Graduate Assistant Psychology

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3 Full Time

Primary Purpose

The psychology department has three (3) full-time graduate assistant (GA) positions, which provide assistance with required, undergraduate research methods courses. Each GA is assigned to work with one of the instructors teaching a senior-level research methods laboratory course. The GA will provide assistance with the lectures and labs for that course and offer tutoring services related to research, writing, and data/statistical analysis.

Benefit of the Graduate Assistant to Students

  • planning and carrying out a lesson plan
  • using rubrics to grade assignments and exams
  • giving constructive feedback to students to help them improve their learning
  • learning the mechanics of good writing and how to revise poorer writing for a better product
  • conducting and interpreting data analysis using SPSS or similar software
  • supervising students on their data collection and analysis, which can help you to learn supervisory skills

Duties and Responsibilities

  • assisting instructors with preparing and running laboratory sessions
  • leading study groups or review sessions for exams
  • supervising students with their data collection
  • assisting students with data analyses (using SPSS or similar statistical software) and writing drafts of lab reports
  • assisting instructors with grading lab assignments, papers, and/or exams
  • tutoring students on course content, writing, and statistical/data analysis
  • managing the research participation pool, where students gain experience by participating in psychology research studies
  • 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

GA’s are required to have coursework in research methods and statistics, preferably 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; and/or experience in teaching/training, customer service, or other types of client support positions that require effective communication.

How to Apply

Application includes (a) completed RIC Graduate assistantship 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 15th. Email materials to Dr. Katherine Lacasse.