Quick Tip: What to Keep After the Return to Face-to-Face Teaching (Pt. 2)

Part 2. Undergraduate Teaching Assistants

Many instructors who have taught online for the past year have relied on undergraduate teaching assistants, or UTAs, to help with various aspects of teaching and learning, including supporting students working in breakout rooms, holding virtual office hours, monitoring the chat in synchronous class sessions, and helping students with technology issues. As we return to in-person teaching, instructors might consider retaining these roles of UTAs in their courses. Not only can UTAs improve student learning; they can also provide valuable feedback to instructors about student understanding of course content, and the effectiveness of new teaching strategies.

This quick tip has been drawn from “Improved student engagement in higher education’s next normal,” by Ed Glantz, Chris Gamrat, Lisa Lenze, and Jeffrey Bardzell, in the Educause Review, Tuesday, March 16, 2021.

If you want to share your own ideas for what you will keep in your teaching when you head back to the in-person classroom, fill out our form and add your idea to our collection (to appear on our website in late April).