MbShea@PWP@English@UMCP

Abstract: Research into student outcomes has identified teaching assistants (TA) as key players. Students who report more favorable views of their TAs are more likely to continue to pursue careers in science (O’Neal, 2009). Further, O’Neal found that lab climate was the most significant factor in retention of students. Labs are run almost exclusively by TAs. These findings highlight the importance of TAs in student outcomes, particularly in science courses with labs. I report similar personal experiences. TAs have had large impacts on how I view certain courses and disciplinaries. Other case studies report alike observations. TAs have a clear impact on students, so improving methods of TAs is in the best interest for schools and students. BSCI223 is the introductory microbiology course the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). The class serves as a gateway to more advanced microbiology courses as well as a liaison for students in other disciplinaries. BSCI223 serves an important purpose at UMD, so improving TA techniques will improve student grades, experiences, and retentions. In order to create this improvement, this guide will recommend ways to facilitate active learning, ways to encourage critical thinking, ways to prepare students for exams, and ways to grade effectively, efficiently, and fairly. Finally, the guide will give extra resources for those wishing to learn more about becoming an effective TA.

Reader’s Profile: I imagine a reader who doesn’t believe that teaching assistants very impactful on students.

Reader’s Response: I’ve had plenty of inadequate and mediocre teaching assistants and still enjoyed and done well in the classes. I don’t think those TAs had a big impact on my class grade or attitudes. Students do well or bad on there own efforts. I could see how having a bad professor might impact student outcomes, but TAs don’t have the same power or authority. I’d like to see more evidence to prove that good TAs have positive impact on student versus a bad TA. I’d also like that evidence to not be solely based on post-class surveys.

D, what you now will frame this with -- the evidence about how central teaching assistants are to achievement -- is a really good approach. Do students know this? Can you find ways to share this evidence-based information to students?

Finally, one big problem to address. How do TAs protect their one time? Teaching, which rewarding, includes so many forces for TA (and teacher) exploitation. How do you guard against this problem?