2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Recent years has shown increased success in the use of undergraduate students as teaching assistants or supplemental instructors in core chemical engineering courses. While typically utilized in traditional lecture-based courses, there is significant promise in utilizing undergraduate student as a peer resource in lab-based course. This paper summarizes how undergraduate teaching assistants, referred to at X University as coaches, were integrated into a junior level lecture/laboratory course. The course is designed to teach experimental statistics in the lecture component (two days a week) with the students performing experiments on three different unit operations (one day a week) for 3 four-week experimental cycles. The main responsibilities of the coaches were focused in the laboratory component and include student oversight in the lab, help with debugging lab equipment issues, assistance on data analysis and experimental design, and insight on lab instructor expectations. Undergraduate coaches were recruited during the semester and served either one or two semesters prior to graduation. The coaches utilize their experience from the class to help the students and are provided additional training on the unit operations used that semester. Preliminary assessment indicated that the undergraduate coaches were an invaluable student resource providing quick answers to questions and encouragement on difficult assignments.