Graduate Instructional and Research Assistant

Penn State University•University Park, IL

20h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Workforce Education and Development (WFED) program in the Department of Learning and Performance Systems seeks currently enrolled Penn State graduate students to provide part-time, hourly instructional and research support to program faculty. These positions are funded through the program’s endowment funds. They are intended to give WFED graduate students paid, professionally relevant experience while advancing program priorities in teaching, research, and outreach. Each assistant is assigned to one or more faculty-directed projects. Assignments vary by semester and may combine instructional support and research support in any proportion. The Professor-in-Charge of the WFED program coordinates assignments. The faculty member leading each project provides day-to-day direction, sets priorities and deadlines, and reviews all work products. Where the assignment supports a graduate course, that faculty member is the course’s Instructor of Record. All work is performed under the direction of the supervising faculty member. For any assignment that supports a 500- or 800-level course, the assistant serves as a Graduate Student Instructional Assistant under Graduate Council policy GCAC-902, which limits the roles a graduate student may play in the instruction of a graduate course and requires active supervision by the Instructor of Record. Under that policy the assistant is not responsible for the instructional content of a course, the selection of student assignments, the planning of examinations, unsupervised or unreviewed grading, or the determination of final course grades. Grading is not a primary duty of this position; grading support for undergraduate courses is provided through the program’s separate Graduate Grading Assistant position. If an Instructor of Record assigns the marking of graduate course work for later review, or student contact such as office hours or discussion sections, the role-specific qualifications in GCAC-902 apply, including having previously passed the course or an equivalent with a grade of B or better. Assistants may not be assigned to a course in which they are enrolled. If an assignment involves direct instructional contact with students, the University’s English competency requirements for instructional personnel apply before that assignment begins.

Requirements

Must be currently enrolled Penn State graduate students in good academic standing at the time of hire and must remain enrolled for the duration of the appointment.
Master’s and doctoral students may apply.
Strong academic writing and editing skills in English.
Demonstrated ability to search scholarly databases (e.g., ERIC, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Google Scholar) and to manage references with a citation manager.
Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Ability to work independently, manage multiple tasks, and meet deadlines.
Attention to detail.
Ability to maintain confidentiality of research data, student records, and unpublished work.
Completion of the Office of the University Registrar’s FERPA tutorial and quiz before beginning duties.
Submission of the Graduate Student Instructional Assistant Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form to the department head before beginning assignment (if assigned to a graduate course).
Completion of CITI training as required by the project (if research tasks involve human subjects data).

Nice To Haves

Graduate study in Workforce Education and Development, Organization Development and Change, Human Resource Development, Adult Education, Learning, Design, and Technology, or a related field.
Coursework or experience in qualitative or quantitative research methods.
Experience with Canvas or another learning management system.
Experience with WordPress or a similar web platform, email newsletter tools, or graphic design tools.
Prior experience supporting research projects, grant proposals, or course development.
For assignments that support graduate courses, preference is given to advanced doctoral students who have completed the required coursework for their degree.

Responsibilities

Providing clerical, research, and technology support associated with course instruction: organizing course materials, updating documents and templates, checking links and accessibility, preparing checklists and schedules, maintaining the course site in Canvas to the instructor’s specifications, and tracking course project milestones.
Drafting contributions to learning activities, assignments, rubrics, and other assessment instruments, including activities that incorporate generative AI tools, for review and adoption by the Instructor of Record.
Supporting program outreach and communication, including maintaining the Professional Development Network website (pdn.psu.edu) and preparing regular newsletters, event announcements, and web content.
Coordinating logistics for program events, webinars, information sessions, and recruitment activities.
Compiling course and program information for assessment reports, accreditation records, and handbook updates.
Conducting literature searches in education, workforce, and social science databases and preparing annotated bibliographies, literature summaries, and reference lists.
Supporting the preparation of manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals, including formatting, reference checking, tables and figures, and submission logistics.
Supporting grant proposals: compiling background materials and citations, formatting narratives and budgets to sponsor specifications, assembling appendices, and tracking requirements and deadlines.
Organizing and preparing project materials for analysis under faculty direction, such as transcripts, coding files, survey data files, and documentation, and maintaining orderly project records.
Providing editorial and administrative support for faculty-led journal special issues, such as tracking submissions and preparing correspondence templates.
Conducting environmental scans, audience analyses, and comparable-program reviews to inform new certificate, outreach, and professional development offerings.
Preparing summaries, briefs, and presentation slides for faculty review.