Collaborative Research: Promoting Success in Undergraduate Mathematics through Graduate Teaching Assistant Training

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Mathematics is critical for student success in all Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Furthermore, undergraduate success in mathematics courses is an increasingly critical piece of the growing national need to train the next generation of STEM professionals. Difficulty in completing mathematics courses often prevents undergraduate students from reaching their goals of obtaining a STEM degree and entering the STEM workforce. This collaborative research project at the University of Colorado Denver, Auburn University, and the University of Memphis aims to improve the completion of undergraduate mathematics courses by enhancing the instructional preparation of Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) in the Mathematical Sciences. Providing an effective model of GTA training that encompasses a wide variety of evidence-based approaches has the potential to improve GTA classroom practices, which in turn may increase undergraduate learning in the classes the GTAs teach. This project will investigate this possibility by examining how improvements to GTA training affect undergraduate student learning, particularly in lower-division undergraduate mathematics courses that are often required for STEM majors. In addition, teaching undergraduates is a significant part of the professional responsibilities of mathematics faculty, regardless of their range of appointments from community colleges to large research universities. Thus, this training will also result in a cadre of mathematical sciences faculty who are better prepared to use effective practices to increase undergraduate student success in early college mathematics.The project will conduct a multi-part, three-institution research study, with the intended purpose of investigating the effects on GTAs during and after the time they complete their multi-component, enhanced instructional and pedagogical training at the University of Colorado Denver, Auburn University, and the University of Memphis. The project will use and refine several components initially developed by the CU Denver Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences GTA preparation program. These components include providing participating GTAs with: (1) a deep understanding, grounded in relevant literature, of pertinent issues in undergraduate mathematical sciences instruction; (2) opportunities to be mentored by peers and faculty; (3) opportunities to provide peer-mentoring of other GTAs; (4) outreach opportunities to local K-12 students in order to gain a broader understanding of their future students' academic trajectories; and (5) participation in a cross-institutional "Critical Issues in STEM Education" seminar. Research will include the analysis of data on undergraduate student performance and success, retention and satisfaction, a longitudinal qualitative and quantitative analysis of observations of GTA classrooms, an examination of how the training program impacts GTA perceptions of mathematics teaching and learning, and a qualitative analysis on the ways the peer-mentor relationship affects inexperienced and experienced GTAs, both in and out of their classrooms. The diverse contexts of the participating institutions will provide the opportunity for rich comparisons and greater insight into mechanisms that can facilitate broader adoption of project components at other institutions around the country.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.