The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the perceived ease of use and usefulness of an assistive robot educator tool. The theoretical foundation for this study was the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Service Robot Acceptance Model (sRAM), which explore perceptions around the utility of technological systems. The…

Learning Assistants (LAs) are undergraduates who work in active-learning classrooms with students facilitating discussions and encouraging deeper thinking, while also receiving pedagogical training. We describe how we built an LA program at a regional comprehensive university starting as a grassroots STEM initiative to recruit teachers, and…

In higher education settings, instructors play a critical role in integrating Human-Centered Design (HCD) in existing and new courses. This study explores how instructors teach about and through HCD in higher education settings and what challenges they encounter as they do so. Participants were four faculty members and four graduate teaching…

This study provides a detailed picture of how the on-going challenge of teacher shortages in England and Wales is driving the deployment of teaching assistants (TAs) to cover classes in place of teachers. Analyses of data from a survey of nearly 6000 TAs in mainstream and special schools found that TAs cover classes for up to 4 h a week, with one…

The formation of teacher identity is a complex and strenuous process. Teachers are expected to form multiple identities based on institutional values and regulations; however, these identities can sometimes conflict with one's personal values and goals, leading to less integration. According to self-determination theory, forming an integrated…

Learning Assistant (LA) programs oversee and support undergraduate instructors and faculty members who work together to facilitate student learning in a variety of classroom settings. The success of an LA program is tied to experiences of the participants; therefore, understanding the perceptions of LAs and faculty is central to driving…

Proton nuclear magnetic resonance ([superscript 1]H NMR) spectroscopy is an essential characterization tool for organic chemists widely taught in the undergraduate chemistry curricula. Previous work has focused on how students advance from novice to expert in interpreting [superscript 1]H NMR spectra. However, we need to know more about how…

The National Science Foundation identified a shortage of STEM professionals in the United States. There is a dire need to promote STEM education to secure high-paying and skilled jobs for the country's residents and the overall healthy economy. This shortage is partly due to students' low retention and persistence to graduate in STEM fields. Due…

Acid-base chemistry is a foundational concept for organic chemistry, and the complexities in teaching and learning acid-base chemistry are well documented. This study aimed to investigate post-secondary instructors' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for teaching acid-base chemistry in an organic chemistry context. Two groups of three graduate…

This study sought to develop, implement, and test an Artificial Intelligence Teaching Assistant (AITA) to enhance student engagement and instructor presence in online courses using AI models like OpenAI's 4o model and Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) solutions like Microsoft Power Automate. The AITA generated weekly announcements within…

More students with more severe mental health conditions are entering college, putting ever greater pressure on university resources to meet the needs, both psychological and educational, of these students. Graduate student instructors and TAs (TAs) are uniquely positioned to connect these students to supportive resources, but may be underprepared…

This study examined the relationship between teachers' attitudes toward trauma-informed care and teachers' self-reported levels of secondary traumatic stress. Albert Bandura's social cognitive theory and Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory were used as frameworks for this study. A purposive sample of 132 early childhood and elementary education…

This study examined the spontaneous teacher-student interactions that occurred in three graduate student instructors' [GSIs] precalculus classrooms. We classified these interactions relative to these instructors' actions to make sense of and use student thinking to inform their in-the-moment interactions with students. Our characterizations of…

Students with disabilities are entering higher education at increased rates (National Center Educational Statistics, 2016). The aim of this study was to investigate graduate teaching assistants' knowledge, attitudes, and professional development needs regarding students with disabilities in higher education. A modification of Sniatecki's (2015)…

Presently, the universities are under exceeding strain of increasing faculty engagement and job satisfaction since due to COVID-19 the faculty is being overwhelmed by having to adapt to new ways of teaching (online, hybrid, flip, etc.) while conducting other activities such as administrative work, service, research, and continuous learning. This…