First-year organic chemistry graduate teaching assistants (TAs) at the University of Georgia come to the University with varying levels of prior teaching experience. Herein is described the development and implementation of a pre-semester teaching workshop, a mid-semester formative teaching evaluation, and an end-of-semester summative evaluation for this group of TAs. The teaching workshop provided participants with an in-lab instructional experience, training on analytical laboratory instruments, a veteran TA panel, and a grading overview. TAs were also given a pre-semester questionnaire in which they self-reported their current teaching proficiencies and identified their goals for the semester. Mid-semester in-classroom teaching evaluations were conducted, followed by one-on-one reviews of evaluation results. Directed resources relevant to each TA’s individual goals were also provided. The summative evaluations at the end of the semester identified progress made towards teaching proficiencies and individual goals. The outcome of this hands-on guidance was a more fluid transition into the role of TA and increased confidence in the classroom.

Acclimation of first-year graduate teaching assistants to the undergraduate organic chemistry instructional laboratories

255th National Meeting (2018)

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