Global Ambassador Stories

My Purdue Teaching Assistant Experience

Story by Louis Caceres Martinez
September 28, 2022

I remember how happy and proud I was to be admitted to the PhD program at the School of Engineering Technology at Purdue Polytechnic Institute. I imagined the multiple aspects of being a graduate student, taking classes, doing research, being involved in multicultural and extracurricular activities, and living in Lafayette. However, I did not expect to become a teacher assistant (TA) or that it would tangibly cover my tuition while completing my degree.

Just before traveling to Purdue, I received the offer letter to be a TA at Purdue University. I was excited and determined to make the most of my TA opportunity. It was an amazing opportunity to become the professor that I always wanted to have. I must admit; I also felt teaching in another language would be a huge responsibility, challenging under any academic or cultural perspective.

Learning the syllabus, theory, and laboratory practices associated with teaching position in less than 2 days was my first challenge. In a blink of an eye, it was 3:00 am Monday morning, and I was still working on refining details for my first 9:00 am class as a TA in the United States. I arrived at the building about 20 minutes before the class started, fully prepared.

As I approached my lab, I saw a group of around fifteen students waiting for me, my first section of six I had been assigned to teach weekly. My plan was simple, I would welcome the students to Purdue, introduce myself as a graduate student from Colombia, and then jump into my short lecture of 20-30 minutes, assign a complementary, one-hour laboratory practice, and finish with 20 minutes of assisting students. At the end of the first week, I was amazed by the multicultural environment of my sections, how naturally my labs flowed, and, most of all, the kindness and willingness of the students to learn, interact, and work.

Here are a few practical tips I would like to share with future Purdue TAs, especially those from a completely different culture.

1. Prepare your class material meticulously contemplating alternatives to multiple scenarios and situations in terms of instrument functioning and people reception that could occur.
   
   
2. Plan your time ahead to complete all your weekly tasks not only as TA (preparing the class, giving the actual class, grading, and additional office hours), but also as a graduate student.
   
   
3. Keep an open mind and be aware that every student is unique; you will need to broaden your approach to effectively engage a variety of learning styles.
   
   
4. Respect student space, opinions, and ideas.
   
   
5. Display self-confidence and really know the material you are presenting.
   
   
6. Always be open to answering questions, boosting discussions, and providing feedback.
   
   
7. Let students know that is okay to ask questions, especially if the topic is not well understood because of a different accent or other language barrier.
   
   
8. Be as clear as possible with all announcements and communications.

Being a TA has been one of the biggest challenges, and most rewarding experiences that I have encountered in my life. It has helped me better understand and appreciate the wonderful, but incredibly labor-intensive work of being a dedicated teaching assistant and my own professors.

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The views of the author are not necessarily those of the Grad School or Purdue University.