What is it about?
TA training, using Virtual reality and AI agents. • Three-stage model: Observe → Interact→ Reflect • Five AI student personas (high-need, low-confidence, solution-focused, disengaged, cheating) • AI conversational agent avatars display code on a whiteboard • Rubric-based feedback given by an AI agent grounded in the MUSIC Model (empowerment, success, caring)
Featured Image
Photo by Possessed Photography on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Computer science TAs shape student motivation and belonging, but traditional training lacks scalable, realistic practice. VISTA is an XR + AI tool that simulates office-hour interactions in a virtual environment.
Perspectives
Work-in-progress with strong potential for widespread TA training.
Fatemeh Sarshartehrani
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: VISTA: Virtual Interactive Simulation for Teaching Assistants, February 2026, ACM (Association for Computing Machinery),
DOI: 10.1145/3770761.3777315.
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