Program Goals: Through the transformation of large-enrollment science courses, the Maryland Learning Assistant (LA) Program seeks to achieve four goals: 1) To recruit and prepare talented science majors for careers in teaching, 2) To engage science faculty in the recruitment and preparation of future teachers, 3) To improve the quality of science education for all undergraduates, and 4) To transform departmental cultures to value research-based teaching for ourselves and for our students. The transformation of large-enrollment courses involves creating environments in which students can interact with one another, engage in collaborative problem solving, and articulate and defend their ideas.  To accomplish this, undergraduate Learning Assistants are hired to facilitate small-group interaction in our large-enrollment courses.  Our Learning Assistant program at the University of Maryland is based on a successful model developed at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

All first-time learning assistants at the University of Maryland enroll in a three-credit pedagogy course (EDCI 488D):

Descriptions of Prior Implementations of the Science Education Seminar

In the Fall term of 2015 , the Maryland Learning Assistant Program has undergraduate LAs working in the following courses:

Descriptions of past courses and faculty mentors that taught with Learning Assistants.

Ongoing Research: Based on the Learning Assistant model developed at the University of Colorado at Boulder, we are running an LA program at the University of Maryland and conducting research on our secondary implementation of this program.