PERC 2025 Abstract Detail Page
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| Abstract Title: | Developing a Scalable Professional Development Program to Support Physics Teaching Assistants |
|---|---|
| Abstract Type: | Contributed Poster Presentation |
| Abstract: | In this poster, we are going to talk about a Professional Development program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign that supports teaching assistants (TAs) in introductory physics discussion sections--key learning environments for thousands of engineering undergraduates. This poster presents preliminary findings from an early implementation where two motivated TAs used whiteboards alongside collaboration-worthy problems in introductory physics courses. Preliminary results showed that whiteboards helped foster collaborative engagement and made problem-solving more visible and interactive, consistent with prior research on the benefits of joint visual displays. While encouraging, these early results also underscore the need for systematic, scalable support for a diverse group of TAs. This poster outlines our next steps: developing a year-round PD program, research-based facilitation strategies, and open-ended problems to support sustainable, department-wide improvements in TA-led physics instruction. |
| Session Time: | Poster Session A |
| Poster Number: | A-63 |
Author/Organizer Information | |
| Primary Contact: |
Hamideh Talafian University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL 61821 |
| Co-Author(s) and Co-Presenter(s) |
Daniela Girotti-Hernandez , University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Samuel Engblom, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Eric Kuo, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Tim Stelzer, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign |
