Abstract
The University of Elm Harbor is bustling with university life and strives to provide meaningful experiences for all students. In Sam’s case, this experience is as a graduate assistant in the Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) program. This role comes with excellent benefits for the student, both educationally and financially. Sam, however, is conflicted with their role as graduate assistant and the classroom power dynamic when their supervisor assigns them to teach the same course in which they are enrolled.
Keywords: Situational ethics, teaching assistant, classroom roles, student attitude, faculty relations, student relations
Primary Characters
Dr. Rhys Briggs (he, him, his) – Dr. Briggs is a tenured professor in a teaching role in a small professional studies program focused on Medical Laboratory Sciences (MLS). He worked as a Laboratory Director before transitioning into his current academic role as a second career and has a genuine interest in the professional success of his students. Dr. Briggs provided career counseling to many students who cite him as essential to starting their careers. He is sometimes referred to as “old school” regarding his classroom teaching methods and high expectations, yet, he receives primarily positive feedback from student evaluations. He teaches a full course load of three courses each term, mixed between undergraduate and graduate courses, and is assigned a graduate assistant from the experiential learning program.
Sam West (they, them, theirs) – Sam is the current graduate assistant for Dr. Briggs and is extremely grateful for the opportunity. Along with experiencing MLS through Dr. Briggs’ lens, Sam receives a 75% discount on tuition, without which Sam would be pressured into student loans and may not be able to attend the program. Previously, Sam was the graduate assistant for Dr. Briggs’ undergraduate classes where additional support was needed.
Context and Case
The University of Elm Harbor is a private, non-profit college situated just outside a coastal New England city. Harbor serves approximately 7,000 students and a combined faculty and staff of 1,000. The claim to fame of Harbor is its faculty, who are well-respected and known across their fields before transitioning to an academic career at Harbor. Several of the faculty hold national prominence and received multiple coveted awards. A significant draw for graduate students to these programs is the opportunity to apply for the experiential learning program in which graduate students receive substantial tuition discounts and stipends as graduate assistants. Most students selected as graduate assistants are offered positions in their program of study; however, opportunities are also available in other offices on campus. As the graduate assistant role is extensive, the University of Elm Harbor does not offer a standardized training program for the selected students. Any training remains at the discretion of the department or the student’s supervisor.
At the end of Sam’s first year as a graduate student and graduate assistant, Dr. Briggs asked if Sam would be interested in being a teaching assistant for a combined undergraduate-graduate level course in the upcoming semester. Sam agreed and was excited about the opportunity and did not ask which class, trusting that Dr. Briggs would take care of the assignment as he had done in the past when Sam worked with him as an undergraduate student.
Sam registered for classes over the summer and found that Dr. Briggs was teaching one of Sam’s required courses in the fall. Throughout the summer, Sam occasionally worked for the Health Professions Department, completing various tasks as needed; however, there was little time to interact with Dr. Briggs or talk about the upcoming fall classes. Sam did not have any concerns about this because the previous classes for Dr. Briggs had a “go with the flow” attitude, and in his role as a graduate assistant, Sam was always provided with the materials before the class meetings.
At the start of the fall semester, Sam was excited to start classes and continue as a graduate assistant, as it helped them learn the material on a deeper level. However, when meeting with Dr. Briggs on the first day of the semester, Sam received the documents and syllabus for Laboratory Regulation and Compliance (MLS 3007/5007) and saw that this was one of the courses they registered for over the summer in the graduate section (MLS 5007). Sam was warned by past students in the MLS program that the MLS 5007 course is extremely challenging due to the sheer number of regulatory standards Dr. Briggs expects students to know. On asking Dr. Briggs which course Sam would be the graduate assistant for, Dr. Briggs told Sam it would be MLS 3007/5007, which is why he gave Sam the materials and syllabus.
Sam was confused and told Dr. Briggs that it seemed odd that a student taking the class would also be the graduate assistant. Still, Dr. Briggs said this happened before, which was not a big issue as Sam would be handling the undergraduate section of the course most of the time. However, the graduate section had materials and expectations above and beyond the undergraduate level. Although still concerned, Sam agreed without pushing much further.
