Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) play a pivotal role in supporting and advancing the educational mission of universities globally. They are fundamental to a university’s instructional workforce and their roles are critical to the undergraduate student experience. This study examines the experiences and perceptions of GTAs (n = 74) at an R2 institution in the Midwest, U.S. Survey results reveal that the majority of surveyed GTAs have been at the institution for at least one year, teach in face-to-face formats with classes typically ranging from 12 to 30, and allocate 11–20 h/week to their instructional duties, although 30% of respondents report >20 h/week. Survey respondents reported a need for more teaching-focused onboarding, discipline-specific training, and more opportunities for feedback on their teaching practices, while almost 50% reported never engaging with discipline-based education research (DBER) literature. Although departmental and institutional training programs were acknowledged, so too was the perception of their lack of accessibility or relevance. Potential strategies for supporting GTAs, particularly early in their careers, include shadowing opportunities, sustained formal classroom management, and pedagogical training that includes an introduction to (and discussion of) the DBER literature, and a reduced teaching load in the first semester. Universities should prioritize and design GTA professional development using a cognitive apprenticeship framework. This would invest in the undergraduate student experience and directly support an institution’s educational mission. It is also highly effective in preparing highly skilled graduates to enter an increasingly connected global workforce and could positively contribute to an engaged alumni base.

The Mesozoic Marine Revolution was characterized by increasing predation pressure, the diversification of predator groups, and the evolution of specialized morphologies and functions. Functional diversity influences ecosystem dynamics, stability, and productivity, and in theory should have increased as new modes of life evolved across the Mesozoic. Here we assess the effects of the Mesozoic Marine Revolution on functional diversity in the Western Tethys using five paleocommunities from the following stages: the Anisian (Middle Triassic), Carnian (Late Triassic), Bathonian (Middle Jurassic), Aptian (Early Cretaceous), and Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous). Functional diversity was quantified by assigning seven functional traits readily identifiable in fossil taxa to 7,036 species: tiering, feeding mode, motility, structural robustness, trophic rank, vision, and body form. Results suggest that a notable functional expansion occurred in shallow marine ecosystems of the western Tethys. This pattern is robust and can be discerned using both a simple three-trait functional space, and a far more complex functional space created using seven traits. In addition, speciation was decoupled from functional diversity, and new functions did not arise at a steady rate. Furthermore, decreases in functional redundancy and over-redundancy suggest an increase in specialization from the Middle Jurassic onwards. These findings are consistent with previous interpretations that the MMR led to increasingly complex ecosystems as new ecologies evolved, and that the MMR was asynchronous. The examination of ancient ecosystems provides an opportunity to assess whether trophic organization has changed, and to understand the evolutionary mechanisms that have contributed to historical patterns of community structure.