Premium
Continued Development of the Role of Teaching Assistants in Mount Sinai's “Structures” Course
Author(s) -
Maffucci Patrick,
Laitman Benjamin,
Laitman Jeffrey
Publication year - 2015
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.29.1_supplement.551.6
Subject(s) - medical education , mount , course (navigation) , perspective (graphical) , psychology , mathematics education , medicine , engineering , computer science , mechanical engineering , artificial intelligence , aerospace engineering
The Structures course at Mount Sinai is a combination of three courses taken by first year medical students: Anatomy, Histology, and Embryology. Functioning as a single unit, this course allows integration of these areas to enhance student learning and offer a unique perspective for medical students. Last year, we reported our efforts to reshape how Teaching Assistants (TAs) function within our course. This year, with the second iteration of Structures and as part of a continued effort to increase the role of student TAs, TAs became responsible for a broader range of activities. Notably, table conferences, a substitute for practical exams in Anatomy normally conducted by faculty members, were transitioned entirely to Senior TAs (4 th year or scholarly year medical students, or PhD phase MD/PhD students). Second year medical student TAs became responsible for organizing and teaching a number of review sessions, including weekly review sessions, midterm/final examination reviews, and in‐lab review sessions before each table conference. Course evaluations have been completed and are being analyzed. Feedback on TAs and their role in the course was overwhelmingly positive. In addition, focus groups consisting of first year students are being organized to solicit feedback and suggestions. Of equal importance, TAs have responded favorably to increased involvement in the course and have cited the value of increased opportunities to teach and of strengthening their understanding of topics taught. Overall, we have found that an increase in the role and responsibilities of TAs in medical education have been extremely positive for both students and TAs alike.