This qualitative analysis examines responses from individuals who completed a robust graduate instructor training program--a guided mentoring forum that meets bi-weekly, beginning the semester prior to the graduate students' first teaching assignment, and continuing through the totality of their teaching experience in graduate school. Current and…

This mixed-methods interdisciplinary study explores the relationship between theatre skills and graduate teaching assistants' development as university instructors. The authors employ a critical lens to look at classroom interactions as acts of performance. Data, which they collected through surveys and interviews with graduate teaching assistants…

Learning Assistants (LAs) are undergraduate students who have previously succeeded in a course and return to assist faculty in engaging current students. The authors used a mixed methods approach to explore changes in LAs' teaching self-efficacy and pedagogical knowledge (PK) over a semester. They found that LAs significantly improved their…

The University of Wyoming recently implemented a Learning Assistant (LA) program with the goal of supporting undergraduate students in traditionally lecture-based STEM courses. The authors performed a multi-method qualitative study utilizing a focus group and individual interviews in order to investigate the impact of the program's pilot year on…

In order to improve the student success rate in a "gateway" undergraduate Biology course, changes were made to both content delivery and classroom support, and the impact of these changes was measured. Requiring students to interact with course material prior to class time by viewing pre-recorded lectures freed up time in class to delve…

Undergraduate teaching assistant (UTA) programs pair students with faculty to enhance teaching and learning in the classroom. These programs have the potential to offer a high-impact experience (Kuh, 2008); students feel more connected to learning when meaningfully engaged. UTAs develop important relationships with faculty mentors, hone…

This article discusses a study conducted to evaluate the effect of the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) University College's Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UTA) Program on student performance in first-year core curriculum courses. First, a description and history of the UTA program are provided. Next, the authors describe how quantitative…

The authors present an example of a social constructivist framework and a backward design approach to enhance an underutilized peer mentoring program for teaching assistants. Following a needs assessment for quality improvement, the authors designed a mentoring workshop and revised guidelines: Mentoring pairs now use a four-step process to frame…

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are a pervasive presence in undergraduate education. Although GTAs are expected to successfully communicate course content to undergraduate students, they often are inexperienced and receive little training in pedagogy. Therefore, GTAs must learn effective communication behaviors in the classroom. This study…

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) play a crucial role in North American colleges. At a mid-Atlantic, land grant institution, GTAs instruct 34,000 undergraduates per semester. Given this scope, GTAs exert a powerful influence on undergraduate learning, yet little is known about their teaching beliefs in relation to their classroom practices. This…

This study developed a reliable and valid self-monitoring procedure for student use in recording and rating the quality of their individual comments in large college classes. Students used daily record cards immediately to record and rate each comment they made each day. However, a limit was set on the amount of credit students could claim for…

All organizations have "climates" that significantly affect their employees' performance and satisfaction. The authors posit that an academic department's "climate for teaching" (CFT)--or the the extent to which excellent teaching is rewarded, supported, and expected--has a profound impact on the experience of its instructors…

The authors compared student perceptions of audio and written feedback in order to assess what types of students may benefit from receiving audio feedback on their essays rather than written feedback. Many instructors previously have reported the advantages they see in audio feedback, but little quantitative research has been done on how the…

International instructors in U.S. institutions of higher education boost the academic quality of education available to U.S. undergraduate students. Many university students, however, regard nonnative English-speaking teaching assistants (NNESTAs) as problematic. Innovative programs for enhancing undergraduates' capacity to understand NNESTAs'…

What is considered effective teaching varies across cultures, institutions, and disciplines. Concepts of effective teaching reflect the values and expectations of the educational culture and language in which it occurs. This study examines how participation in a course on intercultural communication affects the observable teaching behaviors of…