The Future of Education

In large universities, Teaching Assistants´ (TAs) roles in computer science education are typically filled by PhD students or Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs). However, in smaller universities where PhD students are not available, an alternative approach is to engage senior undergraduate students as teaching assistants, often referred to as Undergraduate Teaching Assistants (UTAs).

The authors in [1] present a systematic literature review on UTAs in Computer Science from two perspectives: first, to create a taxonomy of practices related to the design and implementation of UTA programs; and second, to identify the benefits of using UTAs as reported in the literature and characterize the level of evidence supporting these claims.

The UTA model creates a win-win situation by fostering a more approachable learning environment, where younger students feel more comfortable asking questions and seeking guidance from their more experienced peers. Student engagement plays a crucial role in the success of this approach, as peer-to-peer interactions differ from traditional student-teacher relationships, a distinction also noted by the authors in [2].

Various communication channels exist between students and teachers, as well as among students themselves. In this article, we introduce Discord as a tool that support this model by providing a flexible and informal platform for students to reach out to UTAs during evenings and weekends—times when students are occupied with part-time jobs.

Additionally, involving older students as UTAs enhances their own learning experience, strengthens their CVs, and equips them with valuable teaching and mentoring skills for their future careers.

Through experimenting with different models, this article discusses the challenges, benefits, and practical insights gained from implementing this model in a small university setting. Furthermore, it presents feedback from students, teachers and UTAs to evaluate the effectiveness of this approach.