The donkey in the department? Insights into the Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) experience in the UK.

This paper describes a study of how Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) are used in a research-led UK university, which sought insights into – recruitment and selection, allocation to tasks, induction and training, time-budgets, payment, feedback, quality assurance, responsibility and autonomy, and overall GTA perceptions. The evidence suggests that many GTAs feel like “donkeys in the department” because of their heavy workload, sizeable responsibility and limited autonomy. The paper closes with a call for a nationwide discussion of the most appropriate role and framework for GTAs.