Passing the baton: a collaborative approach to development and implementation of context-specific modules for graduate teaching assistants in cognate disciplines

Abstract

A systematic approach to the training of graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) is required to meet the challenges posed by growing numbers of undergraduate and graduate students. At University College Dublin, educational developers and academic staff across six schools collaborated on the design and phased implementation of context-specific GTA modules. By year three of the project, academics were successfully implementing credit-bearing GTA modules in their schools, describing them as tailored and relevant to their needs, and valuing the dynamic partnership involved in their development. GTAs stated that the modules helped them to understand relevant policies and procedures, motivated them to fulfil their role, and had given them ideas on how to change their teaching. This approach had supported the successful ‘passing of the baton’ from educational developers to academic staff.

Keywords:

• graduate teaching assistants
• training
• module design
• context-specific
• collaboration
• STEM

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the school staff, the educational developers and the GTAs for their participation in this study.