Learning Assistant Supported Student Outcomes (LASSO) study initial findings

Abstract

This study investigates how faculty, student, and course features are linked\nto student outcomes in Learning Assistant (LA) supported courses. Over 4,500\nstudents and 17 instructors from 13 LA Alliance member institutions\nparticipated in the study. Each participating student completed an online\nconcept inventory at the start (pre) and end (post) of their term. The physics\nconcept inventories included Force and Motion Concept Evaluation (FMCE) and the\nBrief Electricity and Magnetism Assessment (BEMA). Concepts inventories from\nthe fields of biology and chemistry were also included. Our analyses utilize\nhierarchical linear models that nest student level data (e.g. pre/post scores\nand gender) within course level data (e.g. discipline and course enrollment) to\nbuild models that examine student outcomes across institutions and disciplines.\nWe report findings on the connections between students' outcomes and their\ngender, race, and time spent working with LAs as well as instructors'\nexperiences with LAs.\n