Learning Assistants

Learning Assistants (LAs) are undergraduate students who take on an interactive role in supporting student learning, typically in large, introductory courses. This is a great position to expand your knowledge of effective teaching strategies, to refine your understanding of physics concepts, and to help improve physics education for your fellow Longhorns.

LAs promote discussion, engagement, and community in undergraduate classes. LAs receive pedagogical training through a physics focused pedagogy course, meet weekly with their faculty supervisor and teaching team, and apply their physics and pedagogical knowledge to elicit student ideas.

Learning Assistants perform a different but complementary role to Teaching Assistants (TAs). The LA role is focused on facilitating discussions among students and enhancing student engagement. LAs duties may include grading, holding office hours, and lab setup/maintenance, but those duties should not make up the majority of their work hours.

Timeline

Academic Calendar: Review important University dates & deadlines for the current academic year here.

Faculty LA Requests: Physics faculty receive a survey about their LA requests each semester. For courses in the fall, this survey is sent in March. For courses in the spring, this survey is sent in October. Registration Periods: The UT course schedules can be found here. For your specific registration windows, please log in and review your Registration Information Sheet (RIS).

Undergraduate LA Applications: Undergraduate students looking to become a physics LA, or returning to continue to work with physics courses, fill out an application each semester. This semester becomes available in April (for fall terms) and November (for spring terms). Please email the LA director for access to the current application.

Placements and Hiring: Potential placements with courses begins at the end of a long semester (May or December) and may continue until the start of the next long semester (August or January).

Start of term: If you are placed with a physics course, the supervising faculty will reach out shortly before the term to set an initial meeting and share course information. There is also a mandatory LA Orientation at 5pm the first Wednesday of each semester for all physics LAs.

Should I apply to be an LA?

While working as an LA is a significant time commitment, the experience can be quite valuable.

• Allows you to use your knowledge and skills to help your peers achieve better learning outcomes in physics.
• Gain familiarity with physics education research and teaching methods.
• Be part of a community of physics educators.
• Build deeper connections with physics faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students.

First-time LAs are required to take the LA Physics pedagogy course (PHY239C Physics Cognition and Pedagogy) concurrently with your first semester working as an LA. This course carries the Ethics flag.

Administrative LA Policies

• Learning Assistant (LA) is an undergraduate academic employment position & interested students must meet UT eligibility criteria.
• New hires will need to present appropriate work authorization documents to the physics HR staff to finalize hiring. A list of these documents may be found here.

LA Team

For questions about the program, implementation, pedagogy, surveys/applications, etc. please email the faculty director of the physics Learning Assistant program.

If you have questions about registering for PHY 239C, please reach out to the physics advisors at the email below. 

Physics Academic Program Coordinators: ugaffairs@physics.utexas.edu

If you have questions about HR policies, training, Workday, or related topics, please reach out to the physics HR staff at the email below. 

Physics HR personnel: hr@physics.utexas.edu