BioTAP 2.0 (Biology Teaching Assistant Project): Engaging Individuals in Scholarly Research about Biology

 

Kristen R. Miller, Judy Ridgway, Ryan Coker, Katherine E. Price, Katrina Stewart, Grant Gardner, Gili Marbach-Ad, & Elisabeth Schussler

Tested Studies in Laboratory Teaching, 2019, Volume 40

Abstract

BioTAP 2.0 is a National Science Foundation funded Research Coordination Network grant whose aim is to build capacity within the network for collaborative research on biology graduate teaching assistant teaching professional development (GTA TPD). By helping practitioners assess their own programs, and by working with others to compare assessments across institutions, the network can build the empirical data necessary to make data- driven decisions about programmatic practices. The BioTAP Scholars program leads selected cohorts of individuals through an intensive, year-long program in how to design and engage in a scholarly research project on some aspect of a biology GTA TPD program. Participants in this mini-workshop learned about the goals and accomplishments of BioTAP 2.0 to date, including data from a national survey on GTA TPD efforts, the first Research Development Session (RDS) and Virtual Learning Communities (VLC) for BioTAP Scholars Cohort 1, and topics of current Scholars’ research projects (Table 1). BioTAP Scholars were present to share their experiences with the Scholars program and engaged in dialogue about their research project plans and progress. This mini-workshop created a platform for networking with individuals who share common interests in GTA TPD.

Keywords:  teaching assistants, professional development, teaching, biology

The Ohio State University (2018)