current learning environment. It provides students with opportunities to take increased responsibility for, and a more active role in, their own learning. An underlying assumption of this research is that there exists a need to examine how learning in the classroom is structured, and that it is this dimension to teaching and learning that makes a difference. A fundamental premise is that student self‐evaluation is an educative activity.     

Designing a program to prepare graduate students for careers as college teachers

Graduate students have few opportunities to gain experience in the full range of teaching and to become aware of the issues related to a career of teaching in higher education. A program designed to provide these opportunities must accommodate both the variation within the institution's graduate programs and the complexities of graduate student life to be successful. The University of California, Davis, developed the Program in College Teaching in which participants develop and then fulfill contractual agreements for a faculty guided investigation into teaching in the discipline and supporting individualized activities focused on the practice and issues of teaching in higher education. This article notes five factors and assumptions of program development, discusses how they impact a program for training graduate students to be college teachers, describes the current Program and evaluates its pilot year.William E. Davis is Program Coordinator of the Teaching Resources Center at the University of California, Davis. He obtained his Ph.D. in Ecology in 1990 at the University of California, Davis. He focuses on providing opportunities for GTAs to improve their teaching skills. Douglas L. Minnis is Senior Lecturer, emeritus, in the Division of Education at the University of California, Davis. He obtained his Ed.D. in Higher Education in 1963 at the University of California, Berkeley. He has been actively involved in GTA training since 1970.     

Precision teaching: does training by educational psychologist have an impact?

This study looked at the impact of a precision teaching training programme which was delivered by the authors to primary school staff at a range of training settings. A questionnaire was used to gather information and data were interpreted using thematic analysis. Following training, a questionnaire was sent to all the primary schools that had attended. Of the schools that returned the questionnaires all schools were using precision teaching three to five times a week. Precision teaching was being used to measure progress with a variety of key skills. The impact of the precision teaching training programme is discussed in terms of facilitating factors and barriers to implementation. Implications for future research are also considered.     

高职院校学前教育专业开放式美术教学研究

美术教学是学前教育专业的重要组成部分,陈旧的美术教学已经不能适应学前教育专业的高速发展,时代需要开放式的美术教育理念。高职院校学前教育专业开放式的美术教学在注重对学生专业技能训练的同时,更应注重对专业能力的培养;在教育原则上,应以学生为本和实践导向为指导思想;在教育实施过程中,应明确知识技能培养目标,采取多样结合的教育形式,制定客观、反思的教育评价机制。     

Graduate attribute development and employment outcomes: tracking PhD graduates

The provision of diversified research training is regarded as one of the most significant contributions made by the Australian Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) programme [Howard Partners 2003 Howard Partners. 2003. Evaluation of the cooperative research centres programme, Canberra, ACT: Department of Education, Science and Training.  [Google Scholar], Evaluation of the cooperative research centres programme, Department of Education, Science and Training, Canberra, ACT]. Yet, a systematic evaluation of Australia’s CRC research training programmes and outcomes has not yet been undertaken. This article reports on a pilot questionnaire designed to provide the beginnings of such an evaluation. Participants were science‐based research graduates who were awarded with a PhD within the four‐year period 2000–2003 and had completed the majority of their PhD project either in a university school or in a CRC environment. The questionnaire results provide insights into participants’ perceptions of the graduate attributes they developed prior to and during their PhD studies. It also investigates their perceptions about the relative importance of particular skills in university and industry settings. This article argues that understanding the perceptions and employment experiences of recent research graduates is a vital way of ensuring that PhD programmes are more effectively designed to prepare research graduates for a range of careers. In particular, these results confirm the importance of constant re‐evaluation and improvement of all PhD training programmes.     

Growing a garden without water: Graduate teaching assistants in introductory science laboratories at a doctoral/research university

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) in the sciences are a common feature of U.S. universities that have a prominent mission of research. During the past 2 decades, increased attention has been paid to the professional development of GTAs as instructors. As a result, universities have created training programs to assist GTAs in selecting instructional methods, curricular formats, and assessments when they serve as laboratory, lecture, or discussion group instructors. Unfortunately, few studies explore the educational and instructional environment of GTAs in these reformed settings. This study was conducted to address this specific need. As a constructivist inquiry, qualitative methods were used to collect and analyze the data to elucidate the educational and instructional environment of science GTAs at a doctoral/research university in which various training programs existed. We found that GTAs worked autonomously, that traditional practices and curricula existed in laboratories, and that instructors frequently held limited views of undergraduates' abilities and motivation. Findings in this initial study about GTAs suggest that developers of GTA training programs draw on the literature regarding science teacher education, and that reward systems be instituted that recognize faculty and staff for their participation in GTA training programs. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 41: 211–233, 2004     

The impact of a three-year teacher professional development course on quality of teaching: strengths and limitations of the dynamic approach

The dynamic approach (DA) suggests that professional development should be differentiated to meet teachers’ individual needs while engaging participants into systematic and guided critical reflection. Previous experimental studies demonstrated that one-year interventions based on the DA have a positive impact on teacher effectiveness. The study reported here investigates the impact that a long-term programme based on the DA can have on quality of teaching. In-service primary school teachers were randomly allocated into two groups. The first group received a three-year programme based on the DA whereas the second acted as the control group. Pre- and post-measurement of teaching skills was performed each year. Offering the DA for a longer period resulted in bigger effects on improving teaching skills but no change in the skills of the control group was observed. Differential effects for teachers situated at different levels are also reported. Implications of findings are drawn.     

