Maximizing the impact of learning assistants

Learning Assistants (LAs) are undergraduates with prior experience in a course who work with an instructor to facilitate active learning. LA support in gateway courses reduces social and psychological barriers for students, thereby increasing students' sense of community in the course. It is unknown, however, what components are particularly supportive. To fill this gap, we conducted group interviews in general chemistry and introductory biology. Each interview was transcribed, coded, and analyzed for themes. From the themes we constructed narratives describing experiences of the students from different demographic groups. Collectively, the narratives address course structures, the role of LAs, and the role of instructors. All groups emphasized the value of clear, varied, and flexible resources for supporting learning. Half of the groups who were interviewed highlighted the value of collaborative learning for promoting learning, increasing confidence, and fostering a feeling that students' ideas mattered in the course; the other half of the groups identified collaboration as less valuable. The majority of the groups emphasized the role of LAs in fostering belonging, confidence, and a sense of mattering, but highlighted that LA preparation and engagement was key for these benefits; one group identified LAs as a positive but ultimately unimportant source of support. Narratives related to sharing an identity (e.g., academic) with an LA emerged as important in most groups. The results from these narratives point to important implications for the selection and preparation of LAs along with design implications for gateway science courses that incorporate LAs.