Baylor Advances Biology Teaching Excellence Through National Scholars Program
NSF-funded program enhances preparation of future biology faculty through teaching assistant development
Biology Teaching Assistants guide undergraduates in introductory lab courses, illustrating the ECB Scholars Program’s goal of preparing the next generation of faculty. (Matthew Minard/Baylor University)
Contact: Kelly Craine, 254-297-9065
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WACO, Texas (Nov. 3, 2026) – Baylor University has been selected to participate in the 2026-2027 Evolving the Culture of Biology (ECB) Scholars program, a competitive, yearlong initiative funded by the National Science Foundation’s Division of Undergraduate Education to strengthen professional development for the faculty of the future: biology Teaching Assistants (TAs).
Baylor’s team of Tamarah Adair, Ph.D., senior lecturer of biology and director of Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CURES), and biology lab coordinators Amanda Bracey and Mindy Syharat were selected through a competitive application process and will join 10 other Scholar Teams from across the United States to develop a Teaching Assistant-Teaching Professional Development curriculum for biology Teaching Assistants.
Teaching Assistants are responsible for a large share of undergraduate instruction and represent future faculty members. Training them in evidence-based teaching methods early in their careers supports their effectiveness in the classroom, enhances student learning experiences and helps prepare the next generation of biology educators.
Biology is one of Baylor University’s most popular undergraduate majors with degree concentrations that provide more than 1,200 students with a variety of career and graduate-school pathways after graduation. Baylor biology graduates are prepared for medical, dental, veterinary, pharmacy and other professional schools, graduate study in biology and biomedical sciences, scientific research or careers in public health and global health professions, epidemiology, microbiology, parasitology, tropical medicine careers, biotechnology and related life-science industries.
Among the first instructors Baylor biology students encounter in introductory laboratory courses are Teaching Assistants, who are earning graduate biology degrees at Baylor. TAs guide students through hands-on experiments, introduce essential research techniques and foster collaboration and integrative learning. By building mentoring relationships and creating a welcoming lab environment, they also help students develop a sense of belonging and begin to see themselves as scientists.
“Because they have such an important role, we need to have a robust Teaching Assistant-Teaching Professional Development program,” Adair said. “Students will benefit from well-prepared Teaching Assistants, but the TAs will also benefit from training. They will learn evidence-based teaching methods and gain greater confidence in their abilities. This is also important career development and in the long term it will improve STEM teaching for future faculty.”
Growing in teaching roles
ECB builds on the Biology Teaching Assistant Program, or BioTAP, a network of more than 400 academics and other stakeholders committed to improving teaching professional development for biology Teaching Assistants.
“We have been working on ways to implement teaching pedagogy into our TA prep for the last few years but getting the opportunity to be a part of ECB and work with nine other great institutions on ideas and sharing resources to provide our graduate students with what they need to be successful instructors has been invaluable,” Bracey said. “Our goal is to create a graduate-level pedagogy course that will give these first-year graduate students what they need to grow and succeed in their teaching roles.”
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for nearly 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu.