Educating young educators: a pedagogical internship for undergraduate teaching assistants

Area of Science:

• Science Education
• Higher Education Pedagogy
• Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Training

Background:

• Undergraduate teaching assistants (TAs) in introductory science courses often lack formal training in teaching pedagogy.
• Educational institutions frequently do not offer structured opportunities for TAs to develop teaching skills.
• There is a need to enhance the professional development of undergraduate TAs in science fields.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and evaluate an internship course for undergraduate TAs in science.
• To increase TAs' motivation, understanding, and knowledge of science teaching pedagogy.
• To provide a concurrent professional development opportunity alongside TA responsibilities.

Main Methods:

• Developed and implemented an internship course for undergraduate science TAs at Brandeis University.
• Weekly sessions included readings in science education literature and discussions with faculty mentors.
• Students created new course materials based on discussed pedagogical frameworks.

Main Results:

• Post-semester surveys indicated increased student confidence in teaching abilities.
• Participants showed greater awareness of challenges in science education.
• All participating students expressed interest in future educational internships.

Conclusions:

• The "Educating Young Educators" internship course effectively enhances undergraduate TAs' pedagogical skills and confidence.
• The program serves as a catalyst for professional growth, transforming novices into informed educators.
• This model has the potential to be adopted by other institutions seeking to improve science TA training.