Graduate Assistant Psychology Department
Positions open: 5 Full-time positions (20 Hours a week)
Primary Purpose
The psychology department has five (5) full-time graduate assistant (GA) positions. The GAs provide assistance with 100- and 200-level large lecture undergraduate psychology courses (e.g., PSYC 110 Introduction to Psychology, PSYC 215 Social Psychology, and PSYC 230 Human Development) and with senior-level research methods and/or neuroscience laboratory courses. The GA will provide assistance with the lectures and/or labs, lead review sessions with students to study the material, and offer tutoring services related to the course material, writing, research, and data/statistical analysis.
Duties and Responsibilities
Duties may differ slightly across instructors. Examples of typical activities include:
- attending the lectures and/or labs for the course you have been assigned to.
- assisting instructors with preparing and running lab or course activities.
- preparing materials for leading weekly student review sessions.
- supervising students with the study design or data collection.
- assisting students with data analyses (using SPSS or similar statistical software).
- providing guidance to students on psychological science writing.
- assisting instructors with grading and providing feedback on assignments, papers, and/or exams.
- tutoring students on course content, writing, and statistical/data analysis.
- assist with managing the research participation pool, where students gain experience by participating in psychology research studies.
- working with other GAs on other educational-advising departmental projects (e.g., advising preparation info sessions, graduate school preparation events).
- ancillary duties include providing assistance for large mass-lecture courses, giving an exam if a professor is ill or attending a conference, proctoring make-up exams, and other departmental teaching-related assistance
Qualifications
GAs are required to have completed coursework in psychology and in research methods and statistics as they apply to the social sciences. The following types of experiences are not required, but may be helpful in this position: working on research projects; conducting independent research such as an honors project; data analyses using SPSS or similar software; experience in teaching/training/tutoring; experience providing feedback to others; and/or experience in customer service or other types of client support positions that require effective communication.
Learning Outcomes
As a GA, you will gain first-hand experience assisting with the teaching a college-level course in psychology. You have the opportunity to gain the following skills:
Teaching and Instructional Skills
- Assisting in planning and implementing lesson plans.
- Leading review sessions and tutoring students in psychology content
- Using rubrics to grade assignments and provide constructive feedback to improve learning
Communication and Mentorship Skills
- Developing public speaking and presentation skills.
- Building rapport with students and fostering a classroom community.
- Mentoring individual undergraduates on writing and research projects.
Research and Analytical Skills
- Supervising data collection and guiding students through research design.
- Conducting and interpreting statistical analyses using SPSS or similar software.
Professional Skills
- Time management and organizational skills through coordinating multiple responsibilities.
- Collaborative skills by working with faculty and other GAs on departmental initiatives.
Preferred Availability
GAs will need availability when the courses they are assigned to are offered. These courses are normally scheduled in the time window of Monday-Thursday 8am-6pm, but occasionally may include a course offered 6pm-8pm or Fridays in the time window of 8am-4pm. GAs will also need to be available two Fridays a month for proctoring make-up exams 8am-12pm.
How to Apply
Application includes (a) completed Graduate Assistant Application, (b) resume, and (c) 1-2 page cover letter explaining why you want the position and highlighting how you meet the qualifications described above. Deadline is March 20th.
Send materials to: Dr. Katherine Lacasse, Director of Graduate Studies, Psychology.