By Sarah McQuaid, Department of Psychology
Teaching Assistants (TAs) have the fortunate role of being intermediators between students and professors. This affords them unique opportunities to help foster student learning in numerous ways. It is often the case, however, that TAs have limited requirements or responsibilities for their courses. TAs for large classes may be responsible only for grading exams and assignments, and holding rarely attended office hours without any responsibility for actually assisting student learning or engaging students in the course material. While this may be less work for the TA, the student is then missing out on a potentially very valuable learning resource. Increased TA involvement has the potential to improve student learning greatly, I argue, particularly in terms of fostering active learning.
TAs are often more accessible to students than professors, are able to explain course information in alternative ways, and often have the resources to spend more time one-on-one or with small groups of students. This is a particularly important quality to have at universities like Carleton where class sizes are very large and growing. McKeachie and Svinicki (2006) propose that, in large university classrooms, students are passive learners; they listen but do not engage with the material. The alternative to this is active learning, which requires students to participate collectively and dynamically in the learning process (Hammer & Giordano, 2012). Michael (2006) provides a review of the evidence for the effectiveness of active learning as it spans several disciplines, including the learning sciences, cognitive science, and educational psychology. As an example, one study by Sokoloff and Thornton (1997) found significantly improved student comprehension of complex material after applying active learning techniques in a Physics course when compared to traditional lecture. Another experiment found improved problem-solving and information retention while playing an environmental science computer game when provided information in an active rather than passive format (Moreno & Mayer, 2000). While active learning has shown to be beneficial for student success, it can be difficult for professors to foster in large classes (Quinlan & Fogel, 2014).
TAs can help students actively engage with the material and encourage learning and participation by providing a more intimate learning environment than large lecture halls. With TAs one-on-one or in smaller groups, students may feel more comfortable actively participating and engaging with course material than they would in a large lecture-hall type setting. Zepke and Leach (2010) stress the importance of universities investing in a variety of support services to facilitate and support student engagement, learning, and success. The authors recommend connecting students with mentors and staff who can help guide and support their academic life, which essentially captures the important role that TAs play as mentors and support services for the students. TAs have the ability to be teachers to the students and, as Zepke and Leach (2010) contend, students successfully engage in their own learning more when they are provided support by their teachers.
When TAs have minimal expectations and responsibilities, there are several activities they can prepare to become more involved for the benefit of the students. Facilitating online discussions or debates over the cuLearn discussion board is one option that requires minimal effort. The TA could also use the Big Blue Button option to help facilitate this for students who prefer an online but face-to-face forum. Alternatively, instead of holding office hours that students rarely attend, the TA could invite interested students for small weekly or bi-weekly discussion groups to review course material, address questions or concerns, spark debates about course material, or play scholarly games. These activities–active discussions, debates, and playing games–foster active learning because they force the students to engage with the material rather than passively listen (Quinlan & Fogel, 2014). The TA could also hold pre-exam study or review sessions. Moreover, “study tips” sessions could also prove beneficial for students above and beyond the course material as it is something students can carry with them into other courses.
During their office hours or online discussions, there are a number of concrete strategies that TAs can modify and employ to specifically facilitate active learning. Quinlan and Fogel (2014) discuss several of these, including “Imagined Solutions” and “Reality Disruptions”. “Imagined Solutions” involves posing a problem to the students and having them, either individually or in groups, use their own knowledge and experiences to determine a solution that they will then share with the TA or others and reflect upon together. This technique promotes understanding by connecting the material to knowledge and experiences that the students already have. The second approach, “Reality Disruptions”, involves providing the students with a fictitious story or example framed as reality. This approach requires the students to differentiate real from fictitious and forces them to use their imaginations in considering these “what if” scenarios (Quinlan & Fogel, 2014). Notably, both of these strategies require the students to share their thoughts and knowledge with others; indeed, “meaningful learning is facilitated by articulating explanations, whether to one’s self, peers, or teachers” (Michael, 2006, p. 162).
Altogether, it is important for TAs to understand what an invaluable resource they can be for students. Increased TA involvement can, in turn, foster better engagement from the students. TAs, as intermediators between students and professors, have the unique ability to exploit this fortunate position and use it to support student learning – all it takes is a little involvement.
References
Hammer, E. Y., & Giordano, P. J. (2012) Active learning. In W. Buskist, & V. Benassi (Eds.), Effective college and university teaching: Strategies and tactics for the new professoriate (pp. 99-106). London: Sage.
McKeachie, W. J., & Svinicki, M. (2006). Teaching tips: Strategies, research, and theory for college and university teachers. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Michael, J. (2006). Where’s the evidence that active learning works? Advances in Physiology Education, 30, 159-167. doi:10.1152/advan.00053.2006
Moreno, R., & Mayer, R. E. (2000). Engaging students in active learning: The case for personalized multimedia messages. Journal of Educational Psychology, 92, 724-733. doi: 10.1037//0022-06M.92.4.724
Quinlan, A., & Fogel, C. A. (2014). Transcending convention and space: Strategies for fostering active learning in large post-secondary classes. Higher Education Studies, 4, 43-48. doi: 10.5539/hes.v4n6p43
Sokoloff, D. R., & Thornton, R. K. (1997). Using interactive lecture demonstrations to create an active learning environment. The Physics teacher, 35, 340 – 347.
Zepke, N., & Leach, L. (2010). Improving student engagement: Ten proposals for action. Active Learning in Higher Education, 11, 167-177. doi: 10.1177/1469787410379680