In recent years, the wellbeing of students and staff in Higher Education has received increased attention in pedagogical research. However, the experiences of Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs), or PhD researchers who teach alongside their doctoral studies, are notably absent from this literature. In this mixed-methods study, we examined…

The Learning Assistant (LA) program is a near-peer teaching model with three key components: (i) reevaluation of curriculum and lesson design to incorporate undergraduate LAs as a central part of the course; (ii) a seminar attended by first-time LAs, where they learn about education theory; and (iii) weekly meetings in which LAs and course…

Science identity impacts undergraduates' persistence in their science courses and careers. Here, we investigated science identity in learning assistants, undergraduate peer educators who provide academic and social support in science courses. Understanding learning assistants' science identities has particular value because of their dual role as…

In large lecture courses, it can be challenging to imagine assessing student learning in ways other than multiple-choice exams and traditional point-based grading. Inspired by major pedagogical principles shared by Maria Montessori and Thomas Jefferson and supported by current understandings of effective teaching, assessment was reimagined in a…

Purpose: Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) often play a vital role in the delivery of university programs, yet GTAs may lack pedagogical experience. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of GTAs during their first semester of university teaching. Specifically, we provide a descriptive account of the GTAs' lived experiences 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…

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have been identified as a promising approach to engage large numbers of students in discovery-based investigations in the biological sciences. As the prevalence of CUREs continues to increase nationwide, the role of graduate teaching assistants (TAs) in facilitating these courses has…

Discussions about the contributions of teacher assistants (TAs) are mainly limited to Western contexts, such as Australia, the UK, and the United States, and studies have consistently explored the role of TAs in inclusive learning environments despite their continuous deployment in special schools. This study attempted to understand the…

Miscommunication between instructors and students is a significant obstacle to post-secondary learning. Students may skip office hours due to insecurities or scheduling conflicts, which can lead to missed opportunities for questions. To support self-paced learning and encourage creative thinking skills, academic institutions must redefine their…

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Instructional labs: Improving traditions and new directions.] This study investigated the development of four new novice graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) and one nontenure track (NTT) faculty member assigned to teach an introductory physics laboratory course based on the investigative science…

To transition introductory college science courses from large, passive lectures to more student-centered learning environments, additional instructional support is needed. Peer learning assistants (PLAs) can support that transformation by engaging students in interactive discourse and collaborative learning during class activities. PLAs are…

In this paper, we describe our approach to mentoring Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) as teaching and learning protégés within the context of a challenging undergraduate honours thesis course. An approach to mentoring GTAs in this multifaceted course is outlined, while providing practical strategies that expose GTAs to various aspects of the…

For over four decades, International Teaching Assistants (ITAs) have faced criticism by undergraduate students for their linguistic and teaching abilities. One area of research on ITAs' linguistic abilities focused on their pronunciation and generally revealed non-standard patterns of segmental and suprasegmental features (Anderson-Hsieh et al.,…

Kansas City University offers a Clinical Anatomy Fellowship which enrolls nine medical students during each academic year and provides training in research, teaching, and advanced anatomical topics. The Fellows practice as novice educators, working alongside Anatomy faculty to teach medical students in the Gross Anatomy laboratory. However, little…

The primary purpose of this study is to validate a student engagement measure for its use in evaluation of a learning assistant (LA) program. A series of psychometric evaluations were made for both the original scale of Higher Education Student Engagement Scale (HESES) and its adapted version designed to be used in gauging the effectiveness of…