Teaching teams, cohorts of instructors, teaching assistants, and learning assistants play a crucial role in student success. Research indicates that effective collaboration within teaching teams enhances instructional quality and supports diverse student needs, leading to improved academic outcomes ( Felner et al., 2007 ). This project extends existing knowledge by exploring different UArizona faculty strategies to optimize team dynamics, thereby fostering a more inclusive and supportive learning environment for students, teaching and learning assistants, and faculty. Utilizing a communities of practice framework ( Wenger, 2011 ), this project examines how teaching teams function across disciplines and teaching modalities to support students’ sense of belonging and academic self-efficacy. Our participatory research design foregrounds the voices, experiences, and perspectives of teaching team members and students to understand the dynamics of teaching teams within this framework. Findings from this project will provide evidence-based guidance for UArizona faculty to redesign their teaching teams, integrating practices that enhance successful and meaningful student experiences. These findings will be disseminated through existing networks across the University, including Faculty Learning Communities.
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The board -- comprised of experts on TAs/LAs and leads from the CUES Mapping Educational Challenges Workshop on TAs/LAs, will provide guidance for this project.
