Students, professors differ on quality of associate instructor program

Ask history professor Michael McGerr what he thinks of the associate instructor teaching system at IU, and he'll talk of the rich and memorable educational experience it provides.\nAsk freshman Amanda Meise, and she'll say she isn't getting what she paid for.\nWhile some students and faculty are confident in the integrity of the AI system, other undergraduates question whether they receive the same quality of education from AIs as they do from professors.\nMeise blames her Finite Math AI's inadequate English-speaking skills for her and her classmates' poor grades.\nBut associate instructor Kip Kline, a second-year philosophy of education doctoral student, said the system seems sound.\n"If a student says, on an evaluation for an AI, 'This course had more impact on me than any other course,' then I think there's something working with the AI system," said Kline, reflecting on experiences of himself and others.\nEric McLaughlin, associate instructor of political science, agrees.\n"At a school like IU, with so many large classes, there are going to be some pretty good graduate students who can lead discussions and provide attention (to undergraduates) that professors can't," McLaughlin said.\nSome undergraduates feel the system is flawed, however. For instance, AIs might not always be as experienced at handling disputes with students.\n"You can piss off your professor, and your professor will still be objective," senior Joe Rossow said. "If you piss off your AI, they can stick it to you. And they will."\nRossow said most AIs have, in his experience, been sufficiently knowledgeable of the subject matter. However, even some of his most knowledgeable AIs have lacked the necessary charisma and teaching ability to effectively lead a class.\nJunior Brian Berry said another problem results from the considerably smaller age difference between AIs and their students.\n"Since they are close in age, they can try to be the 'cool' AI and be so worried about being your friend that they don't teach the course well," Berry said.\nAnd with tuition rates continuously on the rise, many undergraduates wonder whether instruction from AIs is shortchanging them on their education, especially in courses taught exclusively by AIs.\n"If you're just getting an AI for a course, I feel that's not exactly getting what you paid for," Berry said.\nMeise said she agrees that it is hard for undergraduates to learn the material with no professor available for questioning.\n"You don't ask questions, because you don't get answers," she said.\nBut some faculty members feel the benefits outweigh the occasional drawbacks. AIs allow large lecture sections to break up into smaller discussion groups where students can get more personal attention.\n"IU, like all other top-ranked universities in the country, seizes the combination of professors and AIs as a way of giving undergraduates the best possible instruction," said McGerr, who is also the associate dean for graduate education and program development.\nEven large lecture discussions can have advantages. McGerr argues that they provide professors with the opportunity to have a greater impact on the IU community.\n"I think IU is sometimes too apologetic about offering large classes," McGerr said. "I enjoy being able to reach so many undergraduates and working with the AIs as they develop as teachers."\nIn addition, AIs can contribute elements to a classroom that a professor cannot.\n"There's an energy and new way of looking at things that AIs bring (to a classroom)," said biology professor Albert Ruesink. "AIs help us keep re-thinking our teaching skills and assist us with the teaching."\nEugene Kintgen, associate dean in the University Graduate School, said AIs are not as experienced as full-time faculty. However, some AIs are more enthusiastic than professors. They want their students to succeed, and therefore, are more willing to invest time with their students, he said.\nThe problem many administrators encounter is assuring that AIs possess the qualities and skill of an effective instructor.\nWhile strategies vary by department, most grant AI opportunities based on academic success, Kintgen said. The Bloomington Faculty Council requires all departments to have a training program for AIs. Training strategies range from a required course to an orientation program before the start of the fall semester.\nAnd despite a degree of autonomy experienced AIs have when structuring a class, beginning instructors for most classes teach from a common syllabus, Kintgen said. With more control over AIs, professors can ensure that undergraduates receive the same instruction no matter which section they enroll in.\nUndergraduates aren't the only ones who benefit from the AI system, Kline said. The AIs profit immensely from the experience. Not only do AIs receive a modest stipend in addition to compensation for their courses, but they also receive invaluable hands-on experience.\n"In the grand scheme of things, that's probably the biggest advantage," Kline said. "That was what really sold me on coming here."\nKline said the duties for AIs at other institutions frequently consist of no more than paper grading. At IU, AIs can stack their resume with credentials by teaching the same classes they might teach as full-time professors -- a common aspiration for AIs.\nMcLaughlin feels that the ability to teach transcends academic certification.\n"Just because someone has a Ph.D., that doesn't necessarily speak to that person's ability to teach," McLaughlin said.\nKintgen explains the difficulty in generalizing quality of instruction.\n"Just as you get more effective faculty teachers and less effective faculty teachers, you get more effective AIs and less effective AIs," Kintgen said.\nThe AI system is as effective as the people involved with it, McGerr said. As long as students, faculty and the AIs themselves fulfill their obligations, the system is beneficial to all involved, he said.\nAs far as students are concerned, the ultimate goal is learning, regardless of who facilitates that objective.\n"The way I look at it, if they're smarter than I am, and they've got a degree, and I can learn from them ... sweet, I'll soak it up," Berry said.\n-- Contact staff writer Mike McElroy at mmcelroy@indiana.edu.