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COP#1: Education: Improving teaching quality of TAs for running a project-based learning course

Leon Lei
Leon Lei

The document discusses improving the quality of teaching assistants (TAs) for the introductory engineering course ENGG1111. The course includes lectures, labs, and a group design project requiring skilled TAs. Currently, TAs provided by the department are sometimes unqualified, deteriorating teaching quality and student learning. The goal is to enhance TA quality to achieve student evaluation scores of 3.7/5 for TAs and over 50% of students completing projects systematically while demonstrating technical skills at 7.5-9/10.

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The business: ENGG1111 ENGG1111 is an introductory engineering course offered by the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering in a University. Besides introducing to students the world of electrical and electronic engineering through lectures, it also includes a group design-based project to develop students indispensable skills as an engineer. In order to serve 150 students, every week teaching assistants (TAs) have to handle 9-hour laboratory sessions. TAs also have to handle administrative duty of the course, such as marking homework as well as arranging laboratory sessions and project competition. The hands-on design project and other duties requires skillful, responsible and passionate TAs to run the project.
Key dimension: Quality The goal is to improve quality of TAs for teaching and managing the course. Since TAs are provided by the department, sometimes provided TAs are not qualified to handle required duties. As a result, the teaching quality and learning of students are significantly deteriorated by unqualified TAs. Performance measures: Student Evaluation Score (TA section) Proportion of students doing the project systemically Students' ability to use equipments and parts in practice Students' ability to demonstrate technical design skills Key trade-off: Higher versatility of the project contents = Lower teaching quality
What would success look like? Student Evaluation Score (TA section): 3.7 out of 5 Proportion of students doing the project systemically: >50% Students' scores of using equipments and parts in practice: Average - 7.5 out of 10; Best three 9 out of 10 Student's scores of demonstrating technical design skills: Average 7.5 out of 10; Best three 9 out of 10

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COP#1: Education: Improving teaching quality of TAs for running a project-based learning course

  • 1. The business: ENGG1111 ENGG1111 is an introductory engineering course offered by the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering in a University. Besides introducing to students the world of electrical and electronic engineering through lectures, it also includes a group design-based project to develop students indispensable skills as an engineer. In order to serve 150 students, every week teaching assistants (TAs) have to handle 9-hour laboratory sessions. TAs also have to handle administrative duty of the course, such as marking homework as well as arranging laboratory sessions and project competition. The hands-on design project and other duties requires skillful, responsible and passionate TAs to run the project.
  • 2. Key dimension: Quality The goal is to improve quality of TAs for teaching and managing the course. Since TAs are provided by the department, sometimes provided TAs are not qualified to handle required duties. As a result, the teaching quality and learning of students are significantly deteriorated by unqualified TAs. Performance measures: Student Evaluation Score (TA section) Proportion of students doing the project systemically Students' ability to use equipments and parts in practice Students' ability to demonstrate technical design skills Key trade-off: Higher versatility of the project contents = Lower teaching quality
  • 3. What would success look like? Student Evaluation Score (TA section): 3.7 out of 5 Proportion of students doing the project systemically: >50% Students' scores of using equipments and parts in practice: Average - 7.5 out of 10; Best three 9 out of 10 Student's scores of demonstrating technical design skills: Average 7.5 out of 10; Best three 9 out of 10