When Brian Brunson walked into one of his philosophy discussion labs at the beginning of the year, he had no prior teaching experience.

Brunson, a graduate assistant in the Philosophy Department who teaches 50 students, is just one of the many graduate assistants who barely receive a week’s worth of teaching instruction before stepping into a classroom full of inquiring minds.

I went to absolutely no workshops, he said. I missed the University workshops because we found out about them late. I went in cold. I was a little nervous, but after I got into the class, I had no problems.

But many University officials agree that the minimal number of workshops the graduates students receive, whether departmental or University supported, is sufficient for classroom instruction.

According to a Institutional Research and Studies report comparing the 1996 core curriculum to the 1995 general education classes, graduate assistants teach 48 percent of all the core, or general education, classes.

Ann J. Morey, director of University Core Curriculum, said the Graduate Council passed a resolution April 7, 1988, that optional training should be offered to aid with the orientation of teaching assistants.

The workshop sessions are offered throughout the year and last less than three days. Some of the topics discussed are sexual harassment, racial diversity and handling specific groups of students.

She said participation in the workshops is not mandatory, but many departments do not even offer their own training programs.

The University Core Curriculum did a report in April 1995 on the role of graduate students in core curriculum classes. Out of 21 responding units, only five required the Graduate School workshops. Fifteen units required departmental training.

Some departments could be more conscientious about teaching workshops and supporting their graduate assistants, she said. They could at least set up a program to check with the performance of their GAs.

John Howie, Philosophy Department chairman, said graduate assistants are matched with particular instructors who in turn determine how the graduate assistants teach the class.

In the beginning, each faculty determines how they teach, he said. Professors tell them about the assignments and what they expect in regards to instruction.

The workshops are helpful to the students. The GAs know what they are doing.

Kevin Schulman, a graduate assistant in philosophy from Skokie, said the departmental training in the Philosophy Department is sufficient but said he wished the professors had more interaction with the GAs.

I think a general program would miss the mark, but the teacher should be able to tell a GA exactly what they want them to do, he said.

Morey, who also helps supervise GAs in the English Department, said she is impressed with the instruction given to GAs through the English and Speech departments.

However, she said the Speech Communication and English departments are in their own fields because they teach required core curriculum courses and require many GAs.

According to the Institutional Research and Studies report, speech communications and English have 208 graduate assistants combined.

The English Department asks us as faculty to sit in on a GA’s class, look over papers they grade and talk with them about teaching strategy, Morey said. At the end of the semester, we meet again.

Morey said the English Department’s workshop will last for a week.

Overall, Morey said while some departments could improve with the instruction and evaluation of their GAs, she said she believes the training GAs receive is sufficient.

There is no evidence that says that GAs are any more incompetent in the classroom than some professors, she said.