BIO 548 (Moscarella/Doyle) Undergraduate Teaching Assistants for Spring 2026

The goal of this assistantship is twofold: through your support to BIO548 students you will develop a greater understanding of the course material because teaching is the best way to learn. I also want you to develop a better understanding of how people learn and what instructors at all levels can do to enhance learning. You will be developing skills and gaining experience that will help you when you are applying for fellowships, jobs, and professional/graduate school in the future. Even if you do not pursue a career that involves  teaching college-level courses, you will likely be leading, facilitating, and even supervising others. Your experiences as a TA can provide you with the chance to develop your teaching and facilitation skills. Some of the skills I hope you will develop during this semester are: 

  • Provide thoughtful feedback. 
  • Facilitate in-class discussions. 
  • Manage small student groups. 
  • Exhibit patience and empathy as you work with students. 
  • Answer questions about the course content and foster the curiosity of your peers. 
Name of research group, project, or lab
BIO 548 (Moscarella/Doyle) UTA
Why participate in this opportunity?

The purpose of being an undergraduate teaching assistant (UTA) is twofold. On one hand, your work supports student learning in BIO 548. Additionally, you are developing skills and gaining transferable experiences that will help you when you are applying for fellowships, jobs, and professional/graduate school in the future. Even if you do not pursue a career that involves teaching college-level courses, you will likely be leading, facilitating, and even supervising others. Your experiences as a TA can provide you with the chance to develop your teaching and facilitation skills.

Logistics Information:
Subject Category
Biology
Student ranks applicable
Junior
Senior
Student qualifications

To become a UTA for BIO 548, you should have successfully completed BIO 548. You will be required to attend your Lab section every week or attend lecture (TuTh 1:00-2:15PM), and attend a weekly meeting on Tuesdays afternoon. You should be able to explain complex topics in ways that are engaging and understandable, be enthusiastic about working hard, and have good teamwork and communication skills.

  1. For your application to be complete, you must also fill out this form to indicate your availability.
Time commitment
8-10 h/wk
Position Types and Compensation
Teaching - Ind. Study Credit
Number of openings
4
Techniques learned

Through this work, you will develop your abilities to explain biological concepts, provide thoughtful feedback, facilitate in-class discussions, manage small student groups and answer questions about the ecology, physiology, and evolution of mammals at a level appropriate for an upper level biology course.

Project start
Spring 2026
Contact Information:
Mentor
ROSA MOSCARELLA
rmoscarella@umass.edu
Senior Lecturer
Name of project director or principal investigator
Rosa Moscarella
Email address of project director or principal investigator
RMOSCARELLA@UMASS.EDU
4 sp. | 0 appl.
Hours
8-10 h/wk
Project categories
Biology