Student Interviews
Instrument 1: Teaching
Intern Interviews, Teaching Assistant Interviews
Project: Teaching
Traineeships for Undergraduate Women
University of Rochester
Funding Source: NSF:
Program for Women and Girls (HRD)
Purpose: To
gather information on the
training and program experiences of the women who served as
TIs (teacher interns) and TAs (teaching assistants) in the
program
Administered To: Undergraduate
women who
served as TIs in the program and graduate women who served
as TAs in the program
Topics Covered:
- Comparisons: expectations of impact
- Course Evaluation: effectiveness,
satisfaction
- Impact on Outcomes: career interests,
collaboration, identity issues, professional
involvement
- Plans & Expectations (Student): concerns
Format/Length: 18
open-ended questions; 8 for TIs and 10 for
TAs
TI Interviews
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
1a. How well do you feel the training you received prepared
you for your job as a TI? Please comment specifically on our
confidence in these areas: the content of the labs, teaching
skills, and communication skills.
1b. Given your experience so far with this program, please
comment on how well the program "flowed"—that is, were
the expectations made clear to you and were they reasonable?
Also, did the structure of the labs and lectures with two
assistants and a professor work well?
[Get at administrative workings of program.]
CONCERNS
2. You've been working as a TI for a while now. What still
concerns you?
[Get at: Personal feelings of adequacy and confidence;
interactions with TA; administrative workings of the program...]
WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
3a. Please describe your working relationship with your
partner TA and what you feel you've learned from this association.
3b. Please describe your relationship with any faculty in
the Physics Department who you work with, and what you think
you've gained from this association.
OUTCOMES
4a. Has your experience as a TI helped you make connections
with women in science (e.g., faculty, administrators, graduate
students, other women in group, other undergraduates)? What
do these connections mean to you?
4b. Do you think you could handle being a TA/TI in other courses?
[Get at: confidence and mastering similar learning
steps in the future]
4c. Has your TI experience changed your outlook regarding
your major or career? How so?
[Get at future plans]
TA Interviews
INITIAL REACTIONS
1. What were your initial reactions/concerns about being
paired with an undergraduate female?
And how did things work out?
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
2a. How well do you feel the training you received prepared
you for the job? Please comment on both components of the
training: working with your assigned TI and the general lectures.
2b. Given your experience so far with this program, please
comment on how well the program "flowed"—that is, were
the expectations made clear to you and were they reasonable?
Also, did the structure of the labs and the lectures with
two assistants and a professor work well?
[Get at administrative workings of program]
WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
3a. Describe your working relationship with your partner
TI and what you feel you've learned from this association.
3b. Did having a TI make your job as a TA easier? Harder?
3c. How did the faculty relate to you versus the TI? [Assess
faculty involvement with the course.]
CHANGE AFFECTED
4a. What do you think you gained from this experience? [Open-ended;
then, follow-up:]
4b. How did the TI program contribute to your initial
year of graduate experience—or change it from what you
thought it might be?
[e.g., you had an automatic partner—someone
with whom you were assigned; you had a situation that was
not competitive]?
4c. Has your experience in the TI program influenced your
attitudes and your ability to work with women students? If
so, how?
4d. Has this program increased your interest in teaching?
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