MEEN40910 Teaching Assistant in MME

Academic Year 2023/2024

This module gives graduate students in the UCD School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering a grounding in the principles and practice of laboratory demonstrating. The module is specifically for graduate students who are actively engaged in the role of Teaching Assistant within the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering.
Participants in the module will be introduced to the practicalities of laboratory demonstrating, including preparation for relevant laboratory work and laboratory safety. In addition, they will be given an introduction to relevant works in the teaching and learning literature (both generic and discipline-specific), and they will learn how to apply these ideas in their own teaching. They will learn to assess/critique their teaching based on feedback gained from their peers and/or their students. They will be encouraged to take active responsibility for judging and indeed, helping to maintain, the quality of their module's laboratory assignments.
Module participants must be registered/about to register for a Masters/PhD degree in Mechanical and Materials Engineering and must be in an active teaching role.
This module is graded on a Pass/Fail basis.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module, a participant will be able to:
1. Demonstrate a firm understanding of the technical content of the laboratory, and an ability to anticipate as well as to react to students' problems in lab settings;
2. Demonstrate a familiarity with some of the key relevant literature regarding teaching and learning, both generic and specifically within the field of Mechanical & Materials Engineering;
3. Take responsibility for evaluating their own performance based on feedback from a variety of sources (student, peer, laboratory supervisor) and demonstrate a willingness to change their teaching practice in light of this feedback;
4. Understand the relationship between the design of a laboratory or tutorial session and the learning outcomes associated with it;
5. Demonstrate an awareness of University, College and School policies and procedures, including health and safety practices, that impact on their role as a Teaching Assistant;
6. Understand how to use tools such as Brightspace for grading purposes.

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

50
Autonomous Student Learning

40
Small Group

10
Total

100
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
A combination of tutorial sessions, practical work and peer feedback.A mix of interactive lectures with assignments and peer observation exercises. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Incompatibles:
UTL40230 - Intro to Univ T&L for Tutors

Additional Information:
Participants must be graduate-level students who are in an active teaching role within the UCD School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering.


 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Assignment: Performing as a competent demonstrator.

Students will submit written and video materials to evidence their capabilities as a teaching assistant		 Week 7 n/a Other Yes

20
Group Project: "Peer discussion on teaching experiences"

Students will participate in an ongoing peer discussion through Brightspace		 Week 9 n/a Other Yes

20
Portfolio: Peer observation and feedback

In pairs, students observe each others work as teaching assistance and provide observations, feedback and reflection		 Week 11 n/a Other Yes

40
Assignment: Understanding research integrity

Students must demonstrate that they have engaged with and passed online research integrity training.		 Week 4 n/a Other Yes

20

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Remediation Type Remediation Timing
In-Module Resit Prior to relevant Programme Exam Board
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Peer review activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback on initial and final assignments will be based on summative assessments while the peer observation exercise will require peer review.

Name Role
Usman Ali Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
 
Autumn
      
Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 Tues 11:00 - 12:50