Written by Alexis Schramel | Photos by Alexis Schramel
What is a day in the life of a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA)? To answer this question, it is important to remember that not all successful GTA positions look the same. These positions can feature lecture-based to studio-focused classrooms, in-person to virtual learning, and a variety of adaptations within different modes of learning. These variations depend on the class, people, goals, and previous experience involved.
To explore further into the GTA experience I was fortunate to visit with current graduate teaching assistant Jesus Li ’23 in action during the Introduction to Advertising class instructed by faculty alumni Nancy Rice ’70.
Below are transcriptions of my interviews with Jesus and Nancy.
AS: Hi Jesus, thank you for meeting with me to chat about your GTA Experience. Could you tell me what class you GTA for?
JL: You are welcome, Alexis. Yes, I am the teaching assistant of the Introduction to Advertising class of Nancy Rice.
AS: Could you tell me more about why you wanted to become a GTA?
JL: I am interested in connecting with students to help them in their education by supporting accomplishments for their learning benchmarks.
AS: While I was visiting the Introduction to Advertising class, I could tell you were passionate about helping the students. Could you speak to me about any previous experience that prepared you to become a GTA?
JL: In the last couple of years, I had the opportunity to lead teams at work, so this experience gave me a close look at mentoring. During my first semester of graduate school, I took a certificate course in Teaching Art & Design Online, which gave me the pedagogical tools to structure courses, manage behavior, and learn how to engage with the class by giving them individual support and feedback.
AS: It sounds like the Teaching Art & Design Online certificate course was greatly influential to your success as a GTA. Could you describe an impactful experience you’ve had with the students in the Introduction to Advertising class?
JL: One of the most impactful experiences I’ve had was helping foster students’ confidence. They allowed me to work collaboratively on their projects by accepting my help and incorporating it into their presentations.
AS: Would you share how you and Nancy were able to build a relationship that fosters growth within the classroom?
JL: Since our first meeting, Nancy took it upon herself to make me feel welcome in her class. She included and empowered me to supervise, educate, and support students to help them accomplish their learning benchmarks. Her mentorship helped me to build trust with the students to manage their behavior while encouraging me to engage students in participating during class and presentations.
Thank you Jesus Li for chatting with me about your GTA Experience. Below is my chat with Nancy Rice.
Jesus Li ’23 as GTA
AS: Hi Nancy. Thank you for inviting me into your classroom. I am excited to see Jesus in action and learn more about your experience having him assist in the classroom. I was wondering if you could share your ‘a day in the life’ overview and the impacts having a GTA has on an instructor and the class?
NR:
“A day in the life”
Most MCAD classes are different enough that there is no typical day description to fill all. Here are some examples of what it looked like for the Introduction to Advertising F21 class w/GTA Jesus Li in the house.
Much of our class time is/was spent with the students divided into teams of their choosing + ideating during & outside class on the challenges set before them. Many of the 5hr. classes involved both myself & Jesus inspiring students to work together, do research & listen to progress presentations from the student teams throughout a challenge. Giving feedback along the way is key.
Here are some specific examples:
1) An early individual Post-it brainstorm session on the first day of class resulted in a combined exhibit of each student’s project selection & solution from that session just before mid-term. Jesus not only curated that exhibit in the ES Gallery but filmed each student’s oral presentation.
2) The ‘real Client project’ (Full Cycle Bike Shop) for the final six weeks of the class included a field trip to the bike shop in south Minneapolis. Jesus not only joined the field trip but brainstormed with the student teams throughout the following weeks as they developed their work & prepared themselves for team presentations, crits + their final presentations on the last day of class.
Jesus had a tremendous impact on the class, the students & on me. He has a youthful, serious yet playful attitude plus a genuine designers’ eye. He has a desire to bring out the best in each student, regardless of their skill set. He was also very professional when circumstances required us to pivot & change up at the last minute. Lastly, his international experience helped motivate the students to look beyond our borders for outstanding work. I’ve genuinely considered Jesus more of a ‘colleague’ than as a student in study/GTA this semester.
AS: Thank you so much for sharing your experience. It sounds like this has been an important relationship for you, Jesus, and the class at large!
Faculty Alumni Nancy Rice '70 explains important student feature board in Introduction to Advertising
