Learning Assistant Pilot Program

Posted by Rhett Mcdaniel on Tuesday, June 15, 2021 in Commentary, News.

Learning assistants (LAs) are undergraduate students who are guided by a faculty member to work with small groups of students to promote active learning in a course. The use of LAs has been found to be associated with increased sense of belonging and to increase inclusion, particularly in large courses. LAs were piloted in BSCI 1510: Introduction to Biological Sciences in Fall 2019 and Fall 2020.

In Spring 2021, the Dean of Arts and Science supported the expansion of the LA program to multiple courses (with more to come in Fall 2021! More details here). Instructors using LAs in Spring 2021—or planning to use them in the future—met through the semester to discuss different approaches and to help solve problems.

Shout outs to Hemant Badgandi, Liz Catania, Lily Claiborne, Katie Clements, Thomas Clements, Nicole Creanza, Kathy Friedman, Jess Gilpin, Lars Plate, Adriane Seiffert, and Jess Watkins, with special thanks to Heather Johnson, instructor for the pedagogy course taken by LAs.

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