Professionalization of an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant program to increase participation and build career skills

Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UTA) positions offer valuable benefits for student learning, leadership development, and resume building. Here, we share the multi-year transformation of our biology UTA program, which was designed to increase awareness and visibility of UTA positions while making the roles and responsibilities more transparent to students. Professionalizing the hiring process by requiring resume, applications, training, and contract signing aims to better prepare students for the workforce. Collectively, these efforts have doubled the number of UTA applicants, indicating that students are now more aware of these opportunities and have a clearer idea of how to pursue them. Our program also includes learning objectives for UTAs, many of which focus on professional development. Finally, we share our ideas for future directions to refine and expand our UTA program.