Time for econ to end the sophomore slump

In large undergraduate economics classes at Georgetown, where professors often lecture before more than one hundred people, teaching assistants can make or break a student’s experience. Many freshmen must take introductory economics classes because of the core requirements of the School of Foreign Service and McDonough School of Business, and major requirements in Georgetown College and the School of Nursing and Health Studies. Unfortunately, 30 percent of these students will be enrolled in discussion sections with second year undergraduate TAs. The economics department should work to limit or eliminate the use of sophomore TAs in these critical introductory classes.
According to several economics professors, the highest performing students in their introductory classes are regularly asked to return as TAs. While these students may have mastered the material for the classes, the current selection process does not adequately evaluate potential TAs’ communication skills and commitment to students. TAs need to be observed extensively in a classroom environment before working with students, and they need to be watched and evaluated over the course of the semester to test their true effectiveness.
Sophomore TAs have relatively limited exposure to the field of economics; most have not even registered as economics majors by the time they are hired to lead a recitation. Sophomore TAs are also more likely to know the students in their sections outside of the classroom, and this situation presents a potential conflict of interest when TAs must grade assignments and exams.
Professors should attempt to limit the use of sophomore TAs and find qualified upperclassmen or graduate students to serve in these positions. Unlike the government department at Georgetown, the economics department does not have enough graduate students or the resources necessary to ensure that no TAs are undergraduates. However, preference should be given to juniors and seniors who have been exposed to more challenging economics classes and plan to major in the subject.
If any department should understand the concept of incentives, it’s the economics department. They should offer more enticing benefits—such as a higher wage and class credit—to potential TAs, to ensure that the applicant pool will be filled with more students who both understand the material and can lucidly convey it to students. These changes will allow more students to learn from mature, knowledgeable TAs who can fairly assess their work and who have demonstrated a strong commitment to the subject.