Investigation of chemistry graduate teaching assistants' teacher knowledge and teacher identity

Graduate students play an integral role in undergraduate chemistry education at doctoral granting institutions where they routinely serve as instructors of laboratories and supplementary discussion sessions. Simultaneously, graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) balance major research and academic responsibilities. Although GTAs have substantial instructional facetime with large numbers of undergraduate students, little is known about their conceptions of teaching or their identities as teachers. To investigate the knowledge that GTAs have regarding teaching in this unique context, their teaching identities, and how these developed, we conducted 22 interviews with graduate students from several universities at various levels in their graduate school career using a modified Teacher Beliefs Interview. Interviews were analyzed for two overarching teacher learning constructs: teacher knowledge and teacher identity. We characterized chemistry GTAs' teacher knowledge and identity and determined major influencing factors. We found that chemistry GTAs often identified as a tutor or lab manager, which hindered their self-investment in developing as teachers. The results presented herein contribute to an understanding of GTAs' teacher knowledge, teacher identity, and their teaching context, from which training can be designed to best support GTA development.     

中等职业学校教师专业技能培训现状及对策

中等职业学校教师掌握基本的教学技能,但在教学设计和确定课程目标时缺乏明确的目标导引,在现代化教学手段运用、实验和实践教学的开展和教学评价认识等方面存在不足。中等职业学校要开展校本研究,有针对性地开展教师教学技能培训;实施校企联动,创新教师培训和学生培养模式;增强教师反思教学意识,提高教育教学研究能力;制定和实行有职业教育特色的教学评价体系。     

Preparing Biology Graduate Teaching Assistants for Their Roles as Instructors: An Assessment of Institutional Approaches

The inconsistency of professional development (PD) in teaching for graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) is a widespread problem in higher education. Although GTAs serve an important role in retention of undergraduate science majors and in promotion of scientific literacy in nonmajors, they often lack preparation and ongoing support for teaching. Given the recent national focus on instructional quality in introductory courses, our goal was to use an online survey to identify current practices of teaching PD for biology GTAs and compare these results with the last national survey on this topic. In responses from 71 participant institutions, 96% reported some mandatory teaching preparation for biology GTAs; however, 52% of these programs required 10 or fewer hours per year. Respondents wanted to change their programs to include more pedagogical information and teaching observations with feedback to their GTAs. Programmatic self-ratings of satisfaction with GTA PD were positively correlated with the number of topics discussed during PD. Although more schools are requiring GTA PD for teaching compared with the last national survey, the lack of program breadth at many schools warrants a national conversation with regard to recent calls for improving undergraduate instruction.     

Evaluation of reflective practice in teacher education

Teacher education based on ‘reflective practice’ consists of observing, analysing and reflecting on teacher performance in order to improve professional practice. This article presents the results of an evaluation of a programme on mathematics teaching carried out using reflective practice. It was targeted at 284 teachers in various stages of the education system, using an approach that combines quantitative (surveys) and qualitative (interviews and reports) methods. While the study shows that the education programme generates high levels of satisfaction, pedagogical appropriateness and learning, its achievements in effectiveness are moderate. Although, in general, what is learned through teacher education is implemented in the classroom, it is done so in an isolated fashion, in other words, individually and without becoming a part of the culture of the school. The results show little evidence of its impact on student learning. The article offers proposals for improving the education programme, while, at the same time, analysing the usefulness of the approach and evaluation tools employed.     

Feminist pedagogy and social change: the impact of the caribbean institute in gender and development

This paper examines the utility of a feminist pedagogical framework in establishing and organising the Caribbean Institute in Gender and Development (CIGAD), which is a biennial intensive gender and development training programme that has taken place in Barbados since 1993. To highlight the major impact that CIGAD has had in educating and empowering Caribbean men and women, the authors will first discuss the importance of feminist pedagogies in teaching, learning and activism in this programme by locating them within an intersectional postcolonial/transnational framework. Secondly, the authors consider the ways in which feminist pedagogy and praxis have been central in training women and men in the Caribbean region in gender analysis, helping them recognise the important role gender plays in development planning and policy as well as how it can be integrated into their work to improve their communities. Finally, through a feminist dialogic, participatory and experiential approach, the authors assess the impact that the CIGAD has had on participants, and community development training will be discussed based on the monitoring and evaluation of the exercise completed in 2014.     

地方工科院校英语专业实训教学改革研究与实践——以广西科技大学为例

文章详述了地方工科院校英语专业的实训教学改革的背景与依据,通过回顾广西科技大学英语专业近十年的实训课程设置和教学现状,提出了调整课程设置顺序、实训内容、考核与评价方式的改革方案,并详述了该方案的创新点,以期为培养熟练掌握英语语言应用能力、提前实践商务工作技能、具有中国文化素质和跨文化国际视野的应用型人才提供经验和案例参考。