Mathematics Instructors' and Teaching Assistants' Community-Building Activities in Remote Learning Environments

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: Fostering Deeper Learning and Engagement in Mathematics

Abstract

This study examined how undergraduate mathematics instructors and teaching assistants (TAs) reflected on their community-building efforts during the remote instruction brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic. We used community-building activities and pandemic-sensemaking to better understand how instructors and TAs planned for and adapted their community-building efforts in response to emergent challenges. Four instructors and five TAs participated in semi-structured interviews about their experiences during the Fall 2020 term. Using qualitative data analysis, we found that they engaged in pandemic-sensemaking to anticipate and attend to challenges with building community remotely. Moreover, key differences in their efforts can be attributed to the structure of the courses. Our findings can inform future professional development of instructors and TAs centered around community-building practices.

Authors

• Royce Olarte, University of California - Santa Barbara

• Damaris Madeline Hernandez, University of California - Santa Barbara

• Hannali Pajela, University of California - Santa Barbara

• Sarah Ann Roberts, University of California - Santa Barbara