Development of Learning Assistants to Improve Student Success

Authors

  • Sandra L. Pettit University of Alabama
  • Clifford L. Henderson University of Alabama

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18260/2-1-370.660-132217

Abstract

With the growth in engineering enrollments, faculty members may find themselves in relatively large classes where they may feel the need for extra teaching assistants, may desire methods and resources to provide more individualized or small group student contact time, and may want to employ more modern teaching methodologies to improve student learning.  Offering a course in a flipped/ blended modality or utilizing active learning in a large class provides opportunities for students to practice their problem-solving skills in a group setting and leverage learning from one another.  Numerous studies have shown the benefits of these pedagogical techniques.  However, if a student struggles for too long or exerts extended effort towards an incorrect solution, they can become frustrated with the process and disengage from the content.  Therefore, monitoring of student progress and timely intervention are key to maximizing student success.  This enhanced student interaction can be accomplished by incorporation of learning assistants into the teaching team.  Learning Assistants (LA) are guides to the learning process that participate in in-class problem solving, facilitate group work and discussions, and generally support active engagement in the classroom.  

The goal of this paper is to familiarize faculty with the use of Learning Assistants (LA) to optimize student success in courses which utilize student-centered learning approaches and to present concepts, strategies and resources to enable the development of LA programs.  For faculty with no prior experience in near-peer techniques and no existing LA program at their institution, the perceived barriers to initiate the use of LAs can be high.  By summarizing the benefits, providing a simplified framework, and presenting tools and resources adapted to engineering curricula, the bar for entry is lowered for faculty who use this paper as a guide to begin their own utilization of LA methods in their courses and departments.

Author Biographies

Sandra L. Pettit, University of Alabama

Sandra L. Pettit, PhD, PE is the Assistant Dean for Student Success in the College of Engineering at The University of Alabama. Previously, as a Professor of Instruction in chemical engineering at the University of South Florida, she was the founder and coordinator of the department Learning Assistant Program, initiated in 2017. Prior to joining academia, her industrial experience included over 15 years of team management in manufacturing, plant design, and construction. 

Clifford L. Henderson, University of Alabama

Clifford L. Henderson, PhD, is the Dean of the College of Engineering at The University of Alabama and a Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering. He received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Tech and M.S. and Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin. In his current and prior roles (faculty at Georgia Tech and Department Chair at USF) he has been heavily involved in advancing engineering curricular innovation and engineering pedagogical innovation. 

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Published

2023-12-18

Issue

Vol. 58 No. 1 (2024): Winter 2024

Section

Summer School Special Section