Date of Award
2022-05-01
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Biological Sciences
Advisor(s)
Jeffrey T. Olimpo
Abstract
Current national efforts to reform postsecondary laboratory education have emphasized the incorporation of authentic research opportunities into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curricula. Within the last decade, course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have emerged as a viable mechanism to achieve this goal. Evidence within the biology education literature suggests that student engagement in CUREs has the potential to positively impact their development of scientific inquiry and process skills, content knowledge, and affect in the domain. While the majority of studies have focused on student outcomes, few studies have examined instructor outcomes in CURE learning environments. This is especially true for graduate teaching assistants (GTAs), who are frequently tasked with teaching CUREs, yet who often receive little, if any, professional development (PD) to improve teaching skills that are vital to this type of instruction. This body of research addresses this need by: (i) identifying the core tenets of CURE GTA professional development initiatives; (ii) creating, implementing, and evaluating a novel professional development program for GTAs to improve CURE instructional outcomes at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP); and (iii) assessing the scalability and sustainability of said program as a model for GTA PD nationwide.
Language
en
Provenance
Received from ProQuest
Copyright Date
2022-05
File Size
153 p.
File Format
application/pdf
Rights Holder
Amie M Kern
Recommended Citation
Kern, Amie M., "Generating And Sustaining Meaningful Professional Development Opportunities For Graduate Teaching Assistants Facilitating Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences In The Biological Sciences" (2022). Open Access Theses & Dissertations. 3505.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/open_etd/3505