Undergraduate Teaching Assistant,
Basic Bacteriology
Basic Bacteriology Undergraduate Teaching Assistant, Ki A. Slusher, demonstrates for students how to dispense antibiotic discs onto plates that have a bacterial lawn.
Several aspects of college provide a learning experience that cannot be replicated anywhere else. I found that experience as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for Basic Bacteriology labs. Throughout the Spring 2017 semester I was responsible for preparing the lab before students entered, cleaning up and setting up for the next class after the students leave, monitoring for safety as they worked, and answering questions that may arise. During my time as a UTA I learned the value of preparation, and promoting critical thinking skills in the students; the experience I have gained in this role will benefit me in other classes as well as in life after my college career.
Being adequately prepared for class proved to be very important. While I may be able to get by in other classes by skimming over the reading and paying attention to lecture, the type of research for this class was very different. Because I had already taken the course I knew some of the common questions students would ask; they were ones I, myself, were curious to know. Those came easily. Then there were conceptual
questions that tested my knowledge, I had to recall information that I had learned, at times, five months prior. Because of this, it was important that I reread my notes from the previous semester and looked over the PowerPoints the students had seen in class. I also had to be prepared to set up the lab, knowing where everything should go and how each item in the requisition would be used so I could guide the students as they performed the experiment. Sometimes the labs are quite simple, while others involve multiple agar plates, several tubes of saline, or eight different household chemicals. The biggest concern was fires. Fire must be used inside the microbiology laboratory in order to maintain aseptic transfers of microorganisms. Unfortunately, this can mean that hair, lab coats, or beakers of ethanol catch fire. On two occasions I was responsible for extinguishing these fires and educating the group on proper fire safety precautions. While these may not seem like large responsibilities, they can transfer to other aspects of my life readily. Preparation is key to doing any job successfully; this job has taught me proper time management to achieve a higher level of success. Putting out fires has taught me to react quickly, but thoughtfully, to situations that can cause harm to others.
Encouraging the students to think critically was another major aspect of my job. At first, I really struggled with giving the students the answer instead of leading them to the answer on their own. Because I had already taken the course I knew what the important information was and tended to lead students to think about that. However, I soon realized that just because one piece of information may be asked about more than others, it does not make it more important. In order to do well in Bacteriology, it is important to connect concepts. Sometimes this is simply connecting what was learned in lecture to the lab, other times it is connecting what was learned in chapter four, to the discussion in chapter fourteen. About half way through the semester I realized the importance of promoting this skill in the students. Thanks to my instructor, Professor McCallister, I was witness to her inspiring questions every class and learned from her the best way to ask to engage the students’ critical thinking capabilities. The skill to connect themes and ideas across a wide amount of time is crucial to future employment. With the aspiration of becoming a nurse practitioner, it is imperative that I can recall something I heard of years ago or minutes ago to aid my patient or their care team.
Not least of all, this experience has refreshed my knowledge in a course that is inextricably linked to my major. Microbiology is an entire section on the HESI A2, the nursing school entrance exam, and is something that nurses encounter every day. The importance of knowing the material inside and out cannot be overstated. Having a hand in teaching this course to others helped reinforce it in me, and also opened me up to a new style of learning that benefits me. Without being a UTA I never would have known that teaching others was something that fundamentally benefited me. I can use this learning style further in college by leading study groups with other students.
Overall, my position as an undergraduate teaching assistant has been phenomenal. I have had the ability to refine my time management abilities, encourage students’ and my own critical thinking skills, and refresh important course work in my degree field. I have also been able to socialize with faculty members I may not have otherwise encountered that could serve to benefit me in the future. I hope that this continues to be an outlet for students to have an alternative learning experience and feel that the behind the scenes knowledge that is generated is unmatched.