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Phd students lecturing and marking

What do you think about Phd students lecturing and marking in the final year?
In my final year and have had a PHd student taking lectures, which I don't mind so much, but she just reads the lecture notes from the slides and that's it.
What concerns me more is a PHd student marking final year assignments. I am aware of the marking guidelines, but I'm a bit concerned as my university is currently going through some changes and one of them is that they are very short staffed because of what they call 'streamlining' and marks are over two to three weeks late. Most of my class are worried about this.
What do you think about a PHd student marking your work?
In your department, do the regular teaching staff have PhDs?
Reply 2
Original post by DrSocSciences
In your department, do the regular teaching staff have PhDs?


No, this is the first time.
This is typical for most universities. While it's more common for them to teach material in e.g. tutorials, etc during the earlier years of the course, if the university determines they have suitable experience they will often be allowed to assist in courses during the latter years.

Additionally the PhD(s) in question may have a background beyond their doctoral programme to be teaching - a friend of mine worked as a TA for several years in his department before starting a PhD (as he was in the humanities and thus wasn't able to secure funding before then). He now organises several of the discussion/tutorial sections for modules across all years of the corresponding undergraduate course, as he has a great deal of experience in this already.

Purely in terms of marking, it is entirely normal to have PhDs marking all work throughout the degree. Particularly for "arts" subjects, where they need to mark 100+ essays in two weeks, it is impossible for a full time researcher and part time lecturer (which is what most academics are) to mark all the scripts. Marking work requires the ability to follow a marking rubric and have a suitable knowledge of the background material. An undergraduate could mark other undergraduates' work, from an earlier year. This is in fact quite common in the US.

Honestly this comes off a little conceited, as if you're suggesting your work is too sophisticated for a "mere" PhD to understand, despite them necessarily having been through the undergraduate degree you have yet to complete already and have usually spent a year or more in their PhD programme (and as above, entirely possibly having spent longer working in higher education in a non-research capacity). If they were marking your dissertation I could understand some concern, but for standard coursework I can't see any reason for alarm.
(edited 5 years ago)
I attended summer school at the University of Glasgow last year and my chemistry classes were led by PhD students. They varied in lecture quality (as do actual lecturers) but I didn't have any qualms about them grading my work and tests. I feel I'd be fine with it in my actual degree as well.
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by artful_lounger
This is typical for most universities. While it's more common for them to teach material in e.g. tutorials, etc during the earlier years of the course, if the university determines they have suitable experience they will often be allowed to assist in courses during the latter years.

Additionally the PhD(s) in question may have a background beyond their doctoral programme to be teaching - a friend of mine worked as a TA for several years in his department before starting a PhD (as he was in the humanities and thus wasn't able to secure funding before then). He now organises several of the discussion/tutorial sections for modules across all years of the corresponding undergraduate course, as he has a great deal of experience in this already.

Purely in terms of marking, it is entirely normal to have PhDs marking all work throughout the degree. Particularly for "arts" subjects, where they need to mark 100+ essays in two weeks, it is impossible for a full time researcher and part time lecturer (which is what most academics are) to mark all the scripts. Marking work requires the ability to follow a marking rubric and have a suitable knowledge of the background material. An undergraduate could mark other undergraduates' work, from an earlier year. This is in fact quite common in the US.

Honestly this comes off a little conceited, as if you're suggesting your work is too sophisticated for a "mere" PhD to understand, despite them necessarily having been through the undergraduate degree you have yet to complete already and have usually spent a year or more in their PhD programme (and as above, entirely possibly having spent longer working in higher education in a non-research capacity). If they were marking your dissertation I could understand some concern, but for standard coursework I can't see any reason for alarm.


^This. All day long.

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