Practicing what “we are learning”: Insights and perspectives from graduate student instructors

Abstract

Universities often leverage graduate students to help teach introductory topics (Bettinger et al., 2016). At our university, select doctoral students teach industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology each semester. Kath et al.'s (2021) focal article is a great resource for graduate student instructors (GSIs) who are developing their courses and teaching ability. We seek to expand on their discussion by reflecting on our experiences and perspectives as GSIs. Specifically, we highlight key benefits, challenges, and implications of allowing graduate students to teach I-O psychology to undergraduates. We hope to demonstrate how GSIs are aptly prepared to "practice what we preach," or more accurately, "practice what we are learning." In doing so, we provide suggestions for graduate students in light of Kath et al.'s and others' recommendations. Benefits of graduate student instructors Graduate students provide several potential benefits to teaching introductory I-O courses. First, graduate students are still learning the core I-O concepts. At our university, GSIs must first complete their master's degree, pass comprehensive exams, and complete a graduate-level course on teaching psychology before instructing. Therefore, GSIs should have foundational I-O principles readily accessible and should be well-positioned to practice what they are learning. This not only helps to ensure that the instructor has relevant up-to-date knowledge for the benefit of the students but also gives the GSI an opportunity implement what they have learned in a real-world setting, reinforcing the likelihood of training transfer for the GSI (e.g., Bell & Kozlowski, 2008). In other words, GSIs will truly be partners in learning with their students. Further, this context gives GSIs a chance not only to implement but also to model Kath et al.'s (2021) third theme, incorporating active learning. Social learning theory teaches us that modeling serves as an effective learning tool (Bandura, 1982). Along these lines, a second benefit is that GSIs may be more relatable to undergraduates. They were more recently undergraduate students themselves and may be perceived as able to identify with students' struggles and challenges. This is beneficial for students in multiple ways. One way is that students may be more likely to provide honest feedback because the power differential between the student and instructor is smaller (e.g., Ng et al., 2011). Thus, students may see their feedback as able to make more of a difference. Another way that GSIs can benefit the instructorstudent relationship is that the immediate connection as learners creates a common in-group in the course. Both advantages give GSIs a unique opportunity to adopt Kath et al's (2021) first theme, getting to know the students. We know from leader-member exchange (LMX) that, as We would like to thank Dr. Bradley Brummel and Dr. Jennifer Ragsdale for their help reviewing this commentary.