Developing a Global Real-time Assessment Tool for the Teaching enhancement of engineering graduate teaching assistants

Abstract

In 1999, the VaNTH Observation System (VOS), a direct observation system that records instructor and student interactions in classrooms using the dimensions of the "How People Learn" (HPL) framework was developed to provide pedagogical feedback to bioengineering faculty at four research universities. Since its development, the VOS has been adapted for use in first year engineering laboratories taught by the graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) at a large Midwestern university. After piloting the VOS within this new environment in 2007, researchers noted some limitations. To overcome these limitations, a new pedagogical observation system, called the Global Real-time Assessment Tool for Teaching Enhancement (G-RATE), has been developed to provide GTAs with multidimensional feedback about their teaching. This paper describes the evolution of the G-RATE system, provides an overview of each section of the instrument, and discusses future steps for the development of this tool. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2010.