2024 CUES Spanning Boundaries Challenge

Teaching teams as communities supporting student belongingness and self-efficacy

Teaching teams, cohorts of instructors, teaching assistants, and learning assistants play a crucial role in student success. Research indicates that effective collaboration within teaching teams enhances instructional quality and supports diverse student needs, leading to improved academic outcomes (Felner et al., 2007). This project extends existing knowledge by exploring different U of A faculty strategies to optimize team dynamics, thereby fostering a more inclusive and supportive learning environment for students, teaching and learning assistants, and faculty. Utilizing a communities of practice framework (Wenger, 2011), this project examines how teaching teams function across disciplines and teaching modalities to support students’ sense of belonging and academic self-efficacy. Our participatory research design foregrounds the voices, experiences, and perspectives of teaching team members and students to understand the dynamics of teaching teams within this framework. Findings from this project will provide evidence-based guidance for U of A faculty to redesign their teaching teams, integrating practices that enhance successful and meaningful student experiences. These findings will be disseminated through existing networks across the University, including Faculty Learning Communities.

>>> Learn more about CUES Spanning Boundaries Challenge Grants

TA/LA Spanning Boundaries Challenge 2024 Team

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Headshot of Corin Gray

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Headshot of Arin Haverland

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Headshot of Emily Dykstra

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Headshot of Susan Hester

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Headshot of Sarah Grace

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Headshot of Elizabeth Eadie

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Headshot of John Kanady

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Headshot of Daniel McNabney

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Headshot of Lisa Rezende

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Headshot of Allyson Roof

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Headshot of Alma Tejeda Padron

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Headshot of Laura Van Dorn

From left:  

TA/LA Advocacy/Advisory Board

The board -- comprised of experts on TAs/LAs and leads from the CUES Mapping Educational Challenges Workshop on TAs/LAs, will provide guidance for this project.

  • Mascha Gemein, Educational Development, University Center for Assessment, Teaching & Technology 
  • James Hunt, Human Development & Family Science, College of Agriculture, Life & Environmental Sciences
  • William NeumannManagement Information Systems, Eller College of Management
  • Lucinda RankinPhysiology, College of Medicine-Tucson

2024 CUES Spanning Boundaries Teams