Learning Assistant Program

The LA application for Spring 2024 positions is now closed (the application was open from Friday, October 13 through Monday, October 23). Applications for 2024-2025 positions will be available in February 2024.

Applicants who advance to the interview stage will be notified via email. These applicants will be added to a Canvas site to facilitate group interview signups. 

Signups occur on a first-come, first-served basis and close 48 hours before each session starts. Interview sessions are limited to 16-20 applicants.

Applicants who are eligible for LA positions in the upcoming academic year will be informed of their application status via email starting in May and throughout the summer break. 

If you applied for a position and didn't receive an email about your status during that period, please contact us.

Practice:

• Learning assistants have a unique opportunity to work with and help their peers succeed in their courses. 

Pedagogical Training:

• Through the training provided, our Learning Assistants learn how to teach and in doing so, become better learners themselves. In the required pedagogy course and professional development workshops, LAs gain an understanding of how learning works and can use that knowledge to improve your success in any course you take. 
• The teaching skills that LAs learn through our training program will help you in your future career. Even if you choose to go into a field not related to education, you will acquire communication, leadership, and mentorship skills that are important in many career fields.

Mentorship: 

• Learning assistants work closely with faculty and staff in their fields.

Additional Benefits: 

• On top of all of the skills and experience you will gain; you will be paid bi-weekly for your work throughout the semester 

The following expectations are set to maintain in alignment with the national LA model and to ensure effective training and mentorship for all students participating in our program. 

Practice 

• LAs are expected to treat all of their peers with kindness and respect.  

• LAs can interact with peers in different settings, in-class through lab, lecture, or recitations, or in independently led study groups.  

• LAs are expected to promote a safe, inclusive learning environment in these settings. 

Pedagogical Training

•  First-semester LAs

  • Complete the New Peer Leader Orientation Asynchronous Module on Canvas and participate in a series of four synchronous in-person or online modules (A, B, C, and D) prior to the start of class.  

  • Co-enroll in a 3-credit, 300-level pedagogy course, "Pedagogy of Peer-Led Instruction," and subsequent participation in the LA program is contingent upon successful completion of this course. 

  • Join the LA program Canvas site for the current semester. Contact learningassistants@echo.rutgers.edu to join the site. 

  • Complete 1 professional development workshop before the end of the semester 

  • Receive feedback through observations and student surveys to help improve teaching methods. 

• Returning LAs

  • Complete the Returning Peer Leader Orientation Asynchronous Module on Canvas and participate in two synchronous in-person or online modules (C and D).  

  • Join the LA program Canvas site for the current semester. Contact learningassistants@echo.rutgers.edu to join the site.  

  • Complete 2 professional development workshops (at least 1 must be completed in the first half of the semester) 

  • Receive feedback through observations and student surveys to help improve teaching methods. 

Mentorship:

• Weekly Staff Meeting requirement 

  • Meet at least for 1 hour per week with your faculty mentor  

  • This is the space for you to learn more about the expectations of the course, receive and give feedback to your faculty mentor, and interact with other LAs (if you have them in your course) 

• Professionalism:

  • LAs attend all sections and meeting times assigned to them. If unable to attend a class time (in person or remote), due to health or other emergencies, you should contact the LA program Staff immediately (learningassistants@echo.rutgers.edu) 

  • Submit timesheets on a weekly basis 

  • Respond to correspondences from LA Program Staff supervisors within 24 hours. Prompt and professional communication is essential for your success in this program. 

  • LAs may not solicit their students (i.e. sell products), nor work as a paid tutor for students from their current LA position. 

  • LAs spend at least 30 minutes/week individually preparing for their student interactions. 

  • LAs are expected to follow and enforce all campus policies related to health and safety. 

 For further information please visit our Pedagogy and Peer Leader Training resource page. 

The LA program partners with courses across Rutgers–New Brunswick campuses, including courses within different schools at Rutgers. Check back soon for the list of Fall 2023 partner courses.

Rutgers' LA program follows an international model that ensures every experience includes the following:

1. Authentic Classroom Practice: Learning assistants should be engaged in student-centered learning and able to apply their pedagogical training to facilitating cooperative learning of small groups. In many ways, LAs are analogous to student teachers and require authentic teaching experiences.
   
   Learning assistants should be viewed as pedagogical agents of the course and can be included in development of course materials including worksheets, classroom exercises, and homework or quiz questions. The LA model can be customized to meet the needs of any course, with LAs participating in a number of important ways. These include being embedded in the classroom to facilitate group activities during scheduled lecture, lab or recitation sections, and leading study groups outside of class time. LAs cannot grade, proctor, or hold one-on-one office hours. 

2. Pedagogical Training: All LAs are required to take our "Pedagogy of Peer-Led Instruction" course to learn about pedagogical techniques that can be directly applied to their classroom practices. The students gain an understanding of different learning theories and take time to reflect on how these theories play out in their own classroom experiences. 

3. Mentorship: Faculty mentorship is critical to successful implementation of the LA model, providing content knowledge and context to the LAs. This mentorship works in both directions, because faculty have extensive experience to help guide the LAs while the LAs offer student perspectives and pedagogical training. We are committed to positive mentorship and request that mentors:

   1. Meet with LAs for at least one hour each week to prepare the LAs for the coming week

   2. Give the LAs feedback on their performance in the classroom and/or any course materials the LAs create

   3. Reflect on course materials and student engagement

Important dates and timelines: 

“S” means for Spring semester only hiring and “AY” represents the hiring for the full academic year. 

• The Learning Assistant Alliance website provides resources for LA Program Faculty