Conference Session

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies - Mechanical Engineering Labs

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jeffrey A. Donnell, Georgia Institute of Technology; Philip Varney, Georgia Institute of Technology; David MacNair, Georgia Institute of Technology; Aldo A. Ferri, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

. Synthesizing these two points, it is evident that inquiry-basedlaboratories require experts to create, administer, and assess. Unfortunately, the requirement forexpertise is directly contradictory to the current atmosphere in science education at large researchuniversities. Luft et al. (2004) provide an excellent discussion of TA culture in the sciences, andsummarize the issue by stating: “Ultimately, graduate students may even be told by their advisors that research should be a focus, and that teaching assistantships should not be held for multiple years because this will jeopardize their careers...Unfortunately the culture in which GTAs exist places them in a situation that is wrought with tension and difficult to change.”In