Month: November 2020

Congratulations to Liam Searcy and Marisa Lazarus, who were nominated to attend the International Learning Assistant Conference, held virtually through the Gather Town platform. Marisa and Liam attended sessions on how LAs can support social justice pedagogy and how to measure LA program impact using a QuantCrit (quantitative critical race theory) approach. They had the opportunity to attend a keynote presentation by Professor Valerie Otero, co-founder of the Colorado Learning Assistant program model, about the potential for a paradigm shift in education.

Marisa also presented a poster "Engaging LAs in program innovation through pedagogy course projects" at the conference.

LAs and faculty look forward to learning from Marisa and Liam about these important issues.

It's that time of year when seniors are thinking about and applying to graduate school. LA program alum Acacia Ackles and Joy Jack stopped by the pedagogy course in November to share how they selected a graduate program, and how their LA skills are useful as graduate students.

A few key takeaways:

• There are many different kinds of graduate programs. Don't be afraid to explore. Look for programs that will allow you to combine your interests (such as neuroscience and teaching, or mathematics and biology).
• Talk with current students to find out what they like about the program.
• Ask about ways to get involved with teaching and learning. Some programs offer courses for graduate students on teaching and learning, and hire graduate students as TAs.