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Dissecting the role of an anatomy teaching assistant
Author(s) -
Jacobs Sarah Marie,
Chen Laura P,
Camp Christopher L,
Gregory Jeremy K,
Alexander Cara J,
Lachman Nirusha,
Pawlina Wojciech
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.23.1_supplement.475.5
Subject(s) - formative assessment , gross anatomy , scope (computer science) , medical education , class (philosophy) , dissection (medical) , psychology , medicine , pedagogy , anatomy , computer science , artificial intelligence , programming language
Gross anatomy courses often utilize teaching assistants (TAs) to serve a multifaceted purpose. Qualitative analysis of interviews with gross anatomy TAs reveals seven distinct roles: formal teaching during course lectures, informal teaching during dissection, prosecting a demonstration cadaver, orchestrating regular review sessions, coordinating formative feedback about academic progress and professionalism, tutoring struggling students outside of class time, and supporting students in crisis should the need arise. Analysis also finds that TAs did not anticipate the full scope of their duties prior to undertaking them, and felt particularly unprepared to address issues of student mental health. We report our findings and propose a model for proactively training TAs for their inherently complex role. This work was supported by the Mayo Clinic Department of Anatomy. Grant Funding Source Student/Postdoctoral Travel Award Student Award