The Management Of Teaching Assistant In Research Universities In China And America

Teaching assistant system has multiple role and value, such as improving the quality of graduates, reforming cultivation mechanism, training graduates’teaching skills and comprehensive quality, ensuring the undergraduate teaching quality, providing financial support for graduate students and so on. Since1980s, we have carried out teaching assistant institution, and have achieved good results over the last twenty-odd years. At the same time, many problems were exposed in the management of teaching assistants, especially in the purpose, philosophy and system of management. These problems have affected the achievement of function of teaching assistant institution seriously. Since the beginning of establishment of the American university system, graduates have been employed as teaching assistants. Teaching assistant institution in the United States has a long history. The management of teaching assistant in American universities is quite mature and perfect. There must be something which is worth learning.As one important category of institutions of higher education, research universities have rounded cultivation system, high-quality talents cultivation goals, advanced education philosophy, first-class faculty and managers. In the management of teaching assistant, they should do better. On the original intention of implementing teaching assistant institution, Chinese and American research universities share the same point. They are both concerned about the development of students. This provides a basis for comparison of philosophy and approaches of management between China and America.This study selects four research universities as cases. In China, the case universities are T University and N University. The reasons for this are twofold. Firstly, they are both representative research universities. Secondly, T University is one of universities in China which carried out teaching assistant institution earlier. Its system of teaching assistant management is relatively perfect. Information about N University is more easily available. In America, the two case universities are Yale University and Columbia University. The reasons for this are also twofold. Firstly, they are well-known research universities in the world. Secondly, there is some research foundation about teaching assistant management of Yale University. Information on Columbia University could be got easily from its website.This study tries to answer following questions:Firstly, what are the differences in teaching assistant management of research universities between China and America?Secondly, what is the reason for these differences?Thirdly, how about the effectiveness of teaching assistant management in China? What on earth are the problems in management?Fourthly, how to improve the management of teaching assistant of research universities in China?By doing these, this study is targeted to offer suggestions for the improvement of teaching assistant management of research universities in China. For in-depth answers to above questions, in addition to case study method, this study also uses method of comparative study and interviewing method. Using selected universities as objects, employing interview investigation to obtain information, through analyzing and comparing in terms of purpose, management ideas, management methods, the major findings are as follows:Firstly, in the aspect of purpose, the teaching assistant institution applied in the research universities in China, its purpose is affected significantly by the reality that the teaching burden on the professors should be lessen. As a result, the purpose for cultivating the talents is ignored in China while the research universities in America use the action to fulfill the goal of cultivating talents.Secondly, in the aspect of the management philosophy, research universities in China are holding the philosophy of instrumentalism while the research universities in America are holding the philosophy of Student-Centered. The difference between the two is that the first one use the teaching assistant as a tool to solve the problems faced in teaching life and ignore its cultivating talents purpose while the second one taking the cultivating talents as the most important thing in their manage life.Thirdly, in the aspect of management methods, research universities in China use the method of "combination of centralization and decentralization". Research universities in America use the method of "comprehensive balance and cultivating students foremost". The former is not good for cultivating students’teaching skills and comprehensive quality; the latter is helpful to cultivate students.Based on analyzing purpose, management philosophy and management method of teaching assistant of research universities in China and America, according to the characteristics, principles and goals of higher education management, this study generalizes the characteristics and functions of teaching assistant management of research universities in China and America.Finally, according to the interviews, although the managers and teaching assistants feel satisfied with the management generally, this satisfaction depends largely on the fluency of work. The managers ignore the responsibilities of cultivating students and the graduates ignore self-development. This study recognizes that ignoring the responsibility of cultivate students is not only the biggest problem lying in management of teaching assistant of research universities in China, but also the most important reason for difference in teaching assistant management between China and America. This study provides suggestions for revolution based on three aspects including idea, institution and action.