A Professional Development Activity to Better Support International Graduate Teaching Assistants in Evaluating Scientific Writing
Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) who are English language learners at American institutions often endure xenophobia, pressures to conform to American culture, and visa restrictions on working. Quantitative data we collected from the Introduction to Biology Laboratory course taught at a large R1 u...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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American Society for Microbiology
2020-01-01
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Series: | Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education |
Online Access: | https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jmbe.v21i1.1959 |
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author | Lisa L. Walsh Zhigang Jia Julianne Vernon |
author_facet | Lisa L. Walsh Zhigang Jia Julianne Vernon |
author_sort | Lisa L. Walsh |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) who are English language learners at American institutions often endure xenophobia, pressures to conform to American culture, and visa restrictions on working. Quantitative data we collected from the Introduction to Biology Laboratory course taught at a large R1 university indicate paper grading discrepancies between international and domestic GTAs. Qualitative data highlight international GTAs’ concerns regarding grading load and language barriers. To alleviate the burden on international GTAs, we provide a professional development activity for professors to use in course planning meetings based on feedback from GTAs. Group reflection, discussion, and modification of a rubric are recommended in order to train GTAs in assessing scientific writing to collaboratively build expectations as a teaching team. |
first_indexed | 2024-12-18T04:26:28Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-ccf3de2cba1044fdbd84de0cc77f52a3 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 1935-7877 1935-7885 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-12-18T04:26:28Z |
publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
publisher | American Society for Microbiology |
record_format | Article |
series | Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education |
spelling | doaj.art-ccf3de2cba1044fdbd84de0cc77f52a32022-12-21T21:21:06ZengAmerican Society for MicrobiologyJournal of Microbiology & Biology Education1935-78771935-78852020-01-0121110.1128/jmbe.v21i1.1959A Professional Development Activity to Better Support International Graduate Teaching Assistants in Evaluating Scientific WritingLisa L. Walsh0Zhigang Jia1Julianne Vernon2University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN 37132Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) who are English language learners at American institutions often endure xenophobia, pressures to conform to American culture, and visa restrictions on working. Quantitative data we collected from the Introduction to Biology Laboratory course taught at a large R1 university indicate paper grading discrepancies between international and domestic GTAs. Qualitative data highlight international GTAs’ concerns regarding grading load and language barriers. To alleviate the burden on international GTAs, we provide a professional development activity for professors to use in course planning meetings based on feedback from GTAs. Group reflection, discussion, and modification of a rubric are recommended in order to train GTAs in assessing scientific writing to collaboratively build expectations as a teaching team.https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jmbe.v21i1.1959 |
spellingShingle | Lisa L. Walsh Zhigang Jia Julianne Vernon A Professional Development Activity to Better Support International Graduate Teaching Assistants in Evaluating Scientific Writing Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education |
title | A Professional Development Activity to Better Support International Graduate Teaching Assistants in Evaluating Scientific Writing |
title_full | A Professional Development Activity to Better Support International Graduate Teaching Assistants in Evaluating Scientific Writing |
title_fullStr | A Professional Development Activity to Better Support International Graduate Teaching Assistants in Evaluating Scientific Writing |
title_full_unstemmed | A Professional Development Activity to Better Support International Graduate Teaching Assistants in Evaluating Scientific Writing |
title_short | A Professional Development Activity to Better Support International Graduate Teaching Assistants in Evaluating Scientific Writing |
title_sort | professional development activity to better support international graduate teaching assistants in evaluating scientific writing |
url | https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jmbe.v21i1.1959 |
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