Collaborative Learning Approaches

How is the Learning-Assistant Approach being implemented into STEM courses, and How is the experience impacting Learning Assistants?

(multiple STEM courses in the College of Science; Current researchers: Josh Edwards and Stella Ray, and collaborators in CSME. If you are interested in learning more about the LA program at the University of Utah, please visit https://csme.utah.edu/la/.)

The Learning Assistant (LA) model is a collaborative learning model in which undergraduates, called LAs, facilitate collaborative, active learning with small groups of students. At the University of Utah, the LA program is centrally operated through the Center for Science and Math Education (CSME) through which LAs receive extensive training in collaborative learning pedagogy. This study seeks to understand how this approach is being implemented into STEM courses (see LA Faculty project under Faculty Development) and how the LA experience impacts learning assistants.