Undergraduate Student Perspective on Teaching Assistants
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Having access to teaching assistants (TAs) in college classrooms has been shown to be beneficial for student performance. Past research has used surveys and observed student-TA interactions to measure their effectiveness, featuring primarily graduate student TAs. The present research was designed to gain insight into how students perceive and utilize their undergraduate TAs. Additionally, it examined TA responsibilities and interactions outside the classroom that previous research does not address in depth. Undergraduate students were asked to complete an online survey divided into three categories: TA profile, interactions with the TA, and TA benefits. Survey results revealed that students felt comfortable asking their TA for assistance. However, the majority of participants reported not utilizing their TAs as much as they wanted due to an unawareness of how to access them. Students who did utilize their TAs found them to be very beneficial as they aided in reviewing the course material and provided useful study tips. Overall, the findings provided insight on how to optimize the role and responsibilities of a TA to increase student engagement and improve their effectiveness in addressing students’ academic needs.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- Authors retain copyright and grant the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (JoSoTL) right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License, (CC-BY) 4.0 International, allowing others to share the work with proper acknowledgement and citation of the work's authorship and initial publication in the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
- Authors are able to enter separate, additional contractual agreements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
- In pursuit of manuscripts of the highest quality, multiple opportunities for mentoring, and greater reach and citation of JoSoTL publications, JoSoTL encourages authors to share their drafts to seek feedback from relevant communities unless the manuscript is already under review or in the publication queue after being accepted. In other words, to be eligible for publication in JoSoTL, manuscripts should not be shared publicly (e.g., online), while under review (after being initially submitted, or after being revised and resubmitted for reconsideration), or upon notice of acceptance and before publication. Once published, authors are strongly encouraged to share the published version widely, with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
References
Bent, T., Knapp, J., & Robinson, J. (2020). Evaluating the Effectiveness of Teaching Assistants in Active Learning Classrooms. Journal of Learning Spaces, 9(2).
Fingerson, L., & Culley, A. B. (2001). Collaborators in Teaching and Learning: Undergraduate Teaching Assistants in the Classroom. Teaching Sociology, 29(3), 299–315. https://doi.org/10.2307/1319189
Gordon, J., Henry, P., & Dempster, M. (2013). Undergraduate Teaching Assistants: A Learner-Centered Model for Enhancing Student Engagement in the First-Year Experience. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 25(1), 103-109.
Karpenko, L., & Schauz, S. (2017). Thinking as a Student: Stimulating Peer Education in the Humanities with an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 17(3), 124–135. https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v17i3.22158
McVey, M. A., Bennett, C. R., Kim, J. H., & Self, A. (2017, June). Impact of undergraduate teaching fellows embedded in key undergraduate engineering courses. In 2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition.