Leadership in Education: from teaching assistant to coach
Project introduction and background information
The pressure on lecturers in higher education is high [1]. Employing capable student (teaching) assistants (TAs) can help decrease this pressure. These TAs require competence beyond content-specific knowledge which is often provided by the supervising lecturer; they need pedagogical and didactical skills and competencies [2].
These competencies are not yet systematically developed within existing TA preparation, like our Teaching and Learning Services’ brief introduction training, prior to the start of TA work. At the same time, teaching assistants express a desire to prepare better [3]. Therefore, training parallel to TA work, learning on the job, is required, and will reduce the workload on individual lecturers.
Along with the ongoing curriculum reform in our Nanobiology program at the faculty of Applied Sciences, a new learning line on professional skills is being introduced, based on the AAC&U Essential Skills Framework [4]. If we expect students to develop skills in communication, collaboration and critical thinking, then the TAs must be trained accordingly.
Recently we, a group of educators, an educationalist and experienced TAs, developed an Advanced TA Training Program for Nanobiology TAs, which runs in 2026-27 as four 1 ects courses under Applied Sciences course code and is open to TAs and future TAs in and outside our faculty. These trainings, which consist of workshops, guided reflections, observations, and result in building a portfolio, are developed by experienced Teaching Assistants for TAs [5]. This approach is inspired by the Groningen Student as Teacher program [6], and aligns with StuKO ambitions [7] to train student assistants with evidence-based educational insights and recognize them as valued colleagues [3]. Results so far are promising [5], participating TAs unanimously recommend the training to peers, and the co-creating TAs who also facilitated the workshops reported increased professional skills and confidence.
The aim of this 4TU.CEE project is curriculum integration and long-term sustainability of the TA training courses. This includes evaluating its educational impact, expanding from 4 ec into a 5 ec elective in response to demand of other programmes. It also requires developing polished materials, both a student and instructor version, to reduce dependence on the current educator as well as allow transfer to other programmes. Finally, because effective TA development also requires a fruitful educational environment, we want to support lecturers in working effectively with TAs and provide appropriate guidance through a workshop for the lecturers.
By professionalizing both the TAs and their supervision, this project aims to improve student learning and the development of professional educational skills across the curriculum, as well as reduce pressure on teaching staff.
[1] Werkdruk Universiteiten Onderzoeksresultaten. Totta Research; 2019.
[2] Meulenbroeks RFG, van der Hulst J. Recognition Where It Is Due: Towards a Teaching Qualification for Student Teaching Assistants in Higher Education Journal of Peer Learning. 2023.
[3] Dekker I, Thurlings M, Delnoij L, van der Veen J. A systematic review on near-peer teaching in higher education: Training, types of instruction, and outcomes. OSF preprint. 2023.
[4] Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education (VALUE)2009. Available from: https://www.aacu.org/initiatives/value.
[5] SEFI paper, Advanced Training Program for Teaching Assistants: a co-creation project, accepted for conference proceedings of SEFI 2026 in Prague (7-10 September 2026)
[6] Hagoort I. Student as a teacher (SAT): Experienced SATs train new SATs 2024 [Contribution to StuKO conference]. Available from: https://stuko-project.nl/stuko-symposium-11-april-2024.
[7] Meijers AWM, Borghuis VAJ, Mutsaers EJPJ, van Overveld CWAM, Perrenet JC. Criteria voor academische bachelor en master curricula = Criteria for academic bachelor's and master's curricula. Eindhoven; 2005.
Objective and expected outcomes
The objective of this 4TU.CEE project is to evaluate, expand, and sustainably embed our Advanced TA training program within and beyond the Nanobiology curriculum. Specifically we aim to:
- Expand our current 4 ECTS program into a 5 ECTS elective, that can be adopted by multiple study programs.
- Develop transferable student and instructor materials to reduce dependency on individual educators and facilitate implementation elsewhere
- Develop a TA workshop for teachers, on effective supervision and collaboration with TAs.
- Establish collaboration with Teaching & Learning Services for long-term sustainability and embedding of our program at TUDelft.
At the end of the project we expect to have:
- A 5 ECTS TA skills course
- Evidence of the program’s impact on TA development
- Evidence of the influence of the TA training on learning experiences of students they support.
- A complete set of student and instructor materials, that can be shared with other programs and other universities.
- Workshop and instructor materials to support lecturers in effective mentoring and collaboration with TAs
This will all together deliver a sustainable model for TA professionalization that can be adopted by other programs within 4 TU.
Results and learnings
Preliminary Results and Lessons Learned
From the trainings and TA course we have developed and given so far, our key take-away is that a co-created program supports TA professionalization through near-peer facilitation of participating and facilitating TAs.
The participating and co-creating/ facilitating TAs report increased professional skills and confidence, and a better understanding of teaching and learning practices.
As the project progresses, we will further evaluate the impact on TA development, their teaching practice, and student learning experiences.
Recommendations
Experience to Date
Our primary recommendation is to work with TAs, rather than act upon them. Involving TAs in design and facilitation promotes motivation, engagement and growth of personal skills.
More recommendations and good practices will be collected and disseminated throughout the project.
Practical outcomes
The project will result in a transferable package of training materials, including:
- A student version of the advanced TA skills course
- An instructor guide for educators and experienced TAs who facilitate the program
- Materials for an educator workshop on effective supervision and collaboration with TAs.
- Evaluation instruments and examples of best practices.
These materials will be shared with other programs and other universitities. Preliminary versions of the materials are available upon request.