D. Linehan, POSTGRADS ON THE EDGE - THE STATUS AND EXPERIENCE OF POSTGRADUATE TEACHING IN GEOGRAPHY DEPARTMENTS IN THE UK, Journal of geography in higher education, 20(1), 1996, pp. 107-117
This paper outlines the teaching experiences of postgraduates in Briti
sh Geography Departments. Based on a survey of 58 departments, it disc
usses the teaching and training environment in which postgraduates wor
k, and identifies the problems which are emerging from the growing ten
dency to employ graduate students as teachers. The general absence of
formalised training systems for postgraduate teachers emerges as an ac
ute problem, particularly given increasing pressures on teaching quali
ty. This clearly has important implications for teaching Geography in
higher education, and impacts not only upon the postgraduates themselv
es, as they endeavour to juggle the mounting burdens of higher teachin
g loads alongside pressures to complete and publish, but also ripen th
e quality of undergraduate teaching provision. The issues raised also
have important policy implications for institutional managers who, it
is argued, must clarify their strategy towards the use of postgraduate
teachers and provide appropriate institutional support structures in
order to enhance teaching quality for all concerned.