Many instructors have ideas for elements they want to add to their course, or adjustments they would make if only they had the time or the manpower. To support faculty in this way, the TLC now employs Learning Assistants.
Learning Assistants, like tutors, also support students but have the added responsibility of helping the professor in a variety of ways. Whether assisting with in-class activity facilitation, grading, providing extra individual feedback, or course communications, Learning Assistants allow instructors to incorporate new strategies for engagement into their courses.
Dr. Lindsay Thomsen, Assistant Professor of Practice in Management and Director of Business Development for the Center for Entrepreneurship, implemented an LA this fall.
"Having an LA has allowed me to focus on quality lectures and being well prepared for classes. The extra pair of hands helped me to offer a few additional opportunities in class that I wouldn’t have had the time for individually like a leadership self-assessment that correlated with a lecture. In addition, the LA helped me to make a last-minute change based on what the students were interested in hearing more about. Lastly, the LA allows me more time to build and maintain relationships and mentoring opportunities with students," shared Thomsen.
Thomsen's LA, Hayden Lloyd, similarly noted the positive impact it had on her and on the students in the course. "I learned a lot about how to engage students, how to handle conflict, how to be a good listener to students, and how to do a lot of backend and technical parts of teaching...The students knew I was there and could come to me...it should make the professor's life easier and enrich the course for the students."
Are you interested in utilizing an LA for your course(s) in the future? Reach out to Rose Hull at rosehull@unl.edu to learn more.