PERC 2013 Abstract Detail Page
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| Abstract Title: | Extreme Learning Assistants: Students' Perceptions of their Undergraduate TAs |
|---|---|
| Abstract: | Several schools have implemented "Learning Assistant" (LA) programs, in which upperclass undergraduates serve as teaching assistants in introductory courses. At UNCG, LAs are given an unusual degree of freedom. Working in teams, they serve as the primary instructors for lab sections of the two introductory calculus-based physics courses. They co-design the lab curriculum with the professor of the lecture section, conduct all lab classes, and grade all student work. In order to investigate how students taking the lab reacted to having undergraduates as lab instructors, we gave and analyzed a short anonymous Likert-type survey probing students' opinions at the end of the second course. We found that overall, most students reacted favorably. They found the LAs' content knowledge and pedagogic skills to be adequate, and saw some benefit to having undergraduates rather than faculty to interact with. They also believed that the LAs' instructional style matched the professor's. |
| Abstract Type: | Contributed Poster Presentation |
Author/Organizer Information | |
| Primary Contact: |
Aaron Grabow Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of North Carolina at Greensboro PO Box 6170 321 Petty Building Greensboro NC 27402-6170 Greensboro, NC |
| Co-Author(s) and Co-Presenter(s) |
Ian D. Beatty, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of North Carolina at Greensboro William J. Gerace, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of North Carolina at Greensboro |
