Using Undergraduates to Prepare International Teaching Assistants for the American Classroom: Development of Senior Faculty

Authors

Warren E. Christian, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Brian J. Rybarczyk, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Date of this Version

2013

Document Type

Article

Citation

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development (2013) 32

doi: 10.3998/tia.17063888.0032.017

Comments

License: CC BY-NC-ND

Abstract

This chapter describes how undergraduates may be used in the training of international teaching assistants (IT As) in three ways: as conversation partners, classroom consultants, and guest instructors. Increasing the contact between undergraduates and international graduate students before they meet in the classroom as students and instructors can benefit each group. After a brief review of the literature that explores the chal lenges IT As face in the American university classroom, we describe the roles that undergraduates may perform in training IT As, explain the benefits to both IT As and undergraduates, and provide a list of best practices for including undergraduates in IT A training.