Become a Learning Assistant
If you are interested in becoming a Learning Assistant, please fill out the appropriate application:
What Do Learning Assistants Do?
Learning Assistants create and foster relationships with their faculty mentor through weekly meetings. During these meetings, mentors discuss the upcoming week's material while LAs provide feedback related to their own experience with the material. Since they will be revisiting the course material from a different perspective they gain a better understanding of the course content.
LAs also attend a weekly pedagogy seminar where they learn how to facilitate productive conversations and discuss their struggles and successes with other LAs from around campus. LAs answer weekly reflection questions and complete two projects: the LA Feedback Survey and a Poster Presentation. LAs earn 1-3 upper-division, education credits depending on their LA commitments. In Spring 2023, the seminar is on Tuesdays at 2-2:50 p.m. or 5-5:50 p.m.
Some other duties related to being an LA could include:
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Meeting with faculty mentors on a regular basis to discuss content and help design course activities or questions that encourage discussion.
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Attending regularly scheduled labs or lectures per mentor’s schedule.
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Hosting office hours or running review sessions
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Looking at lectures or responding to students questions on Moodle
Become an Introduction to Honors LA
The Introduction to Honors instructor and Davidson Honors College Dean, Dr. Tim Nichols, is recruiting 20-25 Learning Assistants in HONR 120. DHC LAs will introduce a group of HONR 120 students into the DHC and help guide them through their first semester at UM. You will get to work closely with Dr. Nichols, the other LAs, and a Lead Learning Assistant who will help run the weekly pedagogy seminar with the LA Program Coordinator, Josh Herring.
During weekly meetings, we will discuss research-based practices for facilitating a collaborative and productive learning environment, strategies for building a vibrant DHC community, and how to become a leader at the DHC and UM!
New HONR 120 LAs will receive a $250 stipend and returning LAs will earn a $500 stipend. Additionally, this experience will count towards your honors elective requirements.
Become a Learning Assistant Mentor
Learning Assistant Mentors are experienced Learning Assistants who are passionate about mentoring current LAs and expanding the Learning Assistant Program. They are asked to:
- Attend and help facilitate the weekly LA Pedagogy Seminar on Tuesdays at 5-5:50 PM
- Mentor a subset of LAs, answering questions related to LA concerns and expectations
- Learn how to observe LA practices and provide feedback
- Assist with recruitment and selection of the next set of LAs
In addition to gaining valuable experience working with LAs, Learning Assistant Mentors are paid a stipend of $500 per semester.