Information about the program
Undergraduate students can apply to be a Learning Assistant in CH301, CH302, Organic Chemistry, or Physical Chemistry. Students that succeed in the program have a strong desire to build their communication, leadership, and mentoring abilities and to further their understanding of chemistry concepts. To be considered for the program, learning assistants must have completed 301 and 302 with at least a B average and must submit an application by the required deadline (see below).
As a Learning Assistant (LA) in our CH301, CH302, Organic Chemistry, or Physical Chemistry courses, you are a part of our teaching team. LAs assist students with activities and questions during class, in office hours, and/or in discussion sessions. Most LAs are working in person, but there may also be Zoom options. LAs are required to enroll in CH372C. CH372C class meetings focus on chemistry content review to ensure LAs are confident in the material they will be helping students with and professional development centered on topics such as facilitating discussion, questioning techniques, communication skills, ethics, and leadership. The course carries the ethics flag.
The LA program requires a time commitment of roughly 10-12 hours a week: 3 hours in a 301, 302, Organic Chemistry, or Physical Chemistry classroom, 2-3 hours in CH372C, an hour of office hour or discussion time, and about 4-5 hours of preparatory time. Total time will vary week to week and from LA to LA. The skills you learn as a part of this program can be a springboard to other on-campus student educator positions.
The LA program is an unpaid experiential learning opportunity for students who are interested in strengthening their chemistry content knowledge and their communication, teaching, and leadership skills. If you have questions about the program, please contact Dr. Andrei Straumanis (andrei.straumanis@austin.utexas.edu). Application details are below.
