Learning Assistant (LA) Program

LAs take a credit bearing class in pedagogy which provides them with skills and training to effectively reflect on student learning, make meaning from that reflection, and provide insight and ideas to work collaboratively with faculty to improve outcomes.

Application deadline: November 13

Learning Assistants are undergraduates who are hired to support classroom transformation and enhance student success. There are three main components (The three Ps) to the LA experience:

• Supporting student success and faculty pedagogy goals (“practice”)
• Preparing and planning for this support through weekly, 1 hour meetings with the faculty mentor (“prep”)
• Completing a 2-credit course in pedagogy which provides training in how to be an LA (“pedagogy”)

The work of an LA takes many forms. Some examples include:

• Facilitating of peer-to-peer small group conversation in the classroom
• Creating class materials by applying novel pedagogies
• Holding outside of class LA-designed sessions which provide additional support tailored to the unique needs of the class

Some examples and benefits of LA work include:

• help transform RIT courses by creating environments in which students can interact with one another, engage in collaborative problem solving, articulate and defend their ideas, and practice complex critical thinking skills
• attend class and facilitate collaboration among learning teams by formatively assessing student understanding and asking guiding questions
• collaborate with faculty in weekly preparatory meetings
• carry out discipline-based education research and learn to analyze student data
• gain experience and training in teaching as a possible career
• achieve mastery of coursework by revisiting and teaching materials to others
• be a member of the LA community and network

LAs are typically allotted up to 10 hours/week (150 hours maximum/semester), with specific hourly allotments indicated to each LA in their acceptance letter. Being an LA is a paid position. LAs receive an hourly wage set by the State of New York ($15.00/hour for Spring 2024).

In the ever changing higher education landscape, the LA program is a resource which provides support to faculty throughout a whole semester. LAs have the chance to contribute to the changes being made in our classrooms so that student voices remain at the forefront. The position of an LA is flexible and dynamic such that LAs can support all styles of classrooms including workshops, recitations, labs, high engagement lectures, and others, and in all modalities from online-asynchronous to fully in person.

Previously Supported Courses

Don't see a course?  Reach out to your representative!

Faculty mentors work with LAs to transform courses. They guide their learning assistant(s) in facilitating and planning coursework moving forward the educational goals for the course. With a focus on training in pedagogy, faculty and student LAs discuss how best to assist the classroom in problem solving and instill student self awareness of how they learn best.

For faculty, working with an LA can provide opportunities for incorporating new active learning strategies by providing the necessary student-focused insight and sustained in-class support for crafting and implementing novel pedagogies. For LAs, working with a faculty mentor can provide networking and professional development opportunities for those interested in exploring careers in education research, teaching, and more.

Mentor Responsibilities

• mentor during one-on-one weekly meetings
• support and integrate LA ideas for class transformation
• utilize active learning practices
• encourage small group facilitation
• describe and collaborate on researching classroom dynamics (projects, symposium poster, etc.)

Preparation with faculty mentors

Each week LAs meet with their faculty mentor for at least one hour. In these preparatory meetings, LAs and the mentor discuss course content, class activities and pedagogies, student achievement of learning objectives, and more. As LAs are a near-peer mentor to students in the class, LAs are often privy to the needs of students in a unique way. Weekly prep meetings allow LAs to communicate the needs of students in the class to the mentor thereby serving as a bridge between faculty and students. The use of a meeting agenda helps organize ideas and tasks during these meetings.

LAs from all departments are required to take a special 2-credit pedagogy course where they reflect on their own teaching and learning and make connections to relevant education literature. This course is offered in both Fall and Spring semesters. It must be taken concurrently with your first LA experience.

To be a part of the Learning Assistant program, all faculty and students must submit an application. These applications, along with interviews, are used to make optimal matches between student LAs and faculty mentors. Pairings are based on pedagogical needs/plans, personality match, experience, scheduling, and alignment of goals between the LA and mentor. Decisions and placements are typically made within the two weeks preceding the start of the semester.

• Jennifer Bailey (Department of Biomedical Engineering, Kate Gleason College of Engineering)
• Dawn Carter (Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences)
• Paul Craig (School of Chemistry and Materials Science)
• Andrew Ferrante (School of Physics and Astronomy)
• Scott Franklin (School of Physics and Astronomy)
• Daniel Maffia (Department of ASL and Interpreting Education, National Technical Institute for the Deaf)
• Tony Wong (School of Mathematics and Statistics)