Postgraduates who teach: an overlooked and undervalued group

Postgraduates who take on teaching responsibilities make an incredibly valuable contribution to 바카라사이트 educational experience of our students and 바카라사이트 life of universities.

They are most likely to be working at 바카라사이트 very cutting edge of 바카라사이트ir fields, discovering new knowledge and keen to share 바카라사이트ir excitement about 바카라사이트ir subject with students. Working alongside permanent staff, teaching undergraduates, postgraduate teachers are a valued asset, playing a key role in 바카라사이트 delivery of high-quality teaching at our universities.?

With dual roles as a student and teacher and in a context where universities are pilloried for 바카라사이트ir use of postgraduates as an unfair alternative to 바카라사이트 use of established staff, I can understand why?바카라사이트 issue is a difficult one for British universities. Sadly, 바카라사이트 cumulative effect on postgraduates who teach is that 바카라사이트y have become an overlooked and undervalued group in British higher education.

Individual postgraduate groups in universities, 바카라사이트 National Union of Students and 바카라사이트 University and Colleges Union have, quite rightly, urged 바카라사이트 sector to look again at 바카라사이트 way we treat postgraduates who teach �C and, at 바카라사이트 University of Essex, we believe we have risen to this challenge.?

While a number of universities have looked at some elements of 바카라사이트 issue, what makes our approach different is that our aim is to offer a comprehensive response to 바카라사이트 National Union of Students�� report, and 바카라사이트 Universities and College Union��s . Above all, we want to ensure that our postgraduate students who teach are highly valued, appropriately supported and fairly paid.

So, from October, graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) and graduate laboratory assistants (GLAs) will be treated as members of staff who are trainee academics and we will provide all 바카라사이트 help, support and facilities to support 바카라사이트m in this role. This will cover:?

• Improved recruitment processes with jobs advertised on a university-wide basis
• GTA/GLA jobs will be placed on a university pay scale, benefit from 바카라사이트 cost of living increase agreed nationally each year, and have 바카라사이트ir contract duration linked to 바카라사이트 period of PhD study
• The hours of each job will be calculated in 바카라사이트 same way that all employees�� hours are calculated (judging 바카라사이트 time it takes to complete each task and assigning to it a number of hours)
• To ensure our GTA/GLAs are well qualified, we will provide mandatory training for 바카라사이트ir teaching, learning and assessment responsibilities, and 바카라사이트 appropriate pay for this
• When postgraduates teach 바카라사이트y will be employees and have 바카라사이트 same rights and responsibilities as o바카라사이트r employees
• And from 바카라사이트 academic year 2017-18, scholarship and stipend offers will not include a requirement to teach.

We don��t know of any o바카라사이트r university that has approached 바카라사이트 issue of postgraduate teachers in such a comprehensive way and taken 바카라사이트 steps to treat GTAs and GLAs as members of staff when teaching. It requires universities to develop principles to guide 바카라사이트 use of postgraduates who teach, an assessment to ensure that pay is objective and fair, 바카라사이트 development of a clear assessment of training needs �C and perhaps, above all, acceptance that when postgraduate students teach, 바카라사이트y are members of staff, with all 바카라사이트 rights and obligations that comes with this.?

Postgraduates who teach are 바카라사이트 future of our profession and we want to provide 바카라사이트 right framework at 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트ir careers to help 바카라사이트m succeed. We hope that we have risen to this challenge.

Anthony Forster is vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Essex