Initial Questions

• Is there a time that you wish you had extra help engaging students?
• Do you have the time and desire to work with an instructional team?
• Are you open to engaged learning in the classroom and willing to try associated techniques?

Recruiting

• How will I select my LAs? *Many departments already have systems in place for LA recruiting and we can connect you to the correct person*
• What criteria do I value in a LA?
• Do I want to interview each applicant or have other LAs interview?

Class Time

• How will I incorporate LAs to make my class more active and student-centered?
• Will LAs work in lecture, recitation or with a Penn State Learning GSG?
• What specific task(s) will LAs complete?
• Are there activities that you wish you had extra help?
• Are there topics your students find challenging?

Outside Work

• Do you want LAs to hold office hours or LA group sessions?

LA Professional Development

• Do you have time to meet with your LAs once a week?
• Do you enjoy mentoring students in leadership, communication and professional skills?
• Are you open to authentic conversations with LAs about your teaching?

Responsibility of Faculty Members Using LAs

Be open to engaged learning in the classroom

• Engaged learning means that students become active in their learning and have a voice in their education.
• Activities often include clicker questions, case students, problem sets, interactive games or worksheets.

Willingness to meet regularly and have open communications with LAs

• Faculty should plan on meeting weekly with LAs to discuss content, common misconceptions within the content, course climate, student issues and other feedback.
• Deeper conversations about how LAs are helping to achieve course goals/objectives or how assignments help achieve course goals/objectives will strengthen the instructional team.
• This does mean being open to different perspectives with the willingness to change.

Provide support for LAs with course material

• Faculty should provide access to necessary course content, including keys to activities (or discussion of correct answers)

Assign a final grade for LAs

• LAs receive 1 credit of SC240, BIOL400 or BMB408 for their participation as a LA and will require a final grade.
• Faculty are provided a general syllabus for SC240 from CESE that can be modified for individual courses.
• All LAs should be given this syllabus and understand their specific responsibilities for the course they LA.

Assess the Effectiveness of LAs

• This can be completed with SRTEs, focus groups, mid-semester evaluations, simple anonymous clicker questions or through conversations with students.