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LA Overview
Learning Assistants
Learning Assistants (LAs) are undergraduates who are hired to facilitate small-group interaction in our large-enrollment courses. LAs are paid a modest stipend (~$1,500/semester) to work 10 hours per week in various aspects of course transformation. LAs who decide to pursue a K-12 teaching license are eligible for a $6,000 to $10,000 Hach or Noyce Scholarship.
The LA experience is valuable for students who continue on to any career; however, our program is specifically designed to recruit undergraduate students to careers in K-12 teaching.
LA Responsibilities
LA's help transform large-enrollment 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 science and the nature of learning science.
Although the LA experience is somewhat different for each course, it includes three main themes; content, practice, and pedagogy. These themes are brought into the experience through four related activities:
- Assisting Lead Instructors in the Classroom: LAs help facilitate collaboration among learning teams of 6-20 students by formatively assessing student understanding and asking guiding questions. This can occur through the facilitation of small discussions groups in classes and/or in recitations/help sessions. LAs will use good questioning skills and work to involve all students in meaningful group work. LA meet weekly with their faculty instructors to plan for the upcoming week, reflect on the previous week, and analyze student assessment data.
- Participate in a School of Education Seminar: LAs from all departments attend a special Mathematics and Science Education seminar where they reflect on their own teaching and learning and make connections to relevant education literature.
- Participating in the Assessment Program: LAs will be expected to participate in a variety of observations, assessments, and questionnaires. The data will help track LAs' experiences.
- Participating in a Learning Community: LAs are apart of a larger learning community. To foster a sense of community, they will be invited to participate in many of the STEM-Colorado (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) events including seminars, dinners, social events, and planning sessions.
Learning Assistant Supported Courses
| Department | Transformed Course with Learning Assistants |
|---|---|
| Physics | PHYS 1110: General Physics I with Calculus PHYS 1120: General Physics II with Calculus PHYS 2130: General Physics III PHYS 3220: Quantum Mechanics and Atomic Physics I PHYS 3310: Principals of Electricity and Magnetism I |
| Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences | ASTR 1010: Introductory Astronomy I (Solar System) ASTR 1020: Introductory Astronomy II (Stars & Galaxies) |
| Chemistry | CHEM 1113: General Chemistry I CHEM 1251: General Chemistry I for Chemistry/Biochemistry Majors CHEM 4411: Physical Chemistry with Biochemical Applications I |
| Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Biology | MCDB 1150: Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology MCDB 2150: Principles of Genetics |
| Mathematics & Applied Mathematics | MATH 1300: Analytic Geometry and Calculus I MATH 1310: Calculus I with Biological Applications MATH 2300: Analytic Geometry and Calculus II MATH 3120: Functions and Modeling APPM 1340: Calculus I with Algebra APPM 1350: Calculus I for Engineers APPM 1360: Calculus II for Engineers APPM 3310: Matrix Methods APPM 4350: Fourier Analysis APPM 4650: Numerical Analysis |
| Geology | GEOL 2100: Environmental Geology |