Who are the instructional assistant interns?: Examining the synergy of teaching assistants in first-year engineering course during the pandemic

This work-in-progress paper will examine the synergy of roles of instructional assistant interns (IAIs) and teaching assistants (TAs) in remote teaching and learning of the redesigned first-year engineering curriculum. Unique to this redesigned first-year engineering course for 1200 students in the current pandemic is the introduction of 11 IAIs on top of eight instructors, 150 TAs, and four staff. IAIs are upper-year engineering students and are responsible for the delivery of weekly Lab and Design Studio sessions while TAs are also upper-year engineering students who were hired on a part-time basis for students' mentorship and grading. Viewed through the lens of legitimate peripheral participation in a community of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991), this paper will explore the best practices of combining IAIs and TAs in a course. A mixed methodology (Johnson & Onwuegbuzie, 2004; Purzer, 2011) will be employed, and data gathering and analysis are expected to be completed at the end of January 2021. A self-assessment survey regarding IAIs and TAs' roles, preparation, and experiences will be conducted. A separate focus group discussion and semi-structured interview with IAIs and TAs will also be undertaken. Quantitative data will be used to describe the reliability, spread, and correlations of responses between IAIs and TAs. Qualitative data will be coded thematically (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Themes will be generated using open-axial-selective coding (Corbin & Strauss, 2008). Quantitative and qualitative analysis will be triangulated to inform how IAIs and TAs promote performance skills crucial for future engineers such as communication abilities, conflict mediation, etc. (Bolstad et al., 2020). Best practices in teaching and learning through the synergies of IAIs and TAs, particularly in virtual setting, and lessons learned on how to address practical issues (like managing conflict), personal issues (like reflective practices), and professional development issues (like pedagogical training) will be highlighted.