ENGINEERS TEACHING COMMUNICATION: EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF TA TRAINING ON GRADUATE STUDENT COMMUNICATION, TEACHING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The Engineering Communication Programworks with engineering TAs in the Department ofMechanical and Industrial Engineering at the Universityof Toronto to deliver communication instruction in coredesign courses. Engineering TAs’ disciplinary expertiseaffords increased credibility with students, and we havehad consistent anecdotal evidence from TAs that teachingcommunication has made them better communicators.Currently, training involves a combination of instructionand mentorship, both from faculty and each other.Here, we investigate TAs’ increased confidence andskill in communication and teaching: what they finduseful, how the training has influenced theircommunication and teaching practice, and what morethey would like to explore in the future. An initial surveyand discussion found that confidence was shaped byexperience, course-specific training, instructor feedback,and peer learning. We hope to build on these findings infuture through a broader study of TAs in the Faculty andfurther development of our TA training programs