At the first meeting of the class, Sam arrived shortly before Dr. Briggs and began to set up the computer system and arrange the classroom the way Dr. Briggs preferred. As Sam was setting up, some of their peers entered the room and began taking seats. Everyone shared about their summer and general excitement about the new semester bubbled throughout the room. Some of Sam’s peers knew that Sam was the graduate assistant for Dr. Briggs and heard that Dr. Briggs had high expectations for students in this course. A peer asked if Sam was “taking or teaching” in jest, and Sam replied that they were doing both. A couple of Sam’s peers looked confused, but no one asked Sam anything more about their role in the course.
Dr. Briggs arrived and began his course with an overview of the syllabus and introduced Sam as the class graduate assistant, including Sam’s university-based contact information in the discussion. He explained that Sam would be available to help with homework, run the class in Dr. Briggs’ absence, assign groups, grade quizzes, and provide general support. Sam noted that Dr. Briggs did not specifically say that Sam was there to support the undergraduates.
At the end of the session, one of Sam’s peers asked Sam if they were “like the TA (teaching assistant) for everyone or what” and if Sam was “seriously taking a class that they were TA-ing.” Sam gave an uneasy shrug and began to question what their role was.
As Sam’s contact information was circulated to all students of the MLS 3007/5007 course, Sam began to receive texts and emails from peers asking for support during the course. Some requests were class related, looking for participation in shared notes; others were very targeted, asking directly for answers to quizzes and tests or offering exchanges for these materials.
Throughout the coming weeks, Sam’s apprehension grew, and they began to question the ethics of their role. Sam was concerned with how it looked to be taking the class and acting as the graduate assistant and even considered dropping the course. Several of Sam’s classmates joked about Sam unfairly grading their quizzes, even saying Sam would be the only one to pass the course. They made remarks about how Sam did not have to study for the class because Dr. Briggs gave Sam all the answers without understanding that Sam only had access to the undergraduate materials. No amount of explanation from Sam assuaged the requests from peers.
Sam does not want to jeopardize their relationship with Dr. Briggs by bringing these issues to his attention. Further, dropping the course means Sam will have to retake it the next term it is offered, which is after Sam’s expected graduation date. If Sam extends for an extra year, they will not be eligible for the experiential learning program and receive minimal tuition assistance.
Discussion Questions
- What ethical issues is Sam facing in the classroom and in their relationship with Dr. Briggs?
- Teaching assistant training is beneficial to students and faculty. What aspects or topics of a training program would assist Sam in navigating this environment?
- What societal pressures or mores are affecting Sam? Based on your experiences, how should these be handled?
- What recommendations would help to resolve the conflicts in this case? What are the potential negative implications for each stakeholder in the case?
- What is the influence of identity in this scenario related to power, gender, or other social identities?
Recommended Readings
Flinko, S., & Arnett, R. C. (2014). The undergraduate teaching assistant: Scholarship in the classroom. Journal of the Association for Communication Administration, 33(1), 35-46.
Gundersen, D. E., Capozzoli, E. A., & Rajamma, R. K. (2008). Learned ethical behavior: An academic perspective. Journal of Education for Business, 83(6), 315-324.
McNichols, C. W., & Zimmerer, T. W. (1985). Situational ethics: An empirical study of differentiators of student attitudes. Journal of Business Ethics, 4(3), 175-180.
Mueller, A., Perlman, B., McCann, L. I., & McFadden, S. H. (1997). A faculty perspective on teaching assistant training. Teaching of Psychology, 24(3), 167-171.
Nguyen, D. J., & Yao, C. W. (Eds.). (2022). A handbook for supporting today’s graduate students. Stylus Publishing.
Shepard, V. A., & Perry, A. L. (Eds.). (2022). A practitioner’s guide to supporting graduate and professional students. Routledge.
Author Bio
Sydney C. Kern (she/her/hers). Sydney C. Kern is an adjunct professor at the University of New Haven (CT) and a doctoral student in the Doctor of Education program at the University of Hartford (CT). Outside of academia, Ms. Kern serves her community as a fire investigator, firefighter, and emergency medical technician. For fun, Ms. Kern explores local trails and experiences the underwater environment through scuba diving.