Introduction to Postgraduate Pedagogies

Abstract

Since the inaugural issue of the journal in 2021, Postgraduate Pedagogies has welcomed three doctoral researchers as editors, all of whom are active Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs). In this introduction to the second issue of Postgraduate Pedagogies, the new editors will first of all reflect on their experiences of being GTAs, before identifying key themes within this issue: GTA teaching practices and development, precarities and the effect this may have in shifting GTA identities. These themes emphasise the continued need to explore who the graduate teaching assistant is and how they teach. These explorations are as vital as ever, with the COVID-19 pandemic bringing the concerns of GTAs more into the spotlight. Furthermore, the contributions in this issue emphasise the digitalisation of education and precarity that the COVID-19 pandemic forced all in academia to encounter. However, as the contributions show, GTAs often bear the brunt of these issues and are at the forefront of innovation and change in teaching practice. Given their liminal role, they are perfectly suited to innovate how university teaching is done.