Purpose of the Project

The purpose of our NSF IUSE grant project (# 2315574), titled Training Computer Science Teaching Assistants to Motivate Students, is to use evidence-based practices to redesign, implement, and assess a training program designed explicitly for computer science (CS) Teaching Assistants (TAs) to help them use inclusive teaching practices in ways that foster a positive motivational climate. One of the primary outcomes of the CS TA Training project has been the development of training materials that have been used in the CS department at Virginia Tech and that can be used in CS departments at other institutions.

This project is part of a larger project to understand how TAs and instructors can use the MUSIC Model of Motivation strategies to create a positive motivational climate in computer science courses.

Check out this video about the project!

Teaching TAs About Motivation

We teach TAs about how to use motivational and teaching strategies in their interactions with students. We use the MUSIC Model of Motivation and Social Cognitive Theory as two primary theories to help students understand how they can create a positive motivational climate that will engage students.

— This handout provides TAs with examples of phrases to use with students in order to create a positive motivational climate: Phrases to Promote a Positive Motivational Climate

— These figures show some of the key concepts that we teach the TAs:

Providing Feedback to TAs

We collect feedback from students and faculty using forms similar to those linked below. Then, we share this feedback with the TAs. We also conduct a TA self-assessment in which they assess their own behaviors. We often summarize the student and faculty feedback instead of providing the raw feedback directly to the TAs. Here are some examples of the surveys and forms we use:

— Form used to collect self-assessment from TAs: TA Self-Assessment Check-In

— Survey used to collect feedback from students: Student Feedback for TAs

— Form used to collect feedback from faculty: Faculty Feedback to TAs

TA Training Leaders at Virginia Tech

From left to right: Hande Fenerci (PhD student), Brett Jones (Faculty), & Margaret Ellis (Faculty)

More Information

More information about related projects can be found here:

— Motivating Students in Computer Science

— MUSIC Model Research Lab

Funding

Funding for this project was provided by the National Science Foundation.

— Jones, B. D. (PI, 40%), Ellis, M. (Co-PI, 40%), Kim, I. (Co-PI, 20%). (August 1, 2023 to July 31, 2025; NSF Award #IUSE-2315574). Training Computer Science Teaching Assistants to Motivate Students. National Science Foundation, $399,592.