Training Computer Science Teaching Assistants to Motivate Students

This project aims to serve the national interest by redesigning, implementing, and evaluating a teaching assistant training project in a computer science (CS) department. Teaching assistants (TAs) can play an important role in motivating student engagement in large CS courses. However, TAs often do not have the teaching experience, nor have they developed the skills needed to effectively motivate student engagement. The purpose of the CS TA Training project is to use evidence-based practices based on current motivation theories to redesign, implement, and evaluate a training program designed explicitly to help CS TAs use inclusive teaching practices that motivate all students to engage in their CS courses. One of the primary outcomes will be the development of a CS TA Training prototype that can lay the groundwork for institutional improvement within the CS department at Virginia Tech and which serve as framework for TA training for use in other departments and institutions. About 80 CS TAs will participate in the training before and during each semester. TAs who participate in the training, as well as the students in their courses, will be surveyed near the beginning and end of the courses to assess the impact of the TA training on their motivational beliefs over time. These data, along with students’ grades, will be analyzed to answer these primary research questions: To what extent can TA training in CS courses affect (a) students’ motivational perceptions and grades in CS courses, and (b) students’ and TAs’ CS motivational beliefs and goals? The project findings will be disseminated through conference presentations, workshops, listservs, journals, and websites. Long-term outcomes of the project may include enhanced methods to evaluate CS TA training, improved TA training at other institutions, and increased representation of students underrepresented in CS fields due to their increased perceptions of CS self-efficacy and sense of belonging. The NSF IUSE: EDU Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through its Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.