Teaching in a Foreign Land: Experiences of International Teaching Assistants in U.S. Engineering Classrooms

In light of the pivotal role international teaching assistants (ITAs) play in undergraduate education at US universities, particularly engineering education, this study explores the experiences of engineering ITAs. When ITAs cross national boundaries to pursue graduate education at a US university, they may simultaneously experience significant differences in educational cultures. Teaching in this new educational culture offers challenges and rewards for both the ITAs and the students they teach. While prior work on ITAs highlights the rewards, challenges, and navigational strategies of the ITA experience overall, it generally does not take disciplinary differences into account. By better understanding ITAs’ experiences in disciplinary contexts, departments can more effectively provide the needed resources and support. Toward that end, we ask the following question: How do ITAs describe the experiences of teaching engineering classes at US universities? To explore this question, we adopted a multi-case study approach and collected data from seven engineering ITAs with each ITA representing a case. Data were collected in the form of weekly reflections and in-person interviews at the beginning, middle, and end of the semester. Participants were diverse in terms of their home countries, genders, and engineering discipline. Using thematic coding, we are analyzing the data using both a priori codes drawn from the literature and inductive codes emerging from the data, with particular attention to engineeringspecific and ITA-specific experiences. Preliminary findings suggest that three of the four general categories developed by prior researchers are relevant to the experiences of engineering ITAs. At the same time, the data allow us to operationalize these experiences in the context of engineering classrooms, including both lecture and laboratory courses, and identify nuances in each category that are unique to the field. Additionally, preparing for teaching responsibility and management of teaching workload with research and other responsibilities emerged as two new categories of experiences for engineering ITAs. The preliminary results suggest potential areas where colleges, departments, and course instructors may focus efforts and/or develop discipline-specific materials to better support and engage ITAs.