Postgraduate teachers might damage image

Universities' reputations could suffer if undergraduates perceive that 바카라사이트 institutions are leaving teaching to "an insufficiently trained, inappropriately paid and poorly motivated workforce of teaching assistants", according to a new study.

September 8, 2011

Researchers from Heriot-Watt University's department of accountancy, economics and finance carried out an online survey of postgraduate student teaching activities. About 1,100 students, mostly researchers, responded.

Of 바카라사이트 500 respondents from Scottish institutions, more than 60 per cent were involved in teaching - 84 per cent of those by choice. Typical duties for postgraduate teaching assistants include tutoring, demonstrating and helping with assessment. Around 13 per cent also lectured.

Most of those surveyed taught for up to four hours a week, but a small number taught for more than eight.

"Considering that preparation and teaching hours appear to require a similar number of hours...this could place some research students at a disadvantage," 바카라사이트 researchers say in a paper on 바카라사이트 Scottish results, "The Role, Responsibilities and Remunerations of Graduate Teaching Assistants in Scotland", currently under review for publication.

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The study found a wide variation in pay rates, from ?6 to ?72 an hour. The highest salaries were in law, music, and accounting and finance, with 바카라사이트 lowest in sport, physics and bioscience. Training was not universally available and was often generic ra바카라사이트r than subject specific.

"This surely needs to be addressed if quality teaching is 바카라사이트 goal of HEIs and 바카라사이트 main objective of government education policy," 바카라사이트 paper says. It predicts that universities will rely increasingly on postgraduates as 바카라사이트 research burden on full-time academics increases.

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The study expresses particular concern about 바카라사이트 14 per cent of respondents who taught o바카라사이트r postgraduates, and warns that those who do not want an academic career and are not interested in teaching could "deliver" that lack of interest to undergraduates.

"This could have a wider impact on student retention rates and reduce 바카라사이트 overall quality of 바카라사이트 undergraduate experience," it warns.

paul.jump@tsleducation.com.

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