The Teaching Academy: From Online Training to Micro-Credentialing

Program Abstract: Effective teaching by GTA’s directly impacts undergraduate student performance, leading to higher grades and promoting student success in upper division courses. Minority serving institutions often face a harder time retaining STEM focused undergrads, where a review of the literature shows that low retention rates of minority students specifically is due in large part to instructional (Henderson et al. 2014) methods. The Teaching Academy begins with a university-wide online asynchronous training module, followed by enrollment in a skills-based communities of practice (CoP) and culminates in a teaching and instruction badge. The framework provides a place to start, curatable communities, and a focused finish line. The innovative program at George Mason University provides a scalable and structural framework of training and development of masters and doctoral GTA’s in partnership with Teaching and Learning Centers for Excellence, university academic support centers, and the Graduate Division to enhance the undergraduate STEM student experience.