Can We Build an Excellent Undergraduate TA Program? Fostering Collaboration and Developing Best Practices

As the number of students taking Computer Science courses continues to rise, the need for excellent teaching assistants (TAs), becomes increasingly important. In response, numerous CS departments have turned to their expanding pool of undergraduate students to recruit Undergraduate Teaching Assistants (UTAs) to fulfill these vital roles. These Undergraduate Teaching Assistants (UTAs) not only provide help with grading, but are responsible for development of course materials, running lab sections, and mentoring both students and newly hired UTAs. Ultimately, UTAs have a major role in affecting course climate, with a particular emphasis on fostering inclusivity, especially for underrepresented student populations. Computer Science departments struggle with the challenges of finding, hiring, and training large numbers of teaching assistants. Last year this Birds of a Feather (BoF) session brought together nearly 100 attendees who discussed the challenges faced in hiring and training effective teaching assistants. This year, the session aims to focus on the exchange of information among participants, both during and after the event, fostering a collaborative effort to establish and sustain effective UTA programs. Data collected and ideas generated will be immediately available to all.