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Graduate Teaching Assistants Article
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University And College Education Careers
from: Kyle BesserUniversity and college faculty usually teach within a division or department based on their subject matter or field of expertise. University and college faculty typically teach several different courses that are related to their subject or field. Their students may include graduate, undergraduate students or both. In addition to teaching, university and college faculty must prepare lectures, homework activities and laboratory exercises, grade tests and projects, and set aside time to advise and work individually with students.
The research and teaching by graduate students at universities is supervised by faculty. Many university and college faculty members contribute to the knowledge in their field by conducting experiments, gathering and studying data, and drawing conclusions from other research. They often publish their results in books, scholarly journals and internet databases. They also read what other experts have published to stay informed. Attending lectures and conferences are other ways university and college faculty stay informed
In addition to their academic responsibilities, many university and college faculty members belong to administrative or academic committees. These committees deal with issues ranging from institution policies, curricula, money allotment, scholastic issues, equipment purchases and hiring. Some student and community organizations require faculty involvement.
Computers and other technology are playing an increasingly prominent role in the work place of university and college faculty. The internet, CD-ROMs, e-mail and software programs are frequently used resources. Students enjoy the improved communication they have with their teachers through the use of technology such as e-mail and chat rooms.
Depending on the institution, university and college faculty devote varying amounts of time to teaching, researching, completing administrative tasks or taking care of other obligations. University faculty typically focus a significant amount of their efforts on research, much more than the faculty at 4-year colleges and even more than at 2-year colleges. Reversely, faculty at 2-year colleges have a significantly heavier teaching load compared to teachers at 4-year colleges or universities. Assistant professors, instructors and lecturers at all types of institutions spend more time teaching than full professors who usually spend more time conducting research.
Graduate teaching assistants, or graduate TAs, complete teaching assignments or other teaching-related responsibilities for department chairs, professors or other faculty. Assistants are in the process of earning a graduate degree, such as a masters or a PhD, thus they perform these duties while they are attending school themselves. Graduate TAs can have assignments ranging from teaching an introductory class, including planning lectures, writing exams and assigning grades, to assisting a faculty member with the courses they teach by grading papers, conducting review sessions, giving quizzes or teaching mandatory laboratory sessions.
Each faculty member works differently with their assistants. Some like assistants to be involved during class time while others prefer to have them complete other tasks. Faculty normally meet with their assistants at the beginning of the year to determine the assistant's role. A faculty member may be assigned more than one gradate teaching assistant depending on their teaching load.
There are four ranks into which most university and college faculty positions fall - instructor, assistant professor, associate professor and professor. Most people start their academic careers as instructors or assistant professors. A small percentage of faculty are hired as lecturers, who typically hold a contract for a single academic term and are not included on the tenure track. Full-time, tenure-track positions are generally granted to doctorate degree holders. Those with master's degrees or PhDs in certain disciplines, such as the arts, are usually hired for temporary or part-time positions.
The majority of full-time teachers at 2-year colleges hold a master's degree. Many 2-year institutions prefer applicants with experience with distance learning. Candidates holding dual master's degrees are at an advantage because they can teach more than one subject.
A good way to get experience teaching college is to work as a graduate teaching assistant. One must be enrolled in a graduate school program to qualify. Some colleges and universities require teaching assistants to take classes or receive training before they are permitted to work.
Traditionally graduate teaching assistants worked in the department at the university where they are getting their degree. However, it is becoming more common for institutions that do not offer graduate degree programs to have teaching or internship employment for graduate students from other universities. The Association of American Colleges and Universities and the Council of Graduate Schools has a program called Preparing Future Faculty which coordinates the job placement of graduate students from research universities at liberal arts, community colleges or other types of institutions.
Many of these programs now run independently. These graduate students work with a mentor as they develop their teaching skills. They get first hand experience of what it is like to be a faculty member as they attend committee and faculty meetings and learn to balance administrative responsibilities, teaching and research. This experience gives these graduate students an inside look at the different kinds of institutions where they may teach in the future and the opportunity to improve their teaching techniques.
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