Center for Faculty Development
Learning Assistant Faculty
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The LA Program provides pedagogical training for working with Learning Assistants
for faculty invested in implementing active learning strategies. Bring dynamic teaching
and enhance your students' success by incorporating an LA onto your instructional
team!
Why have LAs in my class?
- 6% drop-in failure rates in STEM Gateway Courses1
- A survey of 227 students reported that:2
- 90% said course is better suited for learning
- 65% are more motivated
- 80% enjoyed the course more
- 90% said interact more with their peers
- 75% concepts are better connected
- Another survey of 387 students reveals:3
- LAs encourage thinking
- Increase appreciation for course material
Incorporating Learning Assistants will enhance your instruction through more opportunities for active learning and student engagement. LAs bring energy, diversity, and peer mentorship to the classroom. They also function as a key feedback loop for faculty.
How do I become an LA Faculty?
Connect with the LA Program through laprogramFREEMississippi and begin your journey!
Because I am an LA for such big classes, it is hard for the teacher to be able to make the class an individualized experience. This makes it very rewarding to be able to put my full focus on the different students in my section and watch them slowly understand the concepts.
Anonymous LA, Fall '24
How can I best support my LAs?
- Let your LAs know your expectations for their participation during class (i.e. their movement among groups, when / how to help with active learning, what group work expectations are)
- Prepare your LAs regarding course content being covered that week so that they can be prepared to guide student learning during class.
- Keep your LAs in the loop with any course tools your students are using or are required to use.
- Ask for your LA's feedback on student understanding of course content, and make adjustments as needed.
- Ask LAs questions about the great things and some not so great things with being an LA that week.
- Let them know the best way to reach you if they have questions outside of class or the weekly meeting.
- Introduce your LAs to the class the first week.
- Set expectations for the class regarding interaction and responsibility in groups and with LAs.
- Validate the positive interaction and impact your LAs are having with students during class.
- Build a collaborative relationship with your LAs, ask them how they are doing, and ask them what support they need for LAing that week.
- Is your classroom activity individual or group-based?
- What do you want group work to look like in your class, and how will the LA help facilitate this?
- How do you want LAs to interact or move around your classroom? Are they assigned certain groups or areas of the classroom?
- Do you expect LAs to collect homework, hand out papers, assist with lab equipment, etc?
- Do you anticipate any challenges or difficulties with the assignment so that you can prepare your LAs ahead of time?
- Let them in on your teaching and learning strategies.
- Encourage them to re-apply for the following semester to be an LA again in your class.
- Report your LAs work time promptly so they can be paid on schedule.
- Be a reference for your LA.
- Keep in touch with your LAs who have graduated!
Contact us at laprogram@usm.edu to learn more about integrating an LA into your classroom.
1. Alzen, J. L., Langdon, L. S., & Otero, V. K. (2018). A logistic regression investigation
of the relationship between the Learning Assistant model and failure rates in introductory
STEM courses. International journal of STEM education, 5(1), 1-12.
2. Kiste, A. L., Scott, G. E., Bukenberger, J., Markmann, M., & Moore, J. (2017).
An examination of student outcomes in studio chemistry. Chemistry Education Research
and Practice, 18(1), 233-249.
3. Schick, C. P. (2018). Trying on teaching: Transforming STEM classrooms with a Learning
Assistant program. In Strategies Promoting Success of Two-Year College Students (pp.
3-27). American Chemical Society.
Other articles:
How to Teach with Learning Assistants. (2010, September 3). Pedagogy in Action: The SERC Portal for Educators. https://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/learning_assistants/how.html.
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