Training TAs in scientific teaching for the human physiology and anatomy laboratory

Abstract

SCIENTIFIC TEACHING (ST) is a method developed nearly a decade ago by Handelsman and colleagues (2) in which instructional practice in undergraduate science is based on current educational research findings and established best practices. The ST approach uses a process in which all students, especially those in courses with large enrollments, are more actively engaged in learning compared with traditional lecture-based courses.Unique to ST is an active learning and inquiry-based framework that aims to ensure that the needs of students with diverse learning styles and backgrounds are addressed. Furthermore, students' ongoing progress toward achieving the course learning goals can be assessed dynamically (e.g., via in-class responses while students are engaged in the process of learning) and at higher cognitive levels (e.g., beyond rote memorization), as demonstrated by Bloom's taxonomy of learning domains (1). When integrated into a curriculum, ST methods have been shown to improve student knowledge retention because participation in these structured activities and group discussions has been shown to facilitate the identification of misconceptions, construction of new knowledge, and development of critical-thinking skills (9). Implementation of a variety of structured activities also appeals to a broader variety of learning styles (9).In 2010, we incorporated the ST approach into the lecture portion of our Enhanced Human Anatomy and Physiology course at the University of Connecticut. Because this approach is particularly well suited to the laboratory classroom setting where an interactive approach is much more easily implemented, in 2011 we also adopted the ST approach into the laboratory component of our course. To facilitate this process as well as to extend the impact of an individual instructor, we trained a cohort of graduate teaching assistants (TAs) to use this teaching approach in multiple sections of inquiry-based laboratory and regular laboratory settings. Despite a few articles that address student-centered TA training in chemistry laboratory courses (3, 4), there are no published reports evaluating the application of ST to graduate student TA training in physiology. What follows is an examination of the effects that training TAs in ST had on student attitudes about 1) their perceived laboratory learning experience and 2) their perceived integration of what is learned in the laboratory to their overall understanding of course content. Laboratory TA Scientific Teaching Training ProgramThe central purpose of our TA training program is to develop a cohesive team that is able to effectively implement ST strategies into the laboratory classroom. Each semester, ϳ12-15 TAs are assigned to teach laboratory sections of the Enhanced Human Anatomy and Physiology course at the University of Connecticut. The TAs are typically graduate students from diverse science backgrounds (e.g., biology, engineering, and allied health). The structure of the course is shown in Fig. 1.To introduce the principles and utility of sci...

Student Buy-In to Active Learning in a College Science Course

“…This professor was trained in and used the practices of active-learning pedagogies (e.g., defining learning goals, formative assessment strategies) consistent with current developments in discipline-based educational research (DBER). The active-learning principles associated with scientific teaching encourage student engagement by, for example, calling upon students to think critically, participate in collaborative discussion, and consider ways they can best achieve learning objectives (Chen et al ., 2013). This instructor also self-reported a high level of scientific teaching pedagogy adoption on a census survey sent to all past Summer Institute participants from 2004 to 2014 (Aragón et al ., 2016).…”

Does Context Matter? Convergent and Divergent Findings in the Cross-Institutional Evaluation of Graduate Teaching Assistant Professional Development Programs

“…There are only a few published examples of ST being explicitly integrated into PD for GTAs assigned to STEM courses. In a pilot study, Chen et al (2013) conducted an ST-based workshop for GTAs who were teaching a laboratory course in anatomy and physiology (A&P). Students in the A&P lab class reported higher learning gains than students in a similar A&P lab class in which GTAs had not received ST training, suggesting that ST training improved instructional practices.…”

“…For instance, various studies have reported evidence for a relationship between participation in PD and GTA knowledge, self-efficacy, and/or anxiety ( Hardré, 2003 ; Harris et al ., 2009 ; DeChenne et al ., 2012 , 2015 ; Bauer et al ., 2013 ; Pelton, 2014 ). The relationship between PD and GTA instructional planning, delivery, and assessment (GTA teaching practice) has also been examined ( Baumgartner, 2007 ; Marbach-Ad et al , 2012 ; Chen et al , 2013 ; Wyse et al , 2014 ). In several posttest-only studies, GTAs reported that their instructional practices improved with the training; or that they implemented practices taught during the training ( Baumgartner, 2007 ; Hardré and Burris, 2012 ; Pentecost et al ., 2012 ).…”

Transforming Undergraduate STEM Education: Reforming Classrooms by Training Current and Future Faculty

“…The need for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) majors is outpacing their production with a projected need for one million trained STEM professionals by this year (2018) according to a report by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST, 2012). Several longitudinal studies have found that students are interested in STEM majors but tend to switch to other majors primarily in the first two years of college in large part due to continued use of passive lecture techniques (Chen, 2013;Graham, et al, 2013;Lowell, et al, 2009;Mervis, 2010;Stains et al, 2018;. They are not challenged to analyze, apply or evaluate scenarios that can be applied to real life situations which leaves them without the skills needed to apply their knowledge (AAAS, 2011;Burrowes, 2003, DiCarlo, 2006Lujan andDiCarlo, 2005, NRC, 2003).…”

“…While nearly 30% of students seeking bachelor's degrees initially choose STEM fields, almost half of these leave STEM before graduation (Chen, 2013). Many students who begin college as STEM majors find themselves leaving, often in the first two years, because the teaching methods are less than favorable (Chen, 2013;Graham, et al, 2013;Lowell, et al, 2009;Mervis, 2010;. Among other things, students encounter a focus on memorization and regurgitation of content that turns them off to the sciences.…”