Editorial: Standards for preceptors

Currently, the University requires all preceptors to take a two-day training session at the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning as part of their introduction to teaching. For many graduate students on campus, particularly those enrolled in the long-term course, this training is sufficient for them to be able to lead a precept and teach undergraduates. For others, however, it seems that more training is necessary. Some departments, including English and comparative literature, require their graduate students to take a semester-long seminar in teaching and pedagogy in order to be a preceptor. While each department should tailor its training to its preceptors, adopting the model of some of the humanities departments and requiring semester-long training are appropriate measures to help regulate teaching and ensure more consistency among the precepts.

While it is true that not every graduate student needs this additional instruction, these training sessions will help the preceptors who do need to improve their teaching skills and will standardize the quality of precepts throughout the University. Moreover, most graduate students that participate in training beyond the two-day sessions — whether a required seminar or one of the additional workshops offered by individual departments and the McGraw Center — find these experiences edifying and helpful. Given this general approval, it does not seem unreasonable that all graduate students, whether qualified or needing assistance, be required to attend one of these training sessions.

Some graduate students may argue that this further training emphasizes an unnecessary aspect of their academic experience. Though required to lead a precept, graduate students are first and foremost researchers working to write their dissertations for their particular field. Nevertheless, graduate students at Princeton must also recognize that they bear a lighter teaching load than at other major universities. In comparison to leading entire courses, this proposal for one additional required workshop seems reasonable and fair.

Though this proposal should lead to an improvement in teaching quality, preparation and active participation of undergraduates are also fundamental to a precept’s quality. Graduate students argue that no matter the effort they put into their precepts, the real problem lies in the laziness and lack of enthusiasm among undergraduates. Furthermore, the incentives for undergraduates to work hard are not equal to those of graduate students, who must teach a precept as a condition of their funding. Just as graduate students ought to take the necessary steps to improve their teaching skills, undergraduates must also take advantage of the resources provided and participate actively in precept. Such a joint effort, in the end, would result in a better precept experience for both parties.