INFORMATION ON LEARNING ASSISTANTS
The University of Akron
Contact Chemistry Department office (330-972-6135) or Pamela Hollinger (330-972-5646 or ) or Associate Dean Charles Monroe (330-972-8033 or )
Definition of Learning Assistants
Learning Assistants are specially trained peer tutors who have been recruited to assist students in the learning process. Learning Assistants are partnered with Faculty Mentors, and they work as a team to advance students’ confidence in their ability to think critically and to problem-solve independently. Because Learning Assistants have already mastered key study strategies themselves, they can model these learning techniques for the students who seek their assistance both inside and outside the classroom.
Responsibilities of Learning Assistants
Responsibilities for Learning Assistants can be divided into four general types:
During Class, Study Sessions, Study Tables, and Other Activities. The Instructor and Learning Assistant should work together to define the role of the Learning Assistant more specifically, tailoring the process to class and student needs. This role can change as the semester develops to respond more effectively to these needs. The Faculty Mentor and Learning Assistant will jointly prepare a brief Contract that outlines the duties to be handled by the Learning Assistant. The Learning Assistant will be paid for a maximum of 7 hours per week for these duties.
During Class:
- Attend all classes, except those on test days
- Make a 5-minute presentation to the class on the first day. They shouldintroduce themselves and explain their role as the Learning Assistant. It is important from the start for students to understand who the Learning Assistant is and what purpose they serve. If there is a Teaching Assistant (TA), it is necessary to differentiate the tasks of the LA from the TA. It is also necessary to solicit feedback from students about the best times for study sessions and study tables so as to maximize their effectiveness, i.e., reach out to the greatest number of students.
Study sessions:
- The Learning Assistant will conduct a weekly study session (time and place TBA) to reinforce and clarify course material as well as offer helpful study strategies and test-taking tips.
Study tables:
- The Learning Assistant will hold two hourly study tables per week in Carroll Hall 215. These are small group study sessions for which students can get additional tutoring support in a more informal, individualized environment.
Other Activities:
- Maintain accurate attendance and activity records for all study sessions and study tables.
- Record data for study sessions and study tables on the Excel files located in the Tutorial Office
- Meet regularly with the Faculty Mentor to evaluate progress in the class and discuss possible changes
- Meet regularly with the Learning Assistant Coordinator to provide feedback and discuss problems
- Attend all meetings and receptions for the Learning Assistant program
Learning Assistants ARE NOT to …
- Grade any type of coursework
- Construct tests or quizzes or see these items before they are administered
- Serve as the lecturer when the Faculty Mentor cannot attend class
- Monitor testing situations
Faculty Handout from Muhlenberg College
Using a Peer Learning Assistant in the Classroom
It is a combination of increasingly diverse, often under-prepared student populations, rapidly changing technology, and fiscal realities that are forcing American colleges to rethink the nature and objectives of higher education. To remain globally competitive, we must seek out instructional methods that increase retention, performance, and program completion.
Past research has shown that small classes, individual attention, special advising, academic support services, and admission flexibility are factors that address some of the retention concerns. Student-centered programs are often extensive and need to be supported by administration. To achieve a classroom environment that accomplishes these changes on a small-scale, faculty managed design, we recommend selecting and training Peer Tutors to become Learning Assistants in the classroom.
What is a Learning Assistant?
A Learning Assistant is a peer tutor who has been selected to help students facilitate the learning process. Learning Assistants receive special training in group management, communication, metacognition, learning styles, critical thinking, questioning, and assessment. They work closely with the students, helping to strengthen the student’s confidence in his/her ability to take risks, question, and program-solve independently. Learning Assistants are adaptive, strategic learners themselves and model many of these adaptive learning skills. Learning Assistants run the first-year Academic Success Series. They also participate in workshop-based instruction and act as supplemental workshop guides.
What are the objectives of Learning Assistants?
Learning Assistants should:
- help integrate sound metacognitive practices into the classroom.
- strengthen the student/faculty relationship and/or classroom communication.
- teach the student more efficient study strategies.
- enhance overall active learning and investment in the classroom.
Do they have special training?
Yes, Learning Assistants must participate in training sessions that are specifically designed for their individual situations. All Learning Assistants will receive training in:
Communication: “working the group,” active listening, reflective listening, professionalism, presentation skills, questioning techniques, and methods of working with instructors
Meatacognitive Skills: assessment, adaptive learning techniques, time management, exam preparation, learning styles, the Socratic method, critical reading/thinking
Assessment: identifying the needs/concerns of the student, determining way to support instructional style, data management for record keeping/research
Muhlenberg College
Allentown, PA 4/15/01
Overview of Supplemental Instruction Program
University of Missouri – Kansas City*
Developed by Deanna C. Martin, Ph.D. at the University of Missouri - Kansas City in 1973, Supplemental Instruction (SI) is an academic support program that targets historically difficult courses. SI is a non-remedial approach to learning enrichment that increases student performance and retention. SI offers regularly scheduled, out-of-class review sessions to all students enrolled in a targeted course. SI study sessions are informal seminars in which students review notes, discuss readings, develop organizational tools, and prepare for examinations. Students learn how to integrate course content with reasoning and study skills. The SI sessions are facilitated by “SI leaders,” students who have previously and successfully completed the targeted course. SI Leaders attend all class lectures, take notes, and act as model students for their classmates.
Key Elements of the SI Program
SI targets historically difficult course rather than “at-risk” students.
SI provides a vehicle for developing essential academic and learning skills in core curriculum courses.
Participation in the SI program is voluntary and open to all students in the course.
The SI leader attends all lectures for the targeted courses.
The SI leader is trained in specific teaching/learning theory and techniques.
The SI program is supervised by a trained professional staff member.
Assistance begins during the first week of the term before students encounter academic difficulties.
SI leaders do not lecture; rather they direct collaborative learning exercises that encourage the students to take responsibility for processing the course material.
SI Session
SI sessions integrate how-to-learn with what-to-learn. Students who attend the SI sessions develop study strategies for note taking, graphic organization, questioning techniques, vocabulary acquisition, and test preparation as they review course material. Students have the opportunity to become actively involved with their classmates as they process the text, supplementary readings, and lecture notes. SI uses the course content as a vehicle for developing learning skills. SI sessions normally occur in or near the course classroom instead of in a learning center. Students attend SI sessions on a voluntary basis and no effort is made to segregate students based upon academic ability. Since SI is introduced on the first day of classes and is open to all students in the class, SI is not viewed as remedial.
SI Leaders
SI leaders serve as the peer facilitators for SI sessions. They present an appropriate model of critical thinking, organization, and mastery of the discipline. All SI leaders attend an intensive two-day training session before the beginning of the academic term. This training addresses issues about how students learn and presents instructional strategies aimed at strengthening student academic performance. SI leaders attend all class sessions, take notes, read all assigned material, and conduct regularly scheduled reviews sessions each week.
SI Supervisors
The SI supervisor, an on-site professional, implements the SI program and supervises the SI leaders. This person is responsible for identifying the targeted courses, gaining faculty support, selecting and training SI leaders, monitoring the quality of the SI session, evaluating the program, and reporting results to campus administrators.
*Summarized from material found on the University of Missouri-KC Supplemental Instruction website: