Undergraduate Learning Assistants

Overview

Undergraduate Learning Assistants (ULAs) are undergraduate students who provide course support to their peers.  Usage of ULAs has the potential to benefit instructors, undergraduates engaged in these roles, and the undergraduate students ULAs are supporting.  At UNC-Chapel Hill, ULAs are used in departments across campus, both inside and outside of the classroom, in a variety of ways.  ULAs are most often used in lower-level courses.

Best practices:

• Clearly defined ULA role as peer support
• Training program and ongoing support
• Pedagogy course requirement
• Weekly prep meetings with course instructor
• Clearly defined selection criteria and process
• Supervision and accountability
• Assessment and evaluation
• Clear compensation models

Reports

Create a ULA Course

To create a course for awarding academic credit for Undergraduate Learning Assistants, departments/school should submit a course proposal using the Curriculum Inventory Management (CIM) system. A few reminders:

• A sample learning contract or syllabus must be included in the proposal.
• Courses are often numbered *91 and *92 (e.g., 191, 292), but not always
• Courses should fulfill Gen Ed credit:
  • IDEAs in Action: High-Impact Experience (HI-LEARNTA)
  • Making Connections: Experiential Education (CON-E7)

Sample Contracts & Syllabi