What are LAs?

Learning Assistants (LAs) are undergraduate students who are hired to support student learning through research-validated teaching and learning pedagogical techniques. 

What do LAs do?

• Support students in various aspects of a course including lecture, tutoring sessions, labs, and office hours.
• Collaborate in weekly meetings with faculty and instructional team members
• Prepare independently for student interactions 

LAs work with their Lead Faculty to transform courses by creating environments in which students can interact with one another, engage in collaborative problem solving, articulate and defend their ideas, and explicitly discuss aspects of the nature of teaching and learning within their specific disciplines.

An LA’s Experience

Learning Assistants engage in three main activities as part of the LA Model: Weekly Preparation meeting (Plan with faculty), Pedagogy Course (learn and reflect on effective pedagogy), and Practice (work with and support students in the classroom).

Weekly Preparation

LAs meet with their coordinators and/or faculty as a team at least once per week to prepare for future classes, develop deeper content understanding, explore specific pedagogical content knowledge, and exchange information about how students are progressing in the course

Pedagogy Course

The pedagogy course introduces LAs to educational research, active learning, and strategies that support: (1) eliciting student ideas and helping all group members become active and engaged in the class; (2) listening and questioning; (3) building relationships; and (4) integrating learning theories with effective practices.

Practice

Learning Assistants interact with students by facilitating discussions about conceptual problems within the discipline. LAs focus mainly on eliciting student thinking and helping each student participate in developing a shared understanding.