Faculty Course Modification Incentive Grant–Maine Learning Assistant Program (FIG-MLA)

If you have questions regarding the program or general MLA questions, contact us at figmla@maine.edu.

The goals of the FIG-MLA program are to

  • improve the quality of undergraduate STEM education,
  • promote and support evidence-based teaching,
  • help STEM majors build career-relevant teaching and communication skills, and
  • encourage institutional change at all levels of STEM teaching.

The FIG-MLA Program aims to strengthen instruction and learning outcomes in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses.  The program is a part of the Learning Assistant Alliance, an international collaboration with over 550 member institutions.  The FIG-MLA program is modeled after the highly successful program developed at the University of Colorado Boulder. The program began in 2012 under a large grant awarded to the RiSE Center through the National Science Foundation’s Math and Science Partnership program.  Due to the demonstrated effectiveness of the FIG-MLA program, it is now funded through the University of Maine. Currently, there are 31 instructors with 33 courses in 15 departments participating in the FIG-MLA program.  In addition, over 550 undergraduate students have been hired as MLAs.

STEM instructors submit grant proposals for modifying a course to include more evidence-based and student-centered teaching strategies, such as the use of clicker questions, collaborative group work, think-pair-share, and others.  Proposals include the use of undergraduate Maine Learning Assistants (MLAs) in the class to help instructors implement course modifications.

A virtual poster session was held at the June 2021 RiSE Conference in which STEM instructors presented posters about their course modifications and impacts. Please feel free to take a look at posters from the 2021 RiSE Conference Faculty Poster Session.

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.

Click here for the Portfolio of 2019-2020 FIG-MLA Courses.

Click here for the 2016-17 Program Report!

Current FIG-MLA Courses and Instructors

Note: this list may change from one semester to the next.

Fall 2023:

  • BIO 100 Basic Biology (Julia McