1. View: Map of suggested progress through the LR Training Modules

2. Make a copy of the Learning Researcher Training Notebook google doc. Instructions for adding to your personal Google Drive or saving as a Word Document can be found here.

3. Share your copy of the document with the instructor with whom you are working as an LR, so that they can check your progress, provide feedback, and collaborate on certain entries.

4. Complete the Start Here section in your copy of the Learning Researcher Training Notebook

• Note: All UArizona instructional-team members are REQUIRED to complete FERPA training for Instructors and Instructional Support Teams before beginning their roles.

1. Read: A Newcomer's Guide to the Instructional Teams Project

2. Complete the Introduction to the Instructional-Teams Project section in your copy of the Learning Researcher Training Notebook

1. Read: Learning Researchers: Promoting Formative Assessment in STEM courses, an article from the Instructional-Teams Project about the Learning Researcher role.

Kim, Y., Cox, J., Southard, K. M., Elfring, L., Blowers, P. & Talanquer, V. (May, 2019). Learning Researchers: Promoting Formative Assessment in STEM Courses. Journal of College Science Teaching.

2. Read: Overview: Qualities of Effective Learning Researchers

3. Complete the Introduction to the Learning Researcher Role section in your copy of the Learning Researcher Training Notebook

1. Watch the Video: Formative Assessment (this video is intended for K-12 teachers but gives a very nice overview of formative assessment and its role in instruction that applies to higher ed as well)

2. Read: We decided to have an entire reading devoted to the importance of learning objectives to formative assessment

3. Read: Examples of formative-assessment strategies for large-enrollment courses

4. Complete the Introduction to Formative Assessment section in your copy of the Learning Researcher Training Notebook

1. Read: Establishing and maintaining effective communication with the instructor

2. Read: Making a formative-assessment plan

3. Schedule a meeting with the instructor. Before meeting, look over the Making a Formative-Assessment Plan section in the Learning Researcher Training Notebook.

4. Working with the instructor, complete the Making a Formative-Assessment Plan section in the Learning Researcher Training Notebook.

1. Read: What skills are important for a Learning Researcher?

2. Complete the exercise: Noticing and interpreting student thinking

   • In addition to completing the exercise with the provided examples of student dialogue/responses, we recommend completing the exercise (using the worksheet and self-assessment tools) using evidence of student thinking from the course you are serving as an LR (e.g., observations in class or looking at written student work). This is particularly useful if the instructor provides feedback.

3. Complete the Skills for Formative Assessment section in your copy of the Learning Researcher Training Notebook

Examples of Learning Report Templates

• • Example Template 1

  • Example Template 2

  • Example Template 3

Guidelines for writing learning objectives

Most people are familiar with the role of preceptors or Learning Assistants (LAs). Usually, preceptors or LAs are primarily responsible for directly working with students during class activities and/or acting as course tutors by holding office hours.

Learning Researchers, on the other hand, directly support the formative-assessment goals of the instructor. They focus on observing and analyzing student thinking, reasoning, and/or engagement, and communicating that information to the instructor. The instructor can then use this information to make better instructional decisions.

Learning Researchers are not “banned” from talking to students! Many times, the best way to understand how students are thinking about something will be to have a conversation with them. This conversation might feel a lot like a conversation that you would have with them as an LA--you will probably be asking them questions to help them voice what they are thinking, explain their reasoning, and explore approaches to working through an activity.

As the LR, however, your attention will not only be on helping the students--your goal is to try to understand how students are understanding the course concepts and engaging in activities. For example, after the conversation described above, you would want to step aside and write some notes about what you learned about the students’ reasoning and some thoughts you have in the moment about “what is going on with the students” in the activity. You will also probably spend more of your time observing without interacting with the student than you would as an LA. For example, you might listen in on group conversations or look at what students are writing on whiteboards as they work through a problem.

The type of information communicated to the instructor should depend on their formative-assessment goals. Typically, an LR will focus on how students are understanding and thinking about specific concepts/content. An LR might also observe and analyze how instructional decisions impact student engagement and group dynamics.

To make the most of the LR role and avoid frustration, it is important for the LR and instructor to work together to make a formative-assessment plan. This will set clear expectations and provide a guide for the types of feedback that the LR will pass on to the instructor. For instructors and LRs who are new to the role, it may be useful to revisit the formative-assessment plan partway through the semester to see if it needs revision based on what is working well and what is not as useful.

Both you and your instructor will want to familiarize yourself with the Instructional-Teams model and the Learning Researcher role. The keys to a successful LR experience for both the LR and the instructor are to create and maintain open lines of communication and to work together to clearly define expectations in a formative-assessment plan. It is important to realize that you will probably want to revisit your communication plan and/or formative-assessment plan as the two of you learn what works well and what doesn't.