Advice from LAs

The 2021 International Learning Assistant Conference (ILAC) organizing team recognized the opportunity to facilitate an LA-only discussion focused on identifying challenges that LAs face, with an intended outcome of helping faculty who work with LAs better understand where LAs struggle and, ultimately, better support their LAs.

Approximately 50 LAs worked in small groups to contribute to the feedback below, organized into 6 categories: Communication, LA Practice, LA/Faculty Mentor Relationship, Roles and Responsibilities, and Weekly Prep.

Links to LAA resources that are relevant to LAs' advice are provided at the bottom of this page.

Communication:
Between the LA and faculty mentor

  • "I struggled balancing my duties as an LA with all of the things I have to do as a student and I wish my faculty mentor could have helped me with that issue."

      • LA advice for faculty: Please allow for flexibility for the student LA. The in-class time is required, but instructors should allow flexibility for outside of class time and work. Just make sure the LA and faculty are both on the same page about the amount and type of tasks required/expected of the LA.

  • "If an emergency situation arises and the professor must cancel/delay teaching, the LA has to be the liaison between the professor and the students about the course moving forward, and this creates a lot of stress on the LA to ensure their students aren’t in the dark."

      • LA advice for faculty: There is a very important relationship between the professor and LA that will allow for unexpected situations such as this one. Make sure your partner for the semester is someone you can work with. This is achieved by beginning the lines of communication ASAP. Communication is key between the professor and their students, and communication is key between the faculty and the LA.

  • "Sometimes it’s hard to decide what is expected from LAs outside of class, how to deal with a student who doesn’t understand your explanation, and how to deal with a student who acts aggressively/inappropriately toward an LA."

      • LA advice for faculty: Create a weekly checklist during planning meetings to assess levels of outside of student interaction and how office hours are utilized. Acknowledge the dynamic between LAs and students who are sometimes friends or classmates of the LA (issues establishing boundaries). Educate LAs about resources for reporting equity issues. Ask LAs how they are doing, ask if there are students making them feel uncomfortable/in-doubt.

  • "I know that other LAs have struggled with facilitating a relationship with students so that students can easily approach the LA when they have questions. I know another LA who wasn’t even introduced to the class by the professor on the first day."

        • LA advice for faculty:

          • The first day of class is the first impression; it is crucial to be introduced. Have professors introduce the idea of an LA, and have LA introduce themselves as a student (name, major, year, etc.) to build both credibility and personhood.

          • Post emails and names of LAs on the syllabus or course page.

          • If a professor wants to give constructive criticism to the LA, do so in a safe space or even in a non-aggressive way in class; don’t be demeaning when doing so.

          • Emphasize what an LA will be doing in class so that the students are aware.

          • Continue to include LAs in class, even in the little things.

          • Ask LAs to give advice about certain topics.

LA-Faculty Mentor Relationship:
The relationship between the LA and faculty member is the central idea or causing the issue, or serves as a solution to a problem

"I struggled balancing my duties as an LA with all of the things I have to do as a student and I wish my faculty mentor could have helped me with that issue."

  • LA advice for faculty:

    • Please allow for flexibility for the student LA. The in-class time is required, but instructors should allow flexibility for outside of class time and work. Just make sure you are both on the same page about the amount and type of tasks required/expected of the LA.

"I wish my faculty mentor knew that I wanted feedback about my LA-student interactions and my performance as an LA fairly regularly."

  • LA advice for faculty:

    • Structured check-ins and constructive feedback during the semester would be helpful for LA performance.

    • A checklist of goals for lead faculty to cover with LAs (in regard to mental health, their school work, career goals, etc.).

    • Definitely open communication between faculty mentor and LA - especially as far as feedback goes. Also, clear expectations from the faculty mentor to the LA are always super helpful as well as expressing those expectations to the instructor that the LA is working with at the time so everyone is on the same page.

"I know that other LAs have struggled with facilitating a relationship with students so that students can easily approach the LA when they have questions. I know another LA who wasn’t even introduced to the class by the professor on the first day."

