Who are the instructional assistant interns?: Examining the synergy of teaching assistants in first-year engineering course during the pandemic
- Conference
- Location
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Virtual
- Publication Date
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April 17, 2021
- Start Date
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April 17, 2021
- End Date
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April 17, 2021
- Page Count
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9
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--38311
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/38311
- Download Count
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254
Paper Authors
Gerald Tembrevilla
McMaster University
orcid.org/0000-0003-0173-8472
Gerald Tembrevilla completed his PhD in science (physics) education in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada in July 2020.
During his PhD program, he completed several research fellowships in STEM education and technology design as UBC Public Scholar Initiative Awardee, Mitacs-Canada and UBC Go Global Scholar at the University of California-Los Angeles, University of Cambridge in England, and ETH-Zurich.
He worked as a postdoctoral fellow for the PIVOT, an interdisciplinary blue-print to transform undergraduate engineering students’ learning experience in the Faculty of Engineering at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada until June 2021.
In July 2021, he will take the post of Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at “The Mount” (Mount Saint Vincent University), Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Andre Phillion P.Eng. McMaster University
André Phillion is an Associate Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Director of the faculty’s Experiential Learning Office at McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada. His research interests focus on mathematical modelling and 3D imaging of engineering metals and their manufacturing processes. The main focus of the research is to experimentally investigate and numerically simulate solidification across multiple length scales in order to develop new relationships linking heat transfer and fluid flow at the macro-scale with microstructure and defects. Dr. Phillion received his PhD from The University of British Columbia in 2007, where he combined high temperature experimental methods with multi-scale modelling to investigate casting defects in Al alloys. After completing his studies, Dr. Phillion was a post-doctoral fellow at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, and a faculty member at UBC’s Okanagan campus, before joining McMaster in 2016.
Thomas E. Doyle
McMaster University
orcid.org/0000-0003-1059-110X
Associate Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering
Faculty Affiliate, Vector Institute of Artificial Intelligence
Shelir Ebrahimi McMaster University
Colin McDonald P.Eng. McMaster University
Dr. Colin McDonald is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at McMaster University and the Associate Director (Undergraduate) of the Integrated Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences (iBiomed) Program. His teaching interests are in engineering design, graphics design, computing, and biomedical engineering. Dr. McDonald has a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering and a B.E.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering, both from Western University.
Melec Zeadin McMaster University
Melec Zeadin earned her PhD in Metabolism and Nutrition from McMaster University. She has been working as an Educational Developer at the Paul R. MacPherson Institute for Leadership, Innovation, and Excellence in Teaching since 2014 in supporting the Institutional Quality Assurance Process and more recently in leading the Teaching and Learning Grants program.
Bosco Yu McMaster University
Dr Bosco Yu is an Assistant Professor (CLA) in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at McMaster University.
Dr Yu's teaching responsibility focuses on the development of a new first-year engineering curriculum as part of McMaster Engineering's 'The Pivot' transformation, teaching the new first-year course (1P13), and conducting pedagogy research. Dr Yu is a strong advocate for student-centred learning and project-based learning. He hopes to contribute to the transformation of engineering education so that students are well-equipped to face the challenges of the future in engineering, and can build core engineering competencies in a more self-motivated and confident manner in a diverse and inclusive learning environment.
Dr Yu’s academic research interests and expertise focus on using an integrated design approach that involves the synthesis of material selection, finite element methods, rapid prototyping/additive manufacturing, and machine learning to improve the mechanical properties of hybrids materials (fibre composites, metal/metal hybrids, and cellular lattices) and biomedical materials (surgical implants, head protection, and armour).
Abstract
This work-in-progress paper will examine the synergy of roles of instructional assistant interns (IAIs) and teaching assistants (TAs) in remote teaching and learning of the redesigned first-year engineering curriculum.
Unique to this redesigned first-year engineering course for 1200 students in the current pandemic is the introduction of 11 IAIs on top of eight instructors, 150 TAs, and four staff. IAIs are upper-year engineering students and are responsible for the delivery of weekly Lab and Design Studio sessions while TAs are also upper-year engineering students who were hired on a part-time basis for students’ mentorship and grading.
Viewed through the lens of legitimate peripheral participation in a community of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991), this paper will explore the best practices of combining IAIs and TAs in a course. A mixed methodology (Johnson & Onwuegbuzie, 2004; Purzer, 2011) will be employed, and data gathering and analysis are expected to be completed at the end of January 2021. A self-assessment survey regarding IAIs and TAs’ roles, preparation, and experiences will be conducted. A separate focus group discussion and semi-structured interview with IAIs and TAs will also be undertaken. Quantitative data will be used to describe the reliability, spread, and correlations of responses between IAIs and TAs. Qualitative data will be coded thematically (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Themes will be generated using open-axial-selective coding (Corbin & Strauss, 2008).
Quantitative and qualitative analysis will be triangulated to inform how IAIs and TAs promote performance skills crucial for future engineers such as communication abilities, conflict mediation, etc. (Bolstad et al., 2020). Best practices in teaching and learning through the synergies of IAIs and TAs, particularly in virtual setting, and lessons learned on how to address practical issues (like managing conflict), personal issues (like reflective practices), and professional development issues (like pedagogical training) will be highlighted.
Tembrevilla, G., & Phillion, A., & Doyle, T. E., & Ebrahimi, S., & McDonald, C., & Zeadin, M., & Yu, B. (2021, April), Who are the instructional assistant interns?: Examining the synergy of teaching assistants in first-year engineering course during the pandemic Paper presented at 2021 ASEE St. Lawrence Section Conference, Virtual. 10.18260/1-2--38311
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