Team Teaching with Graduate Student Instructors

New graduate instructors often focus on questions such as: 

• Will students respect me? 

• What does effective teaching look like? 

• How do I balance teaching responsibilities and graduate studies? 

• Am I doing a good job? 

• What exactly does the faculty member expect of me?  
  

What Faculty Supervisors Can Do 

For less experienced GSIs, a more structured supervisory approach would be beneficial. Some approaches to consider include: 

1. Establish clear expectations early 

Be sure to communicate with GSIs: 

• Goals of discussion sections or labs 

• Degree of instructional flexibility 

• Grading responsibilities 

• Policies for handling student concerns 

• Communication procedures 

• Methods for evaluating teaching effectiveness 
  

2. Hold regular meetings 

Meet consistently throughout the semester to: 

• Review upcoming content 

• Address student concerns 

• Discuss teaching strategies 

• Clarify expectations and logistics
  

3. Be visible and accessible 

New instructors often need reassurance and guidance. Faculty should make it clear: 

• How GSIs can contact them 

• When they are available 

• What kinds of questions are appropriate to raise 
  

4. Provide feedback 

Useful feedback mechanisms include: 

• Classroom observations 

• Mid-semester student feedback 

• Informal check-ins 

• Discussions about grading and facilitation practices 
  

Implications for Flipped Classes 

In flipped environments, newer GSIs especially benefit from guidance about: 

• Facilitating active learning discussions 

• Managing collaborative activities 

• Leading problem-solving sessions 

• Handling common student misconceptions 

• Connecting recitation activities to lecture and pre-class content 

Without this support, sections may become inconsistent or disconnected from course goals. 

More experienced GSIs tend to ask different questions: 

• Are students actually learning? 

• How can I improve my teaching? 

• How are instructional decisions made? 

• How can I prepare for future faculty roles? 

• Can I contribute ideas about course design?  

These instructors benefit less from close management and more from collaboration and mentorship.

What Faculty Supervisors Can Do 

More experienced GSIs will especially benefit from transparency around course design. Some useful approaches include: 

1. Share the rationale behind course design decisions such as: 

• Learning outcomes 

• Reasons for specific assignments 

• Lecture planning 

• Instructional decision-making processes 
  

2. Involve GSIs in problem-solving 

When challenges emerge: 

• Seek their perspectives

• Brainstorm solutions together

• Discuss options and likely outcome
  

3. Create professional development opportunities 

Consider: 

• Teaching observations 

• Midterm feedback processes 

• Syllabus reviews 

• Opportunities to design activities or lessons 

• Participation in instructional planning 
  

4. Increase autonomy appropriately 

Advanced GSIs may be ready to: 

• Develop section activities 

• Lead instructional innovations 

• Mentor newer GSIs 

• Participate in course planning decisions 
  

5. Implications for Flipped Classes 

Experienced GSIs can be a tremendous asset in flipped teaching because they often have practical ideas about: 

• Active learning facilitation 

• Student engagement strategies 

• Common learning bottlenecks 

• Activity design 

• Assessment practices
  

Faculty who leverage this expertise can strengthen both the course and the graduate instructors' professional growth.

Graduate instructors may face challenges related to age, experience, gender, race, language background, or other social dynamics. Faculty and GSIs may also encounter tensions regarding instructional authority. 

Prevention Strategies 

1. Publicly support one another:

Faculty can: 

• Introduce GSIs positively

• Highlight their expertise

• Emphasize the importance of their instructional role

GSIs can: 

• Reinforce course expectations

• Clarify faculty perspectives

• Avoid undermining faculty decisions in front of student
  

2. Discuss expectations openly: Address potential concerns proactively through regular conversations rather than waiting for problems to arise.

Students often notice when lecture content and discussion sections seem disconnected. 

Common complaints include: 

• Different GSIs teaching differently

• Inconsistent grading

• Activities unrelated to course content

• Exams that do not align with instruction

Prevention Strategies 

1. Visit each other's teaching environments to develop a better, more thorough understanding of the full student experience in the course. Faculty should observe discussion sections and GSIs should attend lectures regularly.

2. Coordinate frequently: Regular meetings help ensure: 

• Common learning goals 

• Consistent messaging 

• Similar grading approaches 

• Better alignment between lectures and sections  

3. Flipped-class implementation alignment: Because flipped courses often rely heavily on discussions, activities, and application exercises, alignment is particularly important. Students should see a clear connection among: 

• Pre-class preparation 

• Lecture content 

• Discussion activities 

• Assessments 

Faculty and GSIs may hear complaints from students about each other's teaching, grading, or communication. 

Prevention Strategies 

• Listening carefully

• Asking clarifying questions

• Gathering evidence before drawing conclusions

• Using observations and student feedback to understand issues objectively

• Focusing on joint problem-solving rather than placing blame

• Share observations

• Discuss potential causes

• Develop solutions collaboratively

• Keep attention focused on student learning

Effective faculty-GSI partnerships are built on communication, mutual respect, purposeful mentoring, and a shared commitment to student learning. As GSIs develop expertise, they move from needing structured supervision toward becoming instructional collaborators who can significantly enhance course quality and student success.