Why You Should Apply

Former GSAs explain how this position has helped them in their careers and why you should take advantage of this extraordinary opportunity to jumpstart yours!

Architecture       *       Humanities & Social Sciences       *       Sciences

Sid Brown, Director of Environmental Studies Program and Associate Professor of Religion, Sewanee University
Jacqueline Bussie, Assistant Professor, Religion and Philosophy, Capital      University
Christopher Carlsmith, Associate Professor, History, University of Massachusetts-Lowell
Michael Cholbi, Assistant Professor, Philosophy, California Polytechnic University
Courtney Cook Spearman, M.A., Architectural History and Landscape      Architecture
Ryan Emanuel, Ph.D. Candidate, Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia
Amanda Hege, Ph.D. Candidate, Psychology, University of Virginia
Dustin Kidd, Assistant Professor, Sociology, Temple University
Emile Lester, Visiting Assistant Professor, Political Science & International Affairs, University of Mary Washington
Janna Levin, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Physics, Wake Forest University
Erin McGlothlin, Assistant Professor, Germanic Languages and Literatures, Washington University in St. Louis
Wendy Morris, Assistant Professor, Psychology, McDaniel College
Cedar Reiner, Ph.D. Candidate, Psychology, University of Virginia
Mark Salata, Independent Science Education Consultant
Jennifer Secki Shields, Chairperson of Seminar for Science, Theology & Ethics, Virginia United Methodist Church
David Sigler, Assistant Professor, English, University of Idaho
Willie Young, Assistant Professor of Humanities, Endicott College

Architecture


Working with the Teaching Resource Center as a GSA (2005-06) was one of my most rewarding experiences at U.Va.  Unlike many GSAs, teaching was not a focus or intended outcome of my graduate education.  I went to U.Va. to get a professional degree in Landscape Architecture, and realized only after I arrived that I was interested in teaching.  The work at the TRC helped me to formulate a more specific attitude about teaching, both from pedagogical and practical points of view.  In training for the GSA position, I was introduced to diverse teaching methodologies which I shared with other graduate student teachers and deployed in my own teaching endeavors.  And although I am not teaching in an academic environment today, the communication skills I learned through the TRC are valuable in my current professional role.  Regardless of whether I return to academia or continue working as a landscape architect, being a GSA prepared me to be a thoughtful, engaged, and contributing member of my chosen community.

— Courtney Cook Spearman, M.A., Architectural History and Landscape Architecture (GSA 2005-06)

Humanities and Social Sciences


First, the work was fascinating. And I was getting paid for the work that was helping me get the education I needed to be a better professor. My work at the TRC, then, made a big difference in my pedagogical education and certainly helped me find a job. In interviews, I was able to speak about teaching in ways most graduate students could not, and even those with more experience did not have the breadth of understanding of the scholarship of teaching that I did. I was able to see the big picture, to articulate different problems, and to consider a variety of solutions.
     
For the last four years I have been on the steering committee of the pedagogy section of my professional organization. My knowledge about teaching helped me in such a way that within a short time of graduating I took a leadership role in this national organization. I served as co-chair of the pedagogy section for several years, too, which allowed me to play an even larger role at our national meeting (which about 10,000 people attend every year). I have made friends and colleagues all over the world through this work. I cannot say enough positive things about my work at the TRC and how much that work was appreciated by others not only during my time there, but also now, years later, as I continue to draw from my experience and to build on it and help others by mentoring scholar-teachers in all fields.

— Sid Brown, Director of Environmental Studies Program & Associate Professor of Religion, Sewanee University (GSA 1993-94)

Though it has become somewhat of a cliché, working at the TRC for my final year of graduate school, was, as the famous commercial says, 'priceless.'  First, being so connected with all of the invaluable materials and wisdom generated in and through the TRC meant that I made use of it all to the fullest advantage. Every time I videotaped someone's class or did a TAP, I learned from the other instructor's challenges and talents, and I also learned an incredible amount about student learning and expectations. While doing this work to help others improve their teaching, I felt my own teaching improving every step of the way. This was a rather unexpected but exciting benefit. Indeed, I still consult the anthology of the '10 Best Teaching Tips Articles' which I compiled while working at the TRC, as well as McKeachie's. 
     
