Maximizing the role of undergraduate teaching assistants (UTAs) to match signature pedagogies in leadership education

PurposeThe purpose of the current application paper is to integrate previous literature with recent results from practitioners on effective practices for utilizing small groups in the leadership classroom.Design/methodology/approachWe use these integrated findings to innovate practice on maximizing the role of undergraduate teaching assistants (UTAs) by matching their tasks to signature pedagogies in leadership education.FindingsThe integrated findings revealed three practice themes: (1) match UTAs to pedagogical approach, (2) create small groups by design and (3) providing training and reflection practice for UTAs.Originality/valueIn sum, leadership education can and should challenge historical practices in higher education whereby UTAs are used purely for grading and course logistics management.