  • LA advice for faculty:

    • Have professors introduce the idea of an LA, and have LA introduce themselves as a student (name, major, year, etc.) to build both credibility and personhood.

    • Post emails and names of LAs on the syllabus or course page, if appropriate.

    • If a professor wants to give constructive criticism to the LA, do so in a safe space. Or even in a non-aggressive way in class, don’t be demeaning when doing so.

    • Make sure that the professor takes out time on the first day to introduce the LAs to the classroom students.

    • Emphasize what an LA will be doing in class so that the students are aware.

    • Continue to include LAs in class, even in the little things.

    • Ask LAs to give advice about certain topics.

"Some LAs struggle to have a set schedule with their faculty members. They are told last minute if they are needed to help in class."

  • LA advice for faculty

    • Have a meeting once a week with your LA and make a schedule for the week so LAs can adjust their schedule accordingly.

    • Faculty should make sure they’re aware of LA scheduling conflicts and what time slots their LAs are unavailable.

  • LA advice for faculty

    • Check in with LAs about whether or not they feel like they have adequate guidance and materials. Also, give LAs a heads up on whether they should prepare for activities or figure it out on the fly.

    • Faculty need to think about the LAs also who have their own schedules and need time to look at the materials before class.

    • It takes LAs time to refresh themselves on the material (we all ain’t supa stars).

    • Faculty should provide an easy/quick mode of communication between them and the LAs (GroupMe, Slack, Discord, etc.).

LA Practice:
Issues that come up when LAs are in the classroom

  • "When I became an LA it had been 3 semesters since I had taken the class and I just wasn’t confident about the material or my ability to answer questions."

      • LA advice for faculty:

        • Offer to review materials and validate.

        • Have resources available from previous students or LAs.

        • Go over weekly material in meetings: “What did the LAs struggle with?” This may be indicative of what the students will struggle with.

        • Encourage LAs who know the material really well to work with those who don’t at that time.

        • If LAs are able to work through unfamiliar material prior, faculty can check in for questions or concerns (mini review session of what students/LAs are expected to know).

        • Follow-up with LAs for project-based or technical classes.

        • Have solutions available for common problems.

        • Give suggestions on how to look for certain solutions.

        • Provide advice on how to work through problems that you don’t know the answer to.

        • Have faculty and LA meetings to refresh on concepts or to reinforce understanding of concepts (once a week).

        • Involve LAs in generating course material!

        • Be supportive and don’t be demeaning when trying to communicate with LAs.

        • Reinforce that LAs did a good job when they do something good!

        • Sandwich feedback model!! (positive feedback, negative feedback, and then end with more positive feedback)

        • Allow LAs to approach problems and relay that info to students in the way they feel comfortable! Give flexibility!

  • "We spend a lot of time in our weekly prep sessions making sure we know the answers, but I wish I could better anticipate where students are likely to struggle and common ways that students will think about a concept or problem."

      • LA advice for faculty:

        • Faculty should ask: “What did you (LAs) struggle with? What was the hardest part of this unit?”

        • Allow LAs to see the material soon enough in advance to work through the material and see where problems may arise.

        • Try to be receptive to student body language to understand if the students are following the lecture.

        • Faculty could identify and warn LAs about the material students have trouble with and might direct LAs what to focus on or to review more beforehand.

  • "I wish my faculty mentor knew that I wanted feedback about my LA-student interactions and my performance as an LA fairly regularly."

      • LA advice for faculty

        • Create structured check-ins and constructive feedback during the semester would be helpful for LA performance.

        • Create a checklist of goals for lead faculty to cover with LAs (in regard to mental health, their school work, career goals, etc.).

        • Definitely have open communication between faculty mentor and LA - especially as far as feedback goes. Also, clear expectations from the faculty mentor to the LA are always super helpful as well as expressing those expectations to the instructor that the LA is working with at the time so everyone is on the same page. Just saying “hey you’re doing great” doesn’t always help. Something more constructive [feedback] would be helpful.

        • It could be helpful to send out a mid-semester student survey regarding LAs. Try to get students to tell LAs how they’re feeling about the course.

  • "Is there a better way to help LAs be better LAs in online classes? We feel as though it is a struggle to be useful as an LA in online classes as opposed to in-person classes."

      • LA advice for faculty

        • Give LAs more creative freedom on how to reach/interact with the students OR if the LA does not feel ready to take that initiative, have options ready for the LA to lead the students to more engagement.

        • It can feel hard to be taken seriously as an LA in an online class and hold the student’s attention properly. Make sure students are comfortable with having the LA have an active role in the class.

  • "I know that other LAs have struggled with facilitating a relationship with students so that students can easily approach the LA when they have questions. I know another LA who wasn’t even introduced to the class by the professor on the first day."

      • LA advice for faculty

        • Have professors introduce the idea of an LA, and have LA introduce themselves as a student (name, major, year, etc.) to build both credibility and personhood. Students will be more comfortable asking questions if they know the LAs are students too.

        • Post emails and names of LAs on the syllabus or course page, if appropriate.

        • If a professor wants to give constructive criticism to the LA, do so in a safe space. Or even in a non-aggressive way in class, don’t be demeaning when doing so.

        • Make sure that the professor takes out time on the first day to introduce the LAs to the classroom students.

        • The LA role isn’t always necessarily defined so it can be overwhelming. Emphasize what an LA will be doing in class so that the students are aware.

        • Continue to include LAs in class, even in the little things.

        • Ask LAs to give advice about certain topics.

Roles and Responsibilities:
Instances where LAs express the need for clarity or communication regarding their role or responsibility

"I struggled balancing my duties as an LA with all of the things I have to do as a student and I wish my faculty mentor could have helped me with that issue."

  • LA advice for faculty:

    • Please allow for flexibility for the student LA. The in-class time is required, but instructors should allow flexibility for outside of class time and work. Just make sure you are both on the same page about the amount and type of tasks required/expected of the LA.

"If an emergency situation arises and the professor must cancel/delay teaching, the LA has to be the liaison between the professor and the students about the course moving forward, and this creates a lot of stress on the LA to ensure their students aren’t in the dark."

  • LA advice for faculty:

    • There is a very important relationship between the professor and LA that will allow for unexpected situations such as this one. This is achieved by laying the groundwork for the lines of communication asap.

"Sometimes it’s hard to decide what is expected from LAs outside of class. How does the LA deal with a student who doesn’t understand the faculty's explanation. How does the LA deal with a student who acts aggressively/inappropriately toward an LA."

  • LA advice for faculty:

    • Create weekly checklist during planning meetings to assess levels of outside of student interaction, how office hours are utilized.

    • Acknowledge the dynamic between having to attend classes with students they are an LA for (issues establishing boundaries).

    • Educate LAs about resources for reporting equity issues.

    • Ask LAs how they are doing, ask if there are students making them feel uncomfortable/in-doubt.

"Some LAs struggle to have a set schedule with their faculty members. They are told last minute if they are needed to help in class."

  • LA advice for faculty:

    • Have a meeting once a week with your LA and make a schedule for the week so LAs can adjust their schedule accordingly.

    • Faculty should make sure they’re aware of LA scheduling conflicts and what time slots their LAs are unavailable.

"I know that other LAs have struggled if their faculty mentor didn’t supply them with the topic/material to be discussed in the classroom ahead of time."

  • LA advice for faculty:

    • Check in with LAs about whether or not they feel like they have adequate guidance and materials. Also, give LAs a heads up on whether they should prepare for activities or figure it out on the fly.

    • Faculty need to think about the students and the LAs also who have their own schedules and need time to look at the materials before class.

    • It takes LAs time to refresh themselves on the material (we all ain’t supa stars).

    • Faculty should provide an easy/quick mode of communication between them and the LAs (GroupMe, Slack, Discord, etc.).

Weekly Prep Session:
Includes discussion about being prepared for content and could also include pedagogy (discipline-specific pedagogy) discussed or included in a prep meeting

"When I became an LA it had been 3 semesters since I had taken the class and I just wasn’t confident about the material or my ability to answer questions."

  • LA advice for faculty:

    • Offer to review and validate.

    • Have resources available from previous students or LAs.

    • Go over weekly material in meetings: “What did the LAs struggle with?” This may be indicative of what the students will struggle with.

    • Encourage LAs who know the material really well to work with those who don’t at that time.

    • If LAs are able to work through unfamiliar material prior, faculty can check in for questions or concerns (mini review session of what students/LAs are expected to know).

    • Follow-up with LAs for project-based or technical classes.

    • Have solutions available for common problems.

    • Give suggestions on how to look for certain solutions.

    • Provide advice on how to work through problems that you don’t know the answer to.

    • Have faculty and LA meetings to refresh on concepts or to reinforce understanding of concepts (once a week).

    • Involve LAs in generating course material!

    • Be supportive and don’t be demeaning when trying to communicate with LAs.

    • Reinforce that LAs did a good job when they do something good!

    • Sandwich feedback model!! (positive feedback, negative feedback, and then end with more positive feedback)

    • Allow LAs to approach problems and relay that info to students in the way they feel comfortable! Give flexibility!

"We spend a lot of time in our weekly prep sessions making sure we know the answers, but I wish I could better anticipate where students are likely to struggle and common ways that students will think about a concept or problem."

  • LA advice for faculty:

    • “What did you/LAs struggle with? What was the hardest part of this unit?”

    • Allow LAs to see the material soon enough in advance to work through the material and see where problems may arise.

    • Try to be receptive to student body language to understand if the students are following the lecture.

    • Faculty could identify and warn LAs about the material students have trouble with and might direct LAs what to focus on or to review more beforehand.

"Is there a better way to help LAs be better LAs in online classes? We feel as though it is a struggle to be useful as an LA in online classes as opposed to in-person classes."

  • LA advice for faculty:

    • Potentially giving LAs more creative freedom on how to reach/interact with the students OR if the LA does not feel ready to take that initiative, have options ready for the LA to lead the students to more engagement.

"Some LAs struggle to have a set schedule with their faculty members. They are told last minute if they are needed to help in class."

  • LA advice for faculty:

    • Have a meeting once a week with your LA and make a schedule for the week so LAs can adjust their schedule accordingly.

    • Faculty should make sure they’re aware of LA scheduling conflicts and what time slots their LAs are unavailable.

"I know that other LAs have struggled if their faculty mentor didn’t supply them with the topic/material to be discussed in the classroom ahead of time."

  • LA advice for faculty:

    • Check in with LAs about whether or not they feel like they have adequate guidance and materials. Also, give LAs a heads up on whether they should prepare for activities or figure it out on the fly.

    • Faculty need to think about the students and the LAs also who have their own schedules and need time to look at the materials before class.

    • It takes LAs time to refresh themselves on the material (we all ain’t supa stars).

    • Faculty should provide an easy/quick mode of communication between them and the LAs (GroupMe, Slack, Discord, etc.).

Related LAA Resources
 Find links to additional resources below that are relevant to the LA advice for faculty.

Website Resources:

Video Episodes:

Networking:

eSeries Workshops (virtual, synchronous sessions offered 3 times a year):

  • What is the Weekly Prep Meeting?

    • This session focuses on key elements of the weekly prep meeting, includes video examples, and provides a template to help participants think about and plan their own weekly prep sessions.

  • What is the LA Pedagogy Course?

    • Opportunities for feedback on LAs' practice can be included in the LA Pedagogy Course through weekly reflections or assignments such as a peer observations, transcript analyses, interview projects.

  • LA Program Logistics

    • Includes the rationale behind the essential elements of Weekly Prep Meetings and the LA Pedagogy course, as well as logistical considerations around recruiting faculty mentors, recruiting, hiring, and supervising LAs, and setting expectations and policies for faculty mentors and LAs

External Resources: