Nonlanguage factors affecting undergraduates' judgments of nonnative English-speaking teaching assistants

In response to dramatic changes in the demographics of graduate education, considerable effort is being deveoted to training teaching assistants who are nonnative speakers of English (NNSTAs). Three studies extend earlier research that showed the potency of nonlanguage factors such as ethnicity in affecting undergraduates' reactions to NNSTAs. Study 1 examined effects of instructor ethnicity, even when the instructor's language was completely standard. Study 2 identified predictors of teacher ratings and listening comprehension from among several attitudinal and background variables. Study 3 was a pilot intervention effort in which undergraduates served as teaching coaches for NNSTAs. This intervention, however, exerted no detectable effect on undergraduates' attitudes. Taken together, these findings warrant that intercultural sensitization for undergraduates must complement skills training for NNSTAs, but that this sensitization will not accrue from any superficial intervention program.     

Lecturing style teaching and student performance

Teachers in the Netherlands tend to spend less time in front of the class, and often adopt a more personal approach. This allows them to better adjust their lecturing style to the needs of the individual student with the aim of increasing student performance. However, a more personal approach is also more time consuming and potentially reduces the complementary and scale effects of the more traditional lecture style teaching.This study examines whether the proportion of time that teachers lecture in front of the class influences the cognitive performance of students in the Netherlands. In this study we find no relationship between the proportion of time spent lecturing in front of the class and student performance.     

The zones framework for both teaching and learning: application to graduate student teaching assistants

The zones framework conceived for the examination of thinking about teaching, is validated, and extended to the examination of thinking about learning. This is done by extending the framework to examine thinking about teaching and learning in a population of science graduate student teaching assistants. Semi‐structured interviews explore these students’ teaching and learning experiences, how their experiences relate to their knowledge of educational theory, and how they have formed their ideas about what constitutes good teaching. The article demonstrates that the zones framework can be extended to thinking about learning, and that it is appropriate for examining the thinking of students as well as teachers. Recommendations for further research are made, including the exploration of discipline‐specific thinking.     

Enhancing student learning of research methods through the use of undergraduate teaching assistants

By using a quasi-experimental design, in this study, we test the effect of undergraduate teaching assistants on student learning. Data were collected from 170 students enrolled in four sections of a quantitative research methods course, two sections without undergraduate teaching assistants and two sections with undergraduate teaching assistants, over two semesters. Results indicate that having undergraduate teaching assistants in the classroom can result in higher student performance. Students in the sections with undergraduate teaching assistants earned higher grades, were more likely to pass the course with a C or higher and performed better on half of the student learning outcomes than students in the sections without an undergraduate teaching assistant. Based on the overwhelmingly positive results on student learning, we would recommend the active use of undergraduate teaching assistants in the classroom, but especially for courses that students find challenging.     

Maximising resource allocation in the teaching laboratory: understanding student evaluations of teaching assistants in a team-based teaching format

Minimal research papers have investigated the use of student evaluations on the laboratory, a learning medium usually run by teaching assistants with little control of the content, delivery and equipment. Finding the right mix of teaching assistants for the laboratory can be an onerous task due to the many skills required including theoretical and practical know-how, troubleshooting, safety and class management. Using larger classes with multiple teaching assistants, a team-based teaching (TBT) format may be advantageous. A rigorous three-year study across twenty-five courses over repetitive laboratory classes is analysed using a multi-level statistical model considering students, laboratory classes and courses. The study is used to investigate the effectiveness of the TBT format, and quantify the influence each demonstrator has on the laboratory experience. The study found that TBT is effective and the lead demonstrator most influential, influencing up to 55% of the laboratory experience evaluation.     

辅导员应具备的素质

作为高校学生的组织者、领导者和教育者,学校管理工作的基层力量,高校辅导员应具备以下素质：过硬的政治思想素质、优秀的道德品质素质、扎实的业务素质、良好的心理素质和丰富的科学文化素质。     

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.     

