2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Engineering Educator Identity Development in a Socially and Culturally Embedded Discipline Specific Graduate Teaching Assistant Professional Development Program

Presented at NEE Technical Session 2 - Educator's experience and perspective

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) play a significant role in shaping the learning experiences of undergraduate students. However, their potential as higher education practitioners is often hindered by a lack of training opportunities and support systems (Verleger & Diefes-Dux, 2013). When limited opportunities do exist, they often fail to address the specific needs of different disciplines, despite the clear necessity for discipline-specific training (Bubbar et al., 2017). To meet this need, a program was developed to train GTAs in the Faculty of Engineering at a Canadian university. This program is facilitated by an experienced instructional coach, and consists of four themes: 1) Philosophy of Teaching and Learning; 2) Fostering Learning Opportunities; 3) Designing Courses for Learning; and 4) Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, each comprising three modules. Each module includes specific objectives, selected readings, video cases, podcasts featuring experts, reflective questions, and opportunities for the GTAs to develop and submit their own products related to the module topics. Additionally, every module includes a one-hour synchronous Community of Practice (CoP) session guided by the instructional coach. GTAs dedicate approximately 4-6 hours per week for four months to this immersive program. The conceptual framework for this study is based on situated learning (Lave & Wenger, 1991), which postulates that learning occurs as a result of socially and culturally embedded interactions and relationships (Ebbers, 2015; Vermunt, 2014).
This case study aims to explore the perspectives of GTAs in terms of their overall experiences, learnings, and challenges during their participation in the program. The study was conducted from January to April 2023, involving two cohorts of 20 GTAs from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The program was delivered through the university's online course platform, and six GTAs with varying teaching experiences volunteered for the study. Data was collected through individual interviews and a focus group discussion conducted at the conclusion of the program. The collected data underwent qualitative thematic analysis following the method suggested by Braun and Clarke (2006).
The findings revealed that the GTAs highly appreciated the opportunities offered by the training program. This included engaging with teaching and learning concepts, learning techniques to implement student-centered pedagogy, and recognizing the importance of CoPs and the value of learning as a community. GTAs also highlighted the tensions between what is being taught in the program and their practices as GTAs. Specifically, they emphasized the significance of tailored pedagogical content that aligns with their specific roles and responsibilities, along with opportunities to put their learning into practice.
Given the high numbers of GTAs and their often overlooked roles in higher education, there is a need to rethink about GTA’s roles and responsibilities in university labs and classrooms to enhance undergraduate students’ learning experiences. This study provides the first evaluation of a program designed to enhance GTAs’ understanding about teaching and learning and their educational practices. The results indicate that supporting the development of GTAs’ educator identity in this manner can help them to plan and apply better educational practices earlier in their teaching careers.

Authors

Dr. Gokce Akcayir University of Alberta [biography]

Dr. Gokce Akcayir works on the SPARK-ENG project as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alberta. Gokce received both her masters and Ph.D. degrees in Educational Technology. After completing her Ph.D. in 2018, she joined the Educational Technology, Knowledge, Language and Learning Analytics (EdTeKLA) research group at the University of Alberta where she completed a SSHRC postdoctoral fellowship. Later she participated in the SPARK-ENG project at the Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education (CMASTE).
Dr. Marnie V Jamieson http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-9065-5347 University of Alberta [biography]

Marnie V. Jamieson, M. Sc., Ph.D., P.Eng. is a Teaching Professor in Chemical Process Design in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering at the University of Alberta and holds an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering. She is currently the William and Elizabeth Magee Chair in Chemical Engineering Design and leads the process design teaching team. Her current research focuses on engineering design and leadership, engineering culture, the engineering graduate attributes and their intersection with sustainability, learning culture, and continuous course and program improvement.
Kristian Basaraba University of Alberta [biography]

Kristian Basaraba is currently an Instructional Coach for the SPARK-ENG (Scholarship of Pedagogy and Research Knowledge - Engineering) Program at the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Alberta. Throughout his 20+ years of teaching he has taught all levels of high school science in both a traditional and outreach setting. He earned his Master’s of Science in Science Education from Montana State University where he explored the role that computer simulations have on students' conceptual understanding of classical physics. Kristian is very active in the professional development community and loves to share ideas and methodology for what happens in his classroom. One of his most recent achievements includes being awarded the 2020 Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Teaching for his project Exploring Colonialism, Creativity and Reconciliation with Skateboards.
Duncan Buchanan University of Alberta [biography]

Duncan Buchanan, B.Sc., B.Ed., M.Ed., is a retired educator, consultant and administrator who works as an Instructional Coach in the Department of Experiential and Professional Education in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Alberta. With over 30 years of teaching experience, he is excited about the opportunity to share his pedagogy and practice with Engineering professors and graduate teaching assistants.
Qingna Jin [biography]

Dr. Qingna Jin is an Assistant Professor in science education at the Department of Education, Cape Breton University, Canada. Before moving to her current position, she worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education (CMASTE), University of Alberta. Her research interests include dialogical argumentation in school science and STEM contexts, children’s critical problem solving in the information age, and children’s metacognition in learning.
Mijung Kim University of Alberta [biography]

Dr. Mijung Kim is a professor in science education at the Faculty of Education, University of Alberta, Canada. Her research areas include children’s collective reasoning and problem solving, scientific and socioscientific argumentation, and visualization in STEM education.
Dr. Janelle McFeetors University of Alberta [biography]

Janelle McFeetors is an Associate Professor of Elementary Mathematics Education and the Co-director of the Centre for Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education at the University of Alberta. Over the past four years, she has co-lead a team to develop and implement a pedagogical professional learning program (PLP) for post-secondary instructors. The PLP is grounded in evidence-based practices and supports the development of intentional teaching for educator identity formation.
Kerry Rose University of Alberta [biography]

Dr. Kerry Rose is a project manager at the Centre for Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education, University of Alberta. Her research interests include Land-based learning, professional learning communities, and teacher agency.

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