Teaching Assistant Professional Development in Biology: Designed for and Driven by Multidimensional Data

Area of Science:

• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education
• Higher Education Pedagogy

Background:

• Graduate teaching assistants (TAs) play a vital role in undergraduate STEM instruction.
• Existing professional development (PD) for TAs often lacks rigorous effectiveness data, relying heavily on self-reported outcomes.
• There is a need for comprehensive evaluation methods for TA PD programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the design of a reformed professional development (RPD) model for graduate teaching assistants.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of TA PD using Kirkpatrick's Evaluation Framework, incorporating both direct measures and self-reported data.
• To assess multiple outcomes of TA PD before, during, and after the implementation of the RPD model.

Main Methods:

• Design and implementation of a reformed professional development (RPD) model for TAs.
• Application of Kirkpatrick's Evaluation Framework to assess PD effectiveness.
• Collection of both direct measures (e.g., TA-created materials) and self-reported data.

Main Results:

• TAs in the RPD program created aligned learning objectives and assessments.
• TAs incorporated more learner-centered instructional practices.
• Direct measures of TA performance were inconsistent with their self-reported perceptions of the RPD program.

Conclusions:

• Evaluating TA professional development requires multiple data sources, as self-reported perceptions may not align with observed teaching practices.
• Single-measure evaluations are insufficient for accurately assessing the impact of TA PD programs.
• The RPD model shows promise but requires further investigation into the discrepancy between perceived and actual changes in teaching.