Undergraduate learning assistants are now helping first-year students in University of Iowa chemistry courses — some of the most notoriously difficult classes on campus.

UI chemistry professor Adam Brummett’s lecture hall is packed to the brim with first-year students, nervous for their first college chemistry lecture, and says undergraduate learning assistants are increasing student engagement.

The addition of learning assistants began in the spring of 2022, Brummett said. He said the program is helping bridge the gap between instructor and student — particularly from the student perspective.

Renee Cole, UI executive officer in the department of chemistry, said learning assistants are undergraduate students who have taken the course and have gone through training to become learning assistants.

Cole said learning assistants can only be found in lecture halls unlike teaching assistants, who are in both lecture halls and discussion sections oftentimes instructing the discussion section itself.

“The role of these LAs is to support the undergraduate students in the class,” Cole said.

Currently, learning assistants can be found in General Chemistry I, General Chemistry II, and Principles of Chemistry I, Brummett said.

Brummett has 13-15 learning assistants in each lecture section he instructs with a total of just under 30 assistants this semester. He meets weekly with them to discuss course content and the best way of approaching and addressing student concerns.

“It was unexpected to me how much conversation I have with these LAs weekly. They have helped me shape the way in which I structure and talk about things,” Brummett said.

Brummett said these learning assistants walk around the lecture hall and are there for students who have questions about the course material. He has seen student engagement grow since the learning assistants were introduced.

Cole said the learning assistants encourage students to attend office hours and go to supplemental instruction, resources that can help them better understand course content.

“In a large class, it is often hard to see where the trouble points are, and having the LAs there makes it easier and promotes communication between the students and the instructors,” Cole said.

Cole said one of the challenges about being in a large lecture in an auditorium environment is that the physical space implies that students should sit quietly and pay attention, rather than asking questions and actively engaging with the material.

“We don’t want that,” Cole said. “We want them actively engaged in the lecture in a meaningful way that helps strengthen their group work and critical thinking skills.”

Cole said for first-generation students or any students uncertain about what to expect, learning assistants provide a mentor that can help them in and out of the classroom.

Brummett said learning assistants do not need to be experts in the course content.

“Oftentimes, my LAs will come up to me during lecture and say I received a question from a student I don’t think I can answer, would you be able to clarify,” Brummett said. “The instructors are there to teach the coursework so we don’t want the LA’s to feel pressured or as if they need to know everything about the material.”

In order to become a learning assistant, students must have taken the course they wish to be a learning assistant in and meet the grade requirement. They are then trained on how to be a learning assistant during classes.

“LA’s having gone through this course are able to provide feedback and insight so as to have a longer term impact on the course and the students itself,” Brummett said.

Brummett said having learning assistants has also helped him as an instructor as it has reshaped and improved his classes and teaching style.

RELATED: UI departments face overflowing class sections, shortage of instructors

“They are willing to share their own thoughts, experiences, and ideas with faculty members such as myself and I want to hear that,” Brummett said. “My best LA’s are the ones who are able to form connections with students and connect them with contacts and information.”