Second, I can honestly say that working at the TRC helped me to secure a full-time tenure-track professorship. The reason being is not the job per se as a line on the resume, but more because of the knowledge the job provided, which I was told shone through during the interview process. Interviewers commented on what they perceived as an advanced ability to self-reflect upon my own teaching, as well as the ability to make concrete statements about ways I had improved my teaching over the years. I know that my work at the TRC provided me with both the tools and the time for this self-reflection. Moreover, because my institution did not have a teaching resource center when I was hired, and because of my experience at the TRC, I played a key role as co-chair of a committee on developing a vision for a similar resource center for faculty at my university.

— Jacqueline Bussie, Assistant Professor, Religion and Philosophy, Capital University (GSA 2002-03)

I served as a GSA during my first year as a graduate student in the UVA History Dept (1993-94). It was (and perhaps still is) unusual for a first-year graduate student to hold this position, but I had taught full-time for six years, including a year as Department Chair, prior to my arrival in Charlottesville.  Thus I had had considerable teaching experience even if it was all at the high-school level.  Looking back on my GSA experience more than a decade later, it is still easy to enumerate several of the benefits.  
     
In addition to the obvious financial reward (limited, but every penny counts in graduate school!), it gave me a "home" outside my department, a place where I could retreat and gain a different perspective on issues that sometimes seemed overwhelming.  Second, serving as a GSA allowed me to demonstrate some expertise during a year in which I often felt that I knew nothing compared to more advanced students and faculty within my department.  I still remember a class taught by Prof. Schuker in which we were expected to master several books every week as well as additional articles "recommended" for beginning students.  Midway through the semester he discovered that I was a TRC employee, whereupon he asked for my opinion of the classroom dynamic. It was a topic to which I had given considerable thought, based on other classroom observations that I had completed, so I answered in some detail.  The opportunity to engage with my professor on an peer-to-peer level, even if only for a few minutes, bolstered my confidence that I could do so during regular classroom discussion too.  Third, working at the TRC allowed me to learn more about other areas of the University. For example, I assessed two professors in Electrical Engineering who sought feedback about their pedagogy, and I worked with TAs in the Curry School who wanted advice about classroom management. Fourth, my position as a GSA permitted me to contribute short articles to the TRC newsletter, which was my first effort at publishing "scholarly" material.  Fifth, I organized several workshops during the year on pedagogical topics of interest to me, allowing me to learn more about chosen topics and enhance my own teaching ability. Lastly, I am certain that the addition of this job on my c.v. improved my chances of being selected as a TA and a Graduate Student Instructor later in my graduate career.  Having worked with several similar centers in other universities (Stanford, UMass Lowell), I can say that the TRC at U.Va. is unusually successful in accomplishing its mission of improving pedagogy.

— Christopher Carlsmith, Associate Professor, History, University of Massachusetts-Lowell (GSA 1993-94)

Being a GSA has helped me on two fronts: First, because I had done various workshops and presentations in my capacity as a GSA, I was very comfortable discussing my teaching (and pedagogical issues generally) when I was seeking academic employment. In fact, I adapted a workshop I had done as a GSA (on developing student reading skills) as a presentation for my on-campus visit. I do think that having the experience of talking to colleagues (especially administrators and others not familiar with my discipline) about teaching issues made me much better prepared.
    
Second, being a GSA introduced me to the scholarly literature on teaching and learning, which thoroughly convinced me of the value of empirically-informed teaching and the importance that academic institutions must attach to ongoing conversations about teaching. In my current position (in philosophy at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona), I've had many opportunities to promote these goals. I serve as the co-chair of a college-wide committee on learning and teaching, a body that makes recommendations regarding teaching practices, assesses the quality of teaching within the college, and initiates dialogue about common teaching challenges. I will also be serving on the American Philosophical Association's Committee on the Teaching of Philosophy. My article, "Intentional learning as a goal of philosophical pedagogy," will also soon appear in the journal Teaching Philosophy.
     
Long story short, I think that being a GSA was the first step in my recognizing that teaching is not something that should be done alone and that the best teaching takes into account the accumulated wisdom and knowledge of others.

— Michael Cholbi, Assistant Professor, Philosophy, California Polytechnic University (GSA 1997-98)

My experience as a GSA for the TRC was beneficial in assisting me to work toward my goal of becoming a professor of psychology at a competitive liberal arts college. One of my primary responsibilities as a GSA was to videotape teaching assistants from a variety of departments as they taught, and to consult with them about their teaching. Another way in which I discussed teaching assistants’ effectiveness with them was by polling their students to obtain their feedback, which I then consolidated and presented to the teaching assistants. I truly believe that consulting with other teaching assistants has made me a more effective classroom teacher. It allowed me the opportunity to observe how students react to certain techniques and styles in a more objective manner. I have figured out what to avoid (e.g., filling the entire chalkboard with miniscule notes before students arrive and expecting them to copy the notes in an effort to save time) and what to adopt (e.g., giving students extra credit pop quizzes, which assess their comprehension and encourage them to stay up-to-date with the readings). This was certainly a beneficial experience for me, even though the graduate students I observed were not teaching psychology. I even managed to consult with the TA of an upper-level Japanese discussion section! Although I do not speak Japanese, I could tell that the teaching technique of having two students stand before the class and have a conversation was effective.

— Amanda Hege, Ph.D. Candidate, Psychology, University of Virginia, (GSA 2003-04)

Having enjoyed teaching during my graduate years at Virginia, I assumed that I would devote a lot of time and creativity to my teaching once I got my first position.  But the reality is that research and committee work demand a lot of time, and some days it is all I can do to show up for class.  But thanks to my time at the Teaching Resource Center, even those days are good pedagogical experiences.  Working at the TRC, I developed an extensive toolkit of resources, ideas, and special tricks-of-the-trade that I now rely upon to carry me through those weeks when I do not have time for elaborate lesson planning.  This is important because, despite teaching at a school that emphasizes research, my teaching is still heavily evaluated.  Good teaching is very important to my department and will be critical for my success. 
     
Of course, you don’t have to work at the TRC to become a good teacher.  But serving as a Graduate Student Associate has a way of moving your pedagogical skills to the level of impulse, so that you use these talents as a sort of knee-jerk reaction in tough moments.  The reason is simple: as a GSA, you teach about teaching.  And we all know that teaching is the best way to learn something. 
     
During my time as a GSA, I ran a workshop series called “Becoming Tomorrow’s Professor Today” which guided advanced graduate students through the process of designing and implementing their first stand-alone courses.  As a result, I now think of new course design as one my strengths, and I am frequently told that my syllabi are detailed and my courses well-structured.  Furthermore, at the TRC I was surrounded by teaching portfolios, teaching philosophies, and course appraisals.  These documents can be daunting to produce, but the wealth of experience that I received as a GSA has made it very easy, especially now that I need to document my teaching in various ways for annual reviews, awards, and applications. 

I look forward to the day when I get to spend as much time learning about teaching as I did when I worked at the TRC.

— Dustin Kidd, Assistant Professor, Sociology, Temple University (GSA 2001-02)

Since graduating the University of Virginia, I have worked for two Virginia state colleges that place a strong emphasis upon teaching excellence. My teaching evaluations have always been well above average, and in 2005 I was identified in the ISI College Guide as one of the best professors at the College of William and Mary. This would not have been the case without my work as a GSA. The Teaching Analysis Polls I conducted gave me a frequently inspiring and occasionally humbling understanding of how classes looked from the students' perspectives. Even more importantly, the ability to share pedagogical insights with fellow staff members at the TRC made me more reflective about my own teaching.

— Emile Lester, Visiting Assistant Professor, Political Science and International Affairs, University of Mary Washington (GSA 1998-99)

I worked as a GSA during my last year of graduate school, when I was finishing my dissertation and entering the job market.  I originally took the GSA position so that I could get away from the dissertation desk and interact with people about something I was passionate about: teaching.  I found the idea of working with people who had a similar focus exciting, as I wanted reflect on the experience I had gained as a TA and think more broadly about the educational mission of the university.  I didn’t think too much about how my experience as a GSA would be helpful to me in the future, for I was just trying to survive the Ph.D.! 
     
Already in the middle of the year, however, I became aware of just how beneficial this experience would be.  At my job interviews at the MLA conference, I was able to talk about pedagogy fluently, because I had spent a good deal of time in conversation with my TRC colleagues and the TAs who consulted with me.  Then I went on the campus interview for my present position, where I had to teach for the first time in six months.  If it hadn't been for my interactive duties as a GSA, I’m not sure how that demonstration would have gone.  But my heightened awareness of the elements that contribute to good teaching allowed me to put together an effective lesson plan and teach a successful class.
     
Once I started my tenure-track job, my TRC experience became indispensable.  The semester before I began, my department had lost its language pedagogue, who is responsible for training new TAs (and who usually has a great deal of experience in second language acquisition). Although it wasn’t my job to train graduate students (I had no experience with second language acquisition and had trained as a literary scholar, not a language pedagogue), my chair asked me to step in and take responsibility for mentoring all of the TAs teaching the first year of German.  (I’ve since learned that it’s quite common in the “real” world of academia for one suddenly to be handed a new responsibility with which one has no prior experience!)  I conducted weekly meetings with seven TAs, and over the course of the semester I twice observed each of them teach.  I’m not sure I would have known where to begin with this assignment had I not been an experienced observer of TAs as a result of my role as a GSA.  In fact, I structured the observations and follow-up meetings according to the model I had learned for TRC TAPs and videotapings. The consultation model helped get me through some very hectic months, when I was still trying to find my way around my new campus and my new job.  It also helped the new TAs get on their feet as well!  We’ve since hired a language pedagogue and I no longer have to perform some of these functions, but I’m still required to observe a couple of TAs each semester (as does every faculty member in the department).  I’ve passed on the observation model to junior faculty who have come after me, and it has assisted them in their work with TAs as well.
     
My experience as a GSA thus made my transition from TA to assistant professor much easier.  I continue to find uses for my TRC experience: this year I’ll revise the statement of teaching philosophy I wrote as a GSA for my tenure dossier!

— Erin McGlothlin, Assistant Professor, Germanic Languages & Literatures, Washington University in St. Louis (GSA 2000-01)

When I interviewed for jobs at liberal arts colleges, which place a strong emphasis on effective teaching, my interviewers were always visibly impressed with the experience I gained working at the TRC. Few job applicants can say that they have spent a year (or more) focused on improving teaching effectiveness across a University. While I was a GSA, I had the opportunity to lead many workshops and provide individual consultations after observing people's classes or conducting a Teaching Analysis Poll (TAP) with their students. I learned so much about teaching during in-class observations when I had to think critically about what seemed to work and what did not. Similarly, conducting TAP's for others gave me tremendous insight into what students want and need to improve their learning experiences. Having been trained to do TAP's, I have started conducting them at my new institution. I believe that the skills I developed as a GSA and the depth with which I was encouraged to think about many aspects of teaching during my GSA year made me a more effective teacher and a stronger job candidate.

— Wendy Morris, Assistant Professor, Psychology, McDaniel College (GSA 2004-05)

In my role as a Graduate Student Associate for the Teaching Resource Center, I have shared my teaching experiences with other graduate student instructors from across the university, as well as learned from them. The duties have included presenting teaching workshops to entering graduate student TAs, consulting with TAs in mid-semester evaluations, and writing essays for the TRC newsletter. I found the time spent reflecting on the craft of teaching quite valuable to my own teaching, as well as in my job search. The president of a liberal arts college at which I recently interviewed was particularly interested in this experience, as it demonstrated my dedication to teaching and the liberal arts mission, despite going to graduate school at a large research university.

— Cedar Reiner, Ph.D. Candidate, Psychology, University of Virginia (GSA 2005-06)

Serving as GSA at the Teaching Resource Center was tremendous fun, not least because of the flexibility, warmth and support of the faculty and staff there. The work was a sincere pleasure. It was also marvelous for my own professional development. It gave me the chance to visit classrooms across the University and got me talking about teaching with instructors from a wide variety of disciplines. All of this tended to make me reflect critically about my own classroom practices and about the specific demands of teaching literature. I got to sit in on teaching workshops and design a couple of my own. And I encountered dozens of new ideas just by talking informally with the faculty and staff at the TRC. I know that my experience with the TRC made me much more appealing on the academic job market, as I was asked about it again and again at interviews and campus visits. Many job candidates can provide strong teaching evaluations to a search committee, I think, but far fewer can provide clear evidence of their commitment to student learning and to their own development as a teacher. I think it established for search committees that I know what effective teaching and learning look like in a University setting. So my time at the TRC was an excellent experience, and I’d highly recommend the GSA position to anyone.

— David Sigler, Assistant Professor, English, University of Idaho (GSA 2007-08)

Being a GSA with the Teaching Resource Center was a formative experience for my career. Through observing other classes, talking with experienced instructors, and seeing what really helps students to learn, I was able to better shape and diversify my teaching approaches, so as to reach my students and help them to grow intellectually. “Change-ups” and TAPS, as well as varied classroom approaches, have almost become second nature in my teaching. The experience was very helpful in becoming an effective teacher, which has been central to my success in getting an academic position (both earlier, and in my current position at Endicott), providing guidance that is not always central to most graduate training. Moreover, the TRC was a warm, supportive place to work, with lots of creative ideas and events. I would highly recommend the experience for grad students who want to excel as teachers.

— Willie Young, Assistant Professor of Humanities, Endicott College (GSA 1999-2000)

Sciences

Prior to working at the Teaching Resource Center, my perspective on instruction at the University was somewhat one-dimensional, being limited to experiences within my home department.  However, my year as a Graduate Student Associate at the TRC changed my outlook significantly.  By leading and attending workshops and counseling other graduate TAs from various disciplines, I gained significant insight into what it means to be a teacher and mentor to students in diverse contexts and university settings.  The TRC staff was always available, providing training at the outset of my term and measured guidance along the way.  As I prepare to graduate, I look back on my year at the TRC as an invaluable experience that helped solidify my desire to pursue a teaching-centered, academic career.

— Ryan Emanuel, Ph.D. Candidate, Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia (GSA 2005-06)

One of the many benefits of working as a GSA was that I was afforded the very rare opportunity to observe a lot of teachers in action. I observed labs, lectures, recitation sessions, and discussion sections in a variety of subject areas. Observing other teachers during my time as a GSA has been invaluable to me in my current position in the Physics Department at Wake Forest University for the following two reasons:

First, observing so many classes allowed me to learn from the examples of other teachers, rather than having to "re-invent the wheel." For example, I learned which teaching techniques tend to work well for large classes and which techniques are better suited to small classes. I currently teach both large (~100 students) and small courses (~20 students) and rely on a daily basis on this understanding that I gained as a GSA.

Second, observing classes in subject areas other than science gave me insight into the format and style of non-science courses. Prior to working as a GSA, I had very little experience in non-science, college-level classes. One of the courses I currently teach is specifically geared toward non-science majors. Understanding how non-science courses are typically taught helps me communicate with non-science-oriented students in a way that they are familiar with so that they are more likely to enjoy and remember the material they learn in my course. Observing courses in different subject areas also helps me to elucidate the links between physics and other academic disciplines, thereby providing all students with a reason to be excited about physics.

— Janna Levin, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Physics, Wake Forest University (GSA 2003-04)

The Teaching Resource Center (TRC) delves into the current practices for improving teaching in higher education and has a unique set of resources that anyone interested in teaching and learning should definitely become familiar with.  Many of my TRC experiences, providing Teaching Analysis Polls, working with international teaching assistants, and facilitating workshops, added to my knowledge of how to effectively facilitate learning.  The TRC staff and faculty were wonderful to work with and supportive in every way.  The GSA position is not the same as a teaching assistantship.  It is a unique opportunity to learn from the experienced faculty, and scholarly resources about how best to teach and what improves learning in general and in specific disciplines.  My Ph.D. was in science education and it was great to work with others devoted to improving teaching at U.Va.  In my current career as an independent science education consultant and I mainly provide workshops for teachers.  The regular workshops I facilitated as a GSA were a stepping stone towards my current career in which I provide professional development to elementary and high school teachers in the U.S. and internationally.

— Mark Salata, Independent Science Education Consultant (GSA 1998-99)

When I began graduate school at U.Va., my intention was to become a biology professor. But, in 1997, an autoimmune condition began to change those plans. Today I consider myself lucky that my full-time job is raising two healthy--and quite unlikely--boys. My professional life consists of working part-time as an educator specializing in science-and-faith, promoting science literacy (including evolution) within Christian communities.
     
I have learned that career plans change, whether by choice or not. As a GSA at the TRC I gained an entirely different set of professional skills that has helped me to adapt. While my background in biology has given me the knowledge to do the work I do, it has been my experience as a GSA that has allowed me to apply that knowledge in a non-academic context. My work now requires me to understand the teaching-learning process, to conduct workshops, and to facilitate discussions--all skills I gained as a GSA.
    
Given the unexpected changes in my life and career path, it is fair to say that my prospects for any professional satisfaction would have been very minimal if I had not been a GSA, an experience for which I continue to be grateful.

— Jennifer Secki Shields, Chairperson, Seminar for Science, Theology & Ethics, VA United Methodist Church
(GSA 1996-97)

compiled: Spring 2007