Inclusive teaching in a pandemic: The experience of an International Graduate Teaching Assistant

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the unique contributions International Graduate Teaching Assistants (IGTAs) can make in improving inclusive teaching practices in UK Higher Education (UK HE). In addition, this paper identifies four unique challenges IGTAs face in taking up a teaching position in UK HE – the lack of support from their supervisors, limited subjects they can teach, problems with credibility, and language barrier. This paper will use the author’s personal experience of teaching an international politics module as an IGTA both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic related restrictions to analyse the unique contributions IGTAs may be able to offer in internationalising the curriculum. Through synthesising this experience with current literature on GTAs, this paper identifies the importance of supervisors and training in preparing IGTA for their role. This paper aims to encourage more international PGRs to become IGTAs.