Spring 2027 Cell & Molecular Bio (BIO285) Undergraduate TAs (Raimer)

We seek six to eight undergraduate teaching assistants (UTAs) to assist with Cell & Molecular Biology (BIO285) in Spring 2027.  In this position, UTAs will increase their understanding and proficiency with core molecular and cell biology concepts and and gain teaching, leadership, and teamwork experience. UTAs will participate in weekly meetings with the course teaching team to discuss, practice, and implement best practices in teaching and offer direct peer support to enrolled students during lecture and scheduled office hours.

Name of research group, project, or lab
BIO285: Cell & Molecular Biology (Lecture)
Why participate in this opportunity?

Being a BIO285 UTA will help you deepen your understanding of the fundamentals of genetics, gain experience with teaching and leadership during lecture and your individual office hours, and share knowledge and connect with other students. You will also build skills in teamwork and collaboration by working with our BIO285 instructional team of faculty, graduate TAs, and undergraduate TAs.  UTAs will receive 2 credits for their efforts; a minimum of ~4-6 hours of work each week will be needed to support the class, and more hours will be needed on exam and grading weeks. 

Logistics Information:
Field(s) of Study
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Biology
Student ranks applicable
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Student qualifications

Successful applicants will have completed BIO285 (Cell & Molecular Biology) at UMass, highly related and comparable level courses at UMass, or equivalent courses at other institutions. Previous UTA experience is a plus but is not required. Successful applicants will also be excited about  cellular and molecular biology and have strong teamwork and communication skills.

You must be able to commit to attending two weekly lectures (TuTh 4:00-5:15) for this position, in addition to a weekly uTA prep meeting and five 2-hour problem set sessions during the semester. Each week you will also be expected to prepare for lecture/problem set sessions by reviewing course materials and homework to be able to effectively assist students with the lecture material.    

To ensure that you meet these qualifications:

  1. Complete the application through the PROPEL site. 
  2. For your application to be complete, you must also fill out this Google form for availability, logistics, and additional questions. 
Time commitment
5-7 h/wk
Position Types and Compensation
Credit for Research and Teaching
Number of openings
8
Techniques learned

Students will learn how to teach content to their peers and how to help facilitate student learning in lecture, exams, and problem set sessions. Students will also learn how to use Canvas, Gradescope, and other learning technologies through the instructor perspective.

Project start
Spring 2027 Semester
Contact Information:
Mentor
Amanda Raimer
araimer@umass.edu
Teaching Faculty
Name of project director or principal investigator
Amanda Raimer
Email address of project director or principal investigator
araimer@umass.edu
8 sp. | 0 appl.
Time commitment
5-7 h/wk
Field(s) of Study
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (+1)
Biochemistry & Molecular BiologyBiology