Faculty Passes New TF Training Plan

Responding to student complaints about incomprehensible and underqualified teaching fellows (TFs), the Faculty Council in March adopted a TF training plan which gave departments the power to determine their own standards and regulations.

The plan was a compromise between competing constituencies, and not all of them were pleased at the result.

While professors liked the autonomy this plan granted to faculty, some undergraduates and graduate students have criticized it for leaving too much power with the departments.

The plan was presented to the council by Dean for Undergraduate Education Lawrence Buell after his initial proposal for centralized testing of all TFs and special training for all non-native English speaking TFs was rejected.

Faculty Council members said they hoped that the plan they passed, which could take effect as early as early as 1995, would ensure both language proficiency and general teaching skills of all prospective TFs.

At the time, Buell called the second plan strong because it addressed overall teaching skills in addition to language competence.

"It's taking a more comprehensive step toward ensuring that TFs are properly trained and supervised, and in particular that language skills are addressed," Buell said in March.

Professors were pleased, praising the plan because it allowed individual departments to design their own screening procedures in accordance with their perceived special needs.

"This allows each department to have flexibility to do what they think is necessary and important," said Baird Professor of Science Gary J. Feldman, a Faculty Council member. "At the same time, since Dean Buell will review all the plans, it guarantees that the departments will meet their responsibilities."

But this plan, while preserving professorial autonomy, was not seen as a major improvement by either undergraduates or graduate students.

Several students predicted that the aims of the plan would not be met.

"There's too much flexibility in this program, there's no bottom line," said Christopher J. Garofalo '94, who chaired the Undergraduate Council's student affairs committee during the first semester.

A set of universal TF evaluation guidelines submitted by Garofalo's committee in December included such points as "explains material clearly" and "provides helpful comments on paper," both of which are usually dependent on a minimum level of language proficiency and familiarity with subject matter.

Undergraduate Council President Carey W. Gabay '94 said the Undergraduate Council was pleased that a "first step" had been taken. But he added that the council would continue to push for further reforms, including a central screening mechanism like the one Buell originally proposed.

TF positions have traditionally been provided to almost all graduate students as the main form of financial aid in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Graduate students in several different departments said they were afraid the flexible standards would allow professors to play favorites rather than protecting TFs.

Graduate students also stressed their limited numbers, saying that if standards were set too high some departments would run out of "qualified" TFs and would be forced to cancel some courses.

And some graduate students questioned whether there were "real" problems with TFs at all.

TFs said many undergraduates' complaints about foreign teachers stemmed from xenophobia and racism rather than legitimate difficulties with their TF's English.

"There are always people who aren't going to make the effort to understand What someone's saying," said Andrew Robertson, a second year graduate student in the History of Science Department. "Frankly, there is an element of racism that is just barely covered up by the excuse of students' interests."

TFs also said they were concerned that, in screening out novice section leaders, the University would hurt the education of graduate students who use their experiences leading sections to improve their teaching skills in preparation for future academic careers.