Graduate Teaching Assistant Professional Development (GTA-PD) Workshop

该项目的主要重要性在于它对增加美国大学授予的科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）学位的数量的影响。美国需要足够数量的stem学位持有者，他们拥有对国家经济健康和增长至关重要的技术技能。不幸的是，由于大学STEM入门课程的经验不佳，目前有太多潜在的STEM专业学生流失。该项目旨在通过广泛宣传（通过国家研讨会的方式）“最佳实践”来培养高质量的STEM关键入门课程教师，从而显著提高STEM专业学生的保留率。研究生助教（GTAs）是大型STEM课程的实验室和背诵课的主要讲师；然而，gta往往没有做好充分的准备，无法应用先进的、基于证据的教学方法，而这些方法是优秀的STEM教学所必需的，从而提高STEM专业的保留率。该项目的目标是通过推广GTA专业发展计划，广泛改进GTA在物理和化学入门课程中的准备工作。在研讨会上，来自获得博士学位的物理系和化学系的规划团队将通过相互交流以及与世界级专家就支持GTA的最佳实践进行交流，设计出定制的、现实的GTA专业发展计划。20个STEM部门将制定计划；每项实施的计划每年将使15名新的gta受益，然后他们将与900名新的本科生互动。因此，该研讨会的最佳实践传播每年将对大约13,500名新本科生产生积极影响。

The chief importance of this project is its impact on increasing the number of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) degrees awarded at U.S. universities. The nation needs a sufficient number of STEM-degree holders, who possess technical skills that are crucially important for the nation's economic health and growth. Unfortunately, too many potential STEM majors are currently lost because of poor experiences in introductory university STEM courses. This project aims to improve dramatically the retention of students in STEM majors by propagating widely (by means of a national workshop) "best practices" for preparing high-quality instructors of key introductory STEM courses. Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) are the primary instructors in laboratories and recitations in large lecture STEM courses; however, GTAs are often inadequately prepared to apply cutting-edge, evidence-based pedagogies necessary for excellent STEM instruction and, thereby, enhanced STEM-major retention. The goal of this project is widespread improvements to GTA preparation in introductory physics and chemistry courses via propagating GTA professional development programs. In a workshop, planning teams from Ph.D.-granting physics and chemistry departments will devise customized, realistic GTA professional development plans by interacting with each other and with world-class experts on best practices for GTA support. Twenty STEM departments will develop plans; each implemented plan will benefit 15 new GTAs annually, who then interact with 900 new undergraduates. Thus, the propagation of best practices by this workshop should impact positively approximately 13,500 new undergraduates each year.