Before the First Lecture: Workshop Prepares College of Engineering Teaching Assistants for the Classroom

The College of Engineering hosted its annual Biggadike Innovation Grant Teaching Assistant Workshop on Aug. 11-12, preparing graduate students and instructors to step into classrooms and labs across the college this fall. 

Developed and hosted by Sarah Hernandez and Cameron Murray, associate professors of civil engineering, the two-day workshop guided 38 participants through interactive sessions on the fundamentals of teaching: roles and responsibilities, active learning methods, board notes, productive office hours, Blackboard tools, grading, and classroom and lab safety.  

Faculty across departments led the sessions, including Heather Walker, Brandon Crisel, Sarah Hernandez, Cameron Murray, Anthony Gunderman, and Kelly Sullivan. Abi Moser (Blackboard Services) led our session on use of Blackboard, the UofA's online learning management platform.   

"With this training, our College of Engineering TAs are prepared to teach using engaging and active pedagogy," Hernandez said. "We hope that by presenting them with teaching skills early on in their academic careers, they will inspire undergraduates to pursue engineering careers." 

Two new sessions joined the program this year.  

Anthony Gunderman, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, led a session on why and how to create skeletal notes, partially completed outlines that students fill in during class to support engagement and understanding. University of Arkansas Police Department Assistant Chief Matt Mills presented on classroom and campus safety. 

The new material found an immediate audience. 

"The workshop has helped me understand what tools and skills I should develop to provide an optimal learning experience for students while, at the same time, making our work as TAs more efficient," said Edgar Ortega, a graduate research assistant in civil engineering. "Learning how to develop and implement skeletal notes was my favorite session." 

For some participants, the training will travel beyond Fayetteville. Ty Galyean, a captain in the U.S. Army and a master of science student in civil engineering, will become an instructor in the civil and environmental engineering department at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point after graduation. 

"This workshop was my first introduction to pedagogy, and I expect that much of what I learned will be applicable to me in the coming years," Galyean said. "The microteaching lesson gave me the opportunity to put these concepts into practice and experiment with techniques that I know will be required of me in the classroom." 

Participants who completed the training received certificates at the close of the workshop. 

The workshop takes its name from the Biggadike Endowment for Teaching and Learning, which supports faculty and staff-led projects that address needs in engineering education, with grants awarded in alternating years. The endowment was established in 2014 and fully funded in 2020 after the passing of Robert H. Biggadike, an engineering alumnus who supported teaching in the college through a $7.8 million gift. 

The workshop sits within a broader Biggadike investment in how the college teaches. Among the five 2026 Biggadike Innovation Grants awarded in June is a structured teaching fellowship developed by Jenn Campbell, assistant professor in mechanical engineering, that will pair engineering graduate students with faculty mentors to build pedagogical skills alongside their research training, carrying forward the kind of preparation the workshop begins. 

Participants 

• Adrienne Vaughan 

•  Alok Pudasaini 

•  Aria Wang 

•  Bahar N. Pour 

•  Catherine Tovar Riobo 

•  Edgar Enrique Ortega De la Cruz 

•  Eli Barnett 

•  Farzam Hosseinpour Vardin 

•  Gaurab Sapkota 

•  Grace Harding 

•  Hossana Ibe 

•  Ifeanyi Nwaneri 

•  Iswarya Natarajan 

•  Jansi Rajagopal 

•  Jesujoba Olubodun 

•  Jude Chidozie Obijiaku 

•  Kevin Eduardo Velasquez Carballo 

•  Kiet Tran 

•  Kile Harvey 

•  Leanne Bell Vila 

•  Luke Ahlemeier 

•  Md Abid Hasan 

•  Naga Venkata Rakesh Chowdary Gutta 

•  Navu Karmacharya 

•  Nor Sherpa 

•  Prajit Bhattarai 

•  Prashant Gautam 

•  Preethi Yedla 

•  Rasool Fazeli 

•  Ruslan Galib 

•  Samira Alsadat Salari 

•  Shiva Tejaswi Kuruva Bandaru 

•  Ty Galyean 

•  Victor Akinwale 

•  Vincent Hassman 

•  Vincent White 

•  Vivek Kumar Tiwari 

•  Zachary Sparks 

About the College of Engineering: The University of Arkansas College of Engineering is the state's largest engineering school, offering graduate and undergraduate degrees, online studies and interdisciplinary programs. It enrolls more than 4,700 students and employs more than 150 faculty and researchers along with nearly 200 staff members. Its research enterprise generated $47 million in new research awards in Fiscal Year 2025. The college's strategic plan, Vision 2035, seeks to build the premier STEM workforce in accordance with three key objectives: Initiating lifelong student success, generating transformational and relevant knowledge, and becoming the destination of choice among educators, students, staff, industry, alumni and the community. As part of this, the college is increasing graduates and research productivity to expand its footprint as an entrepreneurial engineering platform serving Arkansas and the world. The college embraces its pivotal role in driving economic growth, fueling innovation and educating the next generation of engineers, computer scientists and data scientists to address current and future societal challenges.