The performance of a student evaluation of teaching system

Student evaluation of teaching (SET) is now commonplace in many universities internationally. While much effort has been devoted to examining the statistical validity of SET instruments, there has been limited examination of the methodological and consequential validity (together referred to as ‘utility’) of the ways in which SET data are used. This paper examines the SET system at Deakin University from the perspective of utility. It draws on publicly available SET results for an entire annual cycle of unit offerings. Consideration is given to the representativeness of the data produced, and to the utility of the data reported, by the system. While this investigation focuses on the SET system currently employed at Deakin University, it offers both an analysis methodology and conclusions that can be applied more generally.     

Institution-wide use of undergraduate teaching assistants

In 1973 Illinois State University initiated a campus-wide program in which junior and senior undergraduates were selected to assist faculty teaching freshman-sophomore courses. One or more Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UTA) positions were assigned to all but three departments in the university. Although similar in purpose to smaller programs at other institutions, the sheer size of the program at Illinois State posed a variety of unique questions about administrative procedures, acceptance, and effectiveness, which are answered in this report. In general, the program was deemed highly successful by the faculty and student assistants and has been continued and expanded.     

Working for learning: teaching assistants developing mathematics for teaching

This article derives from a case study of 10 secondary school teaching assistants (TAs) who did not have conventional pre-qualifications in mathematics but who undertook an honours degree in mathematics education studies at a Higher Education Institution in England whilst continuing to work as TAs in school. Work-based learning was thus undertaken in parallel with advancement through the hierarchical undergraduate mathematics curriculum. Lave and Wenger’s work on communities of practice is used as a framework to explore the TAs’ learning of mathematics alongside their professional work in schools. This case illustrates how and where institution-based undergraduate teaching relates to work in school, and where it does not, thus signalling the importance of the TAs’ informal learning strategies in bringing together these experiences.     

英语教学与学生课堂参与

英语教学应以学生为中心，学生参与是实现“以学生为中心”教学模式的重要前提条件。本文根据对学生英语课堂参与心理的调查情况，分析了学生不能积极参与课堂活动的主观原因和客观原因，提出了提高学生课堂“参与度”和“参与有效性”的相关问题和策略。     

Blogs as a learning and assessment instrument for English-speaking performance

The study investigated the usefulness of blogs in evaluating English-as-a-Foreign-Language learners' oral performance and explored their reactions toward using blogs as a learning and assessment tool for English-speaking performance. Fifty-one college students participated in a semester-long blog project, and each uploaded five audio entries to their individual blogs. The results indicated that the scores on the speaking blogs served as a significant predictor of students' oral presentation performance. Moreover, more than half of the participants considered their blogging experience positive. Close to half believed that the speaking blog constituted a good tool to showcase their learning process and help them reflect on their learning progress in the blog-based environment. However, only a few welcomed the idea of employing blogs as an assessment tool, while most still preferred the more conventional assessment methods, such as on-site speeches and presentations. These results carry pedagogical implications for foreign language instruction and assessment.     

Assessing faculty performance using student evaluations of teaching in an uncontrolled setting

This paper provides new evidence on the disparity between student evaluation of teaching (SET) ratings when evaluations are conducted online versus in‐class. Using a multiple regression analysis, we show that after controlling for many of the class and student characteristics not under the direct control of the instructor, average SET ratings from evaluations conducted online are significantly lower than average SET ratings conducted in‐class. Further, we demonstrate the importance of controlling for the factors not under the instructor’s control when using SET ratings to evaluate faculty performance in the classroom. We do not suggest that moving to online evaluation is overly problematic, only that it is difficult to compare evaluations done online with evaluations done in‐class. While we do not suppose that one method is ‘more accurate’ than another, we do believe that institutions would benefit from either moving all evaluations online or by continuing to do all evaluations in‐class.     

助教博士生在实验教学改革中的作用

该文从不同角度阐述了助教博士生在实验教学中发挥的桥梁纽带作用,在提高学生的创新能力方面担当了重要角色,并结合电子系的情况简单介绍了助教聘任方法.