2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The Impact of a Graduate Teaching and Leadership Course on Engineering Graduate Teaching Assistants’ Learning of Pedagogy

Presented at Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM) Technical Session 4

It is essential to train engineering Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) to be good educators. Evidence shows that most GTAs are unprepared for instruction. Literature suggests that when one receives training in teaching, one can acquire several transferable skills, such as effective communication, leadership, problem-solving, etc. GTA training programs aim to equip GTAs with proficient teaching skills while applying these transferable skills in their classrooms and future careers.
To assist engineering GTAs in honing their teaching skills, the research team developed a graduate teaching and leadership course. In Spring 2022, the Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge (TPACK) survey was used to assess the impact of the course on the GTAs’ TPACK. Although it was found that the course positively impacted the GTAs’ TPACK, the team did not assess the impact of each of the course’s modules on the GTAs’ learning. This follow-up study addresses the critical need for effective pedagogical development among engineering GTAs, focusing on the assessment of Pedagogical Knowledge (PK) and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). Recognizing the gap in validated instruments tailored to GTA training, the research team developed and implemented a specialized survey designed around the course.
The research commenced with the validation of the newly created survey instrument. Through extensive factor analysis, the validity of the survey was established, ensuring its alignment with the essential elements of PK and PCK. The survey comprises 40 items across 11 domains, reflecting the course modules' targeted pedagogical and leadership outcomes. The instrument's reliability was affirmed by Cronbach’s alpha coefficients exceeding 0.75 for all domains, highlighting its consistency in measuring GTA pedagogical development.With the participation of 124 engineering GTAs in the pre-survey and 114 completing both pre- and post-surveys, the research team utilized the Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon Signed-Rank tests to evaluate the impact of the intervention. The findings demonstrated a significant enhancement in GTAs' skills across all surveyed domains, irrespective of their prior teaching experience. The study's results validate the survey instrument's utility in capturing the nuanced aspects of GTAs' pedagogical growth and confirm the targeted course modules' efficacy in advancing their teaching and leadership proficiency. Plans for ongoing instrument refinement and the potential for broader application underscore the study's significance in elevating GTA training effectiveness and pedagogical excellence.

Authors

Robin Jephthah Rajarathinam University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Robin Jephthah Rajarathinam is a Ph.D. candidate in the department of Curriculum and Instruction, DELTA program, UIUC. His research focuses on Collaborative Learning, Learning Analytics, and Human-Centered Design within STEM disciplines. His background is in mechanical engineering and education.
Joshua E. Katz University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Joshua E. Katz is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, DELTA program, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where his research centers on collaborative learning in engineering education and other STEM disciplines. He obtained his B.S. in Technology and Engineering Education in 2019 and his M.S. in STEM Education and Leadership in 2021, both from Illinois State University. Additionally, he holds a professional educator license for secondary education in Technology and Engineering Education in Illinois.
Mr. Saadeddine Shehab University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

I am currently the Associate Director of Assessment and Research team at the Siebel Center for Design (SCD) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I work with a group of wonderful and talented people at SCD’s Assessment and Research Laboratory to conduct research that informs and evaluates our practice of teaching and learning human-centered design in formal and informal learning environments.

My Research focuses on studying students’ collaborative problem solving processes and the role of the teacher in facilitating these processes in STEM classrooms.
Dr. Blake Everett Johnson University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Dr. Blake Everett Johnson is a Teaching Assistant Professor and instructional laboratory manager in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His research interests include experimental fluid mechanics, measurement science, engineering education, engineering leadership, and professional identity development.
Prof. Yuting W. Chen University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Dr. Yuting W. Chen received the B.S. degree from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2007, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2009 and 2011, all in Electrical Engineering. She is currently a Teaching Associate Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Director of Women in Engineering at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her current interests include recruitment and retention of under-represented students in STEM, professional development for graduate students, and curriculum innovation in computing.
Dr. Marcia Pool http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2813-4217 University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Dr. Marcia (“Marci”) Pool is the Assistant Director for Education at the Cancer Center at Illinois and a Teaching Associate Professor in Bioengineering. She holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, has served for sixteen years as teaching faculty/staff in biomedical/bioengineering and nine years in departmental/institute educational administration, and is an ABET program evaluator for Bioengineering/Biomedical Engineering. She focuses on identifying and evaluating mechanisms to enhance the educational experience and develop students into engineers and researchers. Her work includes interventions to enhance training for high school students, undergraduate students, and predoctoral (graduate students) and postdoctoral trainees through training programs such as NIH T32s. These programs include curricular, extracurricular, and professional and career development components with required evaluation and tracking of student participants.
Kristin M. Chochola http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5612-4991 University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Kristin Chochola is the Assistant Director of the Morrill Engineering Program (MEP), a program designed to empower and support African American, Hispanic, and Native American engineering students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her current work focuses on recruitment, retention, and community building for under-represented students in engineering.

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