Best Practices for setting up your weekly preparation session

• Dedicate a set time each week for your weekly preparation session;

• Try to dedicate at least an hour to these sessions;

• Have a clear plan for each session: Will it focus on content understanding? Will it include time to reflect on student understanding? Are there opportunities to work with an LA or team of LAs to develop an activity for the class?

Questions to consider when running your preparation session

These questions will help you think about the specific considerations you will need to make when you are starting your weekly preparation session, and as you reflect on these sessions during the course of the semester. The format of your weekly preparation session should be guided by your values and goals and the level of experience of the LAs and faculty involved. These questions provide a scaffold for thinking about these issues.

Sample agendas and models for preparation sessions

• Sample agenda from Texas State University Physics provides a concrete example of how a weekly preparation session might look. This agenda breaks down the two hour session into blocks of time that involve announcements, discussion, working through content, debriefing, reflecting on student learning and more.

• Details for two possible models of how an LA Preparation session might run from CU-Boulder. Both models are for a 1.5 hour preparation session but can be modified as desired. In Model 1, LAs complete materials before session and practice challenging items as a group during session. In Model 2, LAs see materials for the first time during session and complete as a group.

Weekly Preparation Planning Sheet to assist in thinking about your goals and values

This planning sheet can help you articulate your ideas and goals for your weekly preparation session and help you think about the specific activities that will help you accomplish these goals. The planning sheet can be used by an individual or serve as tool to scaffold discussion in a department or program.

Reflecting on the types of LA-Faculty partnerships in your preparation session

Weekly Preparation Sessions provide unique opportunities for LAs, coordinators, and faculty to work on developing supportive, inclusive, and effective learning environments. The partnerships between LAs, coordinators, and faculty can range from mentor-mentee, where the LAs supports the instructors vision for the course, or extremely collaborative, where the LA co-thinks and co-constructs activities for the class. This page provides some guidance for you to reflect on the type of partnership you are fostering in your weekly preparation session.