Does Instructor Type Matter?

Does instructor type matter?


The results of a survey of students, aimed to find out how students perceived the teaching qualities of professors and graduate teaching assistants.  Some provocative adjectives are listed in the abstract.  Professors:  confident, organized, experienced, strict, hard, boring.  TA's:  engaging, relatable, relaxed, uncertain, hesitant, nervous.  The paper concludes with some ideas for professional development for TA's.  

Abstract Excerpt:
"Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are used extensively as instructors in higher education, yet their
status and authority as teachers may be unclear to undergraduates, to administrators, and even to
the GTAs themselves. This study explored undergraduate perception of classroom instruction by
GTAs and professors to identify factors unique to each type of instructor versus the type of classes
they teach. Data collection was via an online survey composed of subscales from two validated
instruments, as well as one open-ended question asking students to compare the same class taught
by a professor versus a GTA. Quantitative and qualitative results indicated that some student instructional perceptions are specific to instructor type, and..."

Does Instructor Type Matter? - Kendall

Direct URL:  http://www.lifescied.org/content/11/2/187.short