MOBILIZING THE FORGOTTEN ARMYCottrell Scholar Summer Conference –

Summer 2013

MOBILIZING THE FORGOTTEN ARMY:Equipping TAs with Inquiry-Based Instruction

Methods

Jordan Gerton (Utah) & Mike Schatz (Ga Tech)Linda Columbus (Virginia); Sara Skrabalak

(Indiana); John Cerne (Buffalo); Luis Echegoyan (UTEP); Brian Saam (Utah)

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MOBILIZING THE FORGOTTEN ARMYCottrell Scholar Summer Conference –

Summer 2013

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MOBILIZING THE FORGOTTEN ARMYCottrell Scholar Summer Conference –

Summer 2013

MOTIVATION TAs play a key instructional role at R1 Universities

They are a major resource, but… …training is inhomogeneous and often neglected

Traditionally, TAs are primarily utilized in: UG teaching laboratories Recitation sessions for large, intro lecture

courses Assessment (grading)

TAs comprise our next generation of faculty instructors Huge opportunity to positively impact STEM

instruction Help them succeed in the classroom now & in

future Indoctrinate them before developing bad habits

MOBILIZING THE FORGOTTEN ARMYCottrell Scholar Summer Conference –

Summer 2013

TERRA INFIRMA

The education landscape at R1 Universities is shifting: Use of inquiry-based instruction methods is

growing,…

…but pressures on young faculty make it difficult to adopt new methods in situ

R1 Universities must compete with a broader range of alternative education options: for-profit, MOOCs, etc.

The UG laboratory environment is shifting: 2012 PCAST report recommends “replacing

standard laboratory courses with discovery-based research courses”

New approaches and technologies: “World as Laboratory”

MOBILIZING THE FORGOTTEN ARMYCottrell Scholar Summer Conference –

Summer 2013

PROJECT OBJECTIVE

To provide departments with the tools to broadly adopt interactive and discovery-based teaching methods through education and training of TAs. Addresses an immediate need for higher

performing TAs

Exposes developing scientists to the practice of modern teaching methods during their preparatory years

Encourages development of instruction-focused peer-to-peer and mentorship networks

Fosters skills such as team building, communication, and management in next generation of instructors

Empowers and recognizes graduate students as agents of change within their own institutions

MOBILIZING THE FORGOTTEN ARMYCottrell Scholar Summer Conference –

Summer 2013

PLAN OF ACTION 2-day workshop focused on inquiry-based approaches in

introductory labs and recitation sections Led by CS collaborative in partnership with recognized

practitioners (Ken Heller, Priscilla Laws, Melanie Cooper…) Participants will be 2-person TA/instructor teams to

maximize impact upon return to their home department

Develop a suite of print and electronic materials Outline best practices and case studies Pre-workshop activities (i.e., we will flip our classroom)

Assessment: TA/instructor teams will develop an implementation

strategy Teams report to collaborative by end of academic year Collaborative will survey Chairs from participating Depts.

MOBILIZING THE FORGOTTEN ARMYCottrell Scholar Summer Conference –

Summer 2013

TAs GET READY: THERE ARE CHANGES A COMIN’

In light of rapidly changing instructional landscape (e.g., MOOCs), it's important to take a broader view of Labs & Recitations

Articulating the purpose of the intro labs and recitations What are the intended learning outcomes? What are the TA skills needed to further those outcomes

The World as a Lab: Experiments outside bricks & mortar labs UIUC SmartLabs Use of cell phones for video-based analysis of

observations

New activities beyond standard instructional lab practices Computational modeling of student experiments Student lab reports delivered in video format Evaluation of reports by student peers