Computer Science enrollments grew rapidly for many years and have since remained at historically high levels. Due to the large enrollment, especially in introductory courses, the need for excellent teaching assistants (TAs), has remained extremely important. In response, numerous CS departments have turned to their expanding pool of undergraduate students to recruit Undergraduate Teaching Assistants (UTAs) to help scale instruction. These Undergraduate Teaching Assistants (UTAs) not only provide help with grading, but are also responsible for developing course resources, running lab sections, and mentoring both students and newly hired UTAs. Ultimately, UTAs have a significant role in affecting course climate, with a particular emphasis on building community, which has a positive impact on underrepresented student populations. Computer Science departments struggle with the challenges of finding, hiring, and training large numbers of teaching assistants. In both 2023 and 2024, this Birds of a Feather (BoF) session drew more than 75 participants, sparking lively discussions about the challenges of hiring and training effective teaching assistants. The first session centered on identifying shared challenges across institutions and exchanging ideas. In the second year, we shifted focus to gathering data from attendees' institutions and building a shared database on TA hiring and training practices. This year, we plan to take the next step by addressing a key challenge identified in previous sessions: developing a crowdsourced repository of best practices for TA training, with the long-term goal of using it as the foundation for a comprehensive TA training curriculum.

As the number of students taking Computer Science courses continues to rise, the need for excellent teaching assistants (TAs), becomes increasingly important. In response, numerous CS departments have turned to their expanding pool of undergraduate students to recruit Undergraduate Teaching Assistants (UTAs) to fulfill these vital roles. These Undergraduate Teaching Assistants (UTAs) not only provide help with grading, but are responsible for development of course materials, running lab sections, and mentoring both students and newly hired UTAs. Ultimately, UTAs have a major role in affecting course climate, with a particular emphasis on fostering inclusivity, especially for underrepresented student populations. Computer Science departments struggle with the challenges of finding, hiring, and training large numbers of teaching assistants. Last year this Birds of a Feather (BoF) session brought together nearly 100 attendees who discussed the challenges faced in hiring and training effective teaching assistants. This year, the session aims to focus on the exchange of information among participants, both during and after the event, fostering a collaborative effort to establish and sustain effective UTA programs. Data collected and ideas generated will be immediately available to all.

As the number of students taking Computer Science courses continues to rise, the need for excellent teaching assistants (TAs), becomes increasingly important. In response, many CS departments hire TAs from their growing undergraduate student pool to help fill such roles. These Undergraduate Teaching Assistants (UTAs) not only provide help with grading, but are responsible for development of course materials, running lab sections, and mentoring both students and newly hired UTAs. Ultimately, UTAs have a major role in affecting course climate, including making sure all students, especially those from underrepresented populations, feel included. Computer Science departments struggle with the challenges of finding, hiring, and training large numbers of teaching assistants. This birds-of-a-feather is designed to gather educators and administrators together who are responsible for the hiring and training UTAs to share their experiences and suggest solutions to these challenges.

How to create a computer science partnership with an elementary school. The presenters discuss the various aspects and challenges of implementing a computer science program at the elementary school level, K-5. Topics to be discussed include where K-5 is now in Georgia, existing programs, curriculum development, pedagogy, funding, infrastructure, teacher training, and involvement of undergraduate computer science students. Audience members will be engaged throughout the presentation with questions and polls during and between topic discussions. The attendees may use their cellphones or laptops to respond to questions. The partnership group will converse about their experiences with diversity and geographic equity in computing. We believe any attendee wishing to do outreach or develop a computer science program at the K-5 level will be interested.