Peer Evaluations Do Not Improve TA Self-Efficacy Over Self-Reflection

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2016-01-01
Authors
Mortensen, Brent
Cox, Monica
Satterlee, Sean
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Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning
The Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL)’s mission is to enhance excellence in undergraduate education through the development of a national faculty committed to implementing and advancing effective teaching practices for diverse learners as part of successful and varied professional careers. It was established with the intent of preparing future science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty across the nation, to ultimately improve the STEM learning of all students, at every college and university, and thereby to increase the diversity in STEM fields and the STEM literacy of the nation. The three CIRTL core ideas are Evidence-based Teaching, Learning Communities, and Learning-through-Diversity.
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Graduate CollegeEcology, Evolution and Organismal BiologyCenter for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning
Abstract

Graduate teaching assistants (TAs) receive little to no formal training in pedagogy before entering the classroom. Such deficiencies may contribute to increase anxiety and poor self-efficacy for TAs, potentially hindering opportunities to train future faculty. We tested the effects of a previously established, low investment, method of TA training through making and receiving peer-evaluations on TA self-efficacy compared to performing self-assessments and reflection of teaching experiences in three introductory biology courses at a large, Mid-western university. While peer-evaluations did not affect quantitative measures of self-efficacy, we did observe greater increases in self-efficacy among TAs with more experience. We suggest that future studies on the effects of peer-evaluations may be most effective when conducted by experienced TAs.

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