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GSI Teaching & Resource Center
University of California, Berkeley

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Frequently Asked Questions: Working with Faculty and Other GSIs

14. What should I do if students complain about the workload for the course or the professor’s lectures, assignments, or exams?

Undergraduates are much more likely to air their discontent with the course with GSIs and not with professors. When this happens, GSIs should encourage students to use the professor's office hours to share their thoughts and ideas directly. If they are not already scheduled, GSIs should suggest periodic meetings with the professor to go over the mechanics of the course and to discuss pedagogical strategies and student progress. Graduate students sometimes find it difficult to offer constructive criticism to professors, particularly when they work with professors in other academic areas. Providing feedback to faculty can be made easier if a formal mechanism is put in place early in the semester with this goal in mind.

15. What should I do if I ever encounter difficulties with either the course instructor or other GSIs I am working with in a particular course?

Difficulties among co-workers can arise in any situation. Problems are best handled by discussions among the parties involved. If difficulties continue with fellow GSIs, you should speak to the course instructor. If this doesn't clear things up, see your department's Faculty Adviser for GSI Affairs or your department chair. Difficulties with the course instructor, if they persist and cannot be resolved directly with the instructor, should also be brought first to the attention of the Faculty Adviser for GSI Affairs, then to the department chair. The GSI Teaching and Resource Center can also suggest campus resources that might be of assistance to you in resolving course-related problems.

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