Maine Learning Assistant Program
MLAs serve as peer instructors, facilitating group work and assisting faculty as they transform their course to incorpoate more interactive-engagement and student-centered instruction.
Become an MLA
We are now accepting applications for Fall 2025 MLA positions! Application review begins on April 2nd.
If you have questions regarding the program or general MLA questions, contact us at figmla@maine.edu.
Maine Learning Assistants (MLAs) are undergraduate students who are hired by instructors who have applied to work with MLAs. MLAs are paid ($14.65/hour) to assist with instruction and facilitating student discussion.
Specific responsibilities of MLAs include:
- Assisting the lead instructor and Teaching Assistants in the classroom and/or recitation sections,
- Preparing for instructional duties, and
- Participating in weekly required professional learning sessions about Teaching and Learning (all new MLAs).
MLA Position Overview
As a Maine Learning Assistant, you will:
– Receive $14.65/hour for your time and effort
– Assist faculty and help other students learn
– Gain valuable teaching experience that will benefit you in any career you may choose
– Participate in weekly professional learning sessions about Teaching and Learning
– Join a campus cohort of undergraduate learning assistants
– Be a part of the Maine Center for Research in STEM Education (RiSE Center) on Campus
Strongly agree that they value being an MLA
Said working as an MLA was valuable to their professional development
Agree that the MLA program will be useful to them after they leave UMaine
“Being an MLA has solidified my decision to become an educator. I love the profession and I look forward to becoming an influence to future generations.”
“I think it has helped me feel confident going in to grad school and to become a TA and know that I am prepared to have that responsibility…”
Hiring Process
- Complete the application for Fall 2025
- We encourage you to list up to 3 courses that you are interested in
- Faculty will begin reviewing applications after April 2nd
- They may contact you to schedule an interview
- You will discuss scheduling and determine an average number of hours per week you would work as an MLA
- Faculty will invite students to join their teaching team as MLAs
- If you are invited to join a teaching team, fill out the form linked in the invitation
- Please try to do this within 3 days of receiving your invitation email
- Once you agree to the invitation using that form, program staff will process your e-hire paperwork starting August 1st
- You will receive an official position offer from Student Employment once your e-hire is processed
- You must go through that offer email and accept the position within two weeks of receiving it
MLA Position Details
MLAs serve as peer instructors, facilitating group work and assisting faculty as they transform their course to incorporate more interactive-engagement and student-centered instruction. MLAs learn to use innovative, research-based instructional strategies, develop relevant pedagogical skills, deepen their content understanding, and have the opportunity to explore their interest in STEM teaching, while participating in a vibrant community of peers and faculty.
MLAs may work in recitations, lectures, or even labs. The specifics of each MLA position and the expectations are discussed between the MLAs and the faculty member both during the interview process and during weekly teaching team meetings. These meetings are space for MLAs to ask questions, discuss content, and share insights on the students with the faculty.
MLA Expectations
- Commit prior to the start of the semester to the MLA position offered.
- Communicate with program staff and instructors in a timely and professional manner.
- Work the hours expected.
- Enter time worked into MaineStreet each week.
- Communicate with program staff and instructors ahead of time for any late arrivals to or absences from meetings and/or classes.
- Be an ambassador of the MLA program and assist instructors with recruitment.
- Complete any surveys that are asked of MLAs, or communicate with program staff if you wish to opt out.
Academic Requirements
In order to be considered a student employee, you must be enrolled or accepted in a degree-granting or certificate program AND be enrolled at least half time (6 credits or more).
MLA Professional Learning Seminar
In addition to the University required training all new MLAs must attend the RiSE MLA seminar. This is a weekly meeting for new MLAs where we discuss different aspects of being a peer mentor and go over skills that can help you in the classroom. These seminars are Wednesdays from 12–1 p.m. and 5–6 p.m. during the semester. Students who cannot attend at least one of those sections are not eligible to be new MLAs.
Each semester we try to cover topics that are relevant to our MLAs and may change topics based on feedback we receive at the end of the semester. Here is the list of topics from the previous semester with a brief summary:
- Asking Questions
- The types of questions you ask can open up space for students to discuss or help shift students in a specific direction. In this class we cover how to identify these different types of questions and talk about what the costs and benefits are of each.
- Active Learning Strategies
- Here we discuss what active learning strategies look like and how you may have seen them applied to different classes. We will also discuss strategies that may or may not have worked and how you think they could be improved or applied to your class.
- Engaging Students
- How we engage students in conversations can lead to different types of learning. This class discusses cognitive demand and what strategies or ‘Talk Moves’ you can use to help students participate in conversations and achieve different levels of understanding.
- Dealing with Difficult Topics
- aka How to Get Unstuck. Sometimes, when students are stuck, it can be very tempting to give them the answer straight away. Here we discuss techniques to encourage students to think about these difficult topics and how to identify where & why students may be stuck.
- MLA Balancing Act
- MLAs exist in a unique position between students and teachers and must balance work, life, and school. Being in this space can be mentally and emotionally demanding. This class involves identifying support systems and discussing strategies for finding balance
- Working with Students in Distress
- School work and exams can cause a lot of turmoil in students. This seminar, led by members of the UMaine Counseling Center, focuses on how to identify students in distress, de-escalation steps, and providing strategies and guidelines for MLAs in the classroom.
- Why Students Leave STEM
- Many students leave STEM disciplines during their undergraduate careers. We will discuss reasons that you contribute to this, as well as reasons outlined in the literature. And while we might not have solutions to all of these problems we will discuss potential strategies to combat them.
- Mindset
- As Learning Assistants you will undoubtedly encounter students who believe they cannot complete an assignment because they are just not good at that subject. Mindset is about how to encourage students to approach information in a growth mindset instead of a fixed one.
- Metacognition
- Engaging in metacognition (thinking about thinking) can help students reflect on what they learn and apply it to other contexts. This class includes an example activity of metacognition as well as discussions for how we can engage students in metacognition in different classroom types.
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
- This is a framework for designing classrooms and content that is accessible for all learners. We will use this seminar class as an example to reflect on how UDL guidelines are met, how improvements can be made, and discuss the barriers to adapting to UDL standards.