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A Professional Development Activity to Better Support International Graduate Teaching Assistants in Evaluating Scientific Writing.

ABSTRACT: 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.

SUBMITTER: Walsh LL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7148152 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A Professional Development Activity to Better Support International Graduate Teaching Assistants in Evaluating Scientific Writing.

Walsh Lisa L LL Jia Zhigang Z Vernon Julianne J

Journal of microbiology & biology education 20200410 1

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 allevia ...[more]

PMID: 32313600

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