Learning Assistant Program
Allison Wilson, Professor, Biological Sciences,
Benedictine University
PI, NSF Noyce Teacher Scholarship Grant
University of Colorado-Boulder LA Model
https://laprogram.colorado.edu/
https://www.learningassistantalliance.org/
Learning Assistant (LA) – similar to TAs but in the classroom (not the lab) and with a special seminar
targeted at helping LAs integrate content, pedagogy and practice
Goals of the LA program at CU Boulder
 Teacher recruitment and preparation: to recruit and prepare talented math and science majors for
careers in teaching
 Curriculum and Course Transformation: to improve the quality of math and science education for all
undergraduates
 Institutional change: to engage math and science faculty in the recruitment and preparation of
future teachers and to engage education faculty in the transformation of undergraduate courses.
 Discipline-based Education Research: to transform the culture in university math and science
departments to value research-based teaching as a legitimate endeavor for ourselves and for our
students
Goals of the LA program at Benedictine University
 Teacher recruitment and preparation: to recruit and prepare talented math and science majors for
careers in teaching or to plant the seed for seeking out teaching experiences in the future
 Curriculum and Course Transformation: to improve the quality of math and science education for all
undergraduates
 Institutional change: to engage math and science faculty in the recruitment and preparation of
future teachers and to promote faculty transformation of undergraduate courses.
Duties of LAs:
o Content: LAs meet weekly with their faculty instructors to plan for the upcoming week, reflect
on the previous week.
o Practice: LAs facilitate collaboration among students by formatively assessing student
understanding and asking guiding questions.
o Pedagogy: LAs attend a special mathematics and science education seminar where they reflect
on their own teaching and learning and make connections to relevant education literature.
Note: LAs are compensated $1200/semester for working ~10h/wk
Duties of Faculty:
o Use LAs to promote interaction and collaboration among students enrolled in the course,
o Meet in weekly planning sessions with the LAs who support their courses,
o Evaluate transformations and assess learning in their own courses.
NTSC 200: Learning Assistant Pedagogy Seminar (1SH)
Course Goals: LAs will
 Reflect on their own teaching and learning
 Reflect on and develop their views on teaching and learning
 Make connections to relevant education theory and literature and share with their faculty mentor
 Try out a variety of strategies with students and reflect on effectiveness
 Listen to students, make claims about students’ ideas, and take action to address those claims
 Develop awareness of the intellectual, social, cultural diversity of students and begin thinking about
differentiating instruction
 Begin thinking about the ways in which education could change and begin to influence this process
 Perform a formative assessment of their LA experience; reflect on how to address concerns
Seminar topics:
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Open/closed questions
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Discussion techniques
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Questioning strategies
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Mental models
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Student conceptions
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Student conceptions and misconceptions in content areas
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Formative Assessment
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Motivation and cooperative learning
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Self directed learning and metacognition
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Learning theory
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Multiple Intelligences
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Differentiated Instruction
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Scientific practices and the NGSS
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Qualities of effective teachers
What if students want to LA a second time?
 Biweekly discussions on selected education literature
 Five reflections of their own choosing including one of the formative assessment
 A semester-long action research project to help apply what was learned from the readings,
discussions and experiences working with students:
o Intervention/tutorial to help with student difficulties
o Insights into student ideas and thinking or classroom contexts-student work (research-based)
 Projects presented at our Undergraduate Research Scholarship and Arts Symposium (URSA)
 Seasoned LAs could facilitate the 1st semester LA weekly seminar