Benefits and Challenges of Instructing Introductory Biology Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) as Perceived by Graduate Teaching Assistants
Benefits and Challenges of Instructing Introductory Biology Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) as Perceived by Graduate Teaching Assistants
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DOI：
10.1187/cbe.18-09-0193
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发表时间：
2019-09-01
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Holt, Emily A.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Heim, Ashley B.;Holt, Emily A.
研究生助教（GTA）通常是本科生生物实验室的主要讲师，并在基于课程的本科生研究经验（CURE）中担任研究导师。虽然有几项研究探讨了本科生对CURE的看法，但没有以前的研究定性地描述了GTA对CURE教学的看法，尽管GTA发挥了重要的教学作用。本现象学研究的目的是描述和归因于意义的看法，GTAs有关于好处和挑战的教学经验，在介绍生物学治愈。我们进行了半结构化的采访，11 GTA在4年制公立大学指导生物学治疗的介绍。我们发现，虽然GTA认为专业的好处，如在研究指导和中学后教学的经验，他们也描述了挑战，包括所需的时间来指导一个治愈，激励学生采取所有权，并缺乏专业知识，指导本科生关于桡足类为基础的治愈。在担任研究导师方面的不足感和高水平的批判性思维也被列为感知问题。我们建议，更大的责任和增加的时间承诺认为GTA在当前的研究值得实验室协调员和管理员重新考虑什么内容和做法应该包括在专门为CURE GTA设计的教学培训，以及如何部门和机构的政策可能需要调整，以更好地实施CURE。
Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are often the primary instructors for undergraduate biology laboratories and serve as research mentors in course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs). While several studies have explored undergraduate perceptions of CUREs, no previous study has qualitatively described GTAs' perceptions about teaching CUREs, despite the essential instructional role GTAs play. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe and ascribe meaning to the perceptions that GTAs have regarding benefits and challenges with instructional experiences in introductory biology CUREs. We conducted semistructured interviews with 11 GTAs instructing an introductory biology CURE at a 4-year public university. We found that, while GTAs perceived professional benefits such as experience in research mentoring and postsecondary teaching, they also described challenges, including the time required to instruct a CURE, motivating students to take ownership, and a lack of expertise in mentoring undergraduates about a copepod-based CURE. Feelings of inadequacy in serving as a research mentor and high levels of critical thinking were also cited as perceived issues. We recommend that the greater responsibility and increased time commitment perceived by GTAs in the current study warrants reconsideration by lab coordinators and administrators as to what content and practices should be included in pedagogical training specifically designed for CURE GTAs and how departmental and institutional policies may need to be adapted to better implement CUREs.