Faculty Development Cluster: What should constitute TA training?

Rebekka DarnerMarcia Shofner

Ruth Buskirk

Summary of TA Programs

• University of Florida (Rebekka Darner)– Graduate seminar– Students/TAs read primary literature and discuss– Students/TAs write their teaching philosophy– Students/TAs get video-recorded and debrief with

instructor of seminar

Summary of TA Programs• University of Texas at Austin (Ruth Buskirk)– Graduate seminar– Assignments include writing exam questions,

observing lecture and lab classes, designing active learning exercise, writing case studies & syllabi

– Discussions of learning styles, problem students, university regulations and resources, FERPA

– “micro-teach” video-taped lesson, others critique

Summary of TA Programs

• University of Maryland (Marcia Shofner)– Graduate seminar for all new TAs

• Team-taught by 3 experienced faculty each representing a different graduate program

– TAs write their teaching philosophy– TAs are observed in their lab/discussion by experienced TA or

faculty who provide feedback– Mid-semester and final TA evaluations given

• UTA Teaching Fellows in lower level classes– UTAs attend 1 credit seminar on pedagogy– Mid-semester and final UTA evaluations– Must observe experienced GTA before teaching 1st lab/ discussion

Challenges & Successes

• Encouraging TAs to take their teaching seriously when their mentors don’t

• Engaging TAs in active learning exercises when their instructors don’t use them in class

• Increased confidence in teaching and curricular design

• Sharing experiences with other TAs and discussing how they would handle problems

Survey Results from BLCers

• Your biggest challenges:– Research mentor apathy (58.8%)– Lack of TA competence/confidence in subject (82.4%)– TA apathy (70.6%)

Survey Results from BLCers

• What you think should be included in TA prep:– Teaching ethics, dealing with academic dishonesty

(72.2%)– How to lead a discussion (77.8%)– Grading policies, criteria, rubrics (83.3%)– Giving a Powerpoint presentation (64.7%)– How to deal with difficult teaching situations (70.6%)

Resources on TA Training

• Our new wiki http://training-biology-tas.wikispaces.com

• Come check out our poster!