POSTGRADS ON THE EDGE - THE STATUS AND EXPERIENCE OF POSTGRADUATE TEACHING IN GEOGRAPHY DEPARTMENTS IN THE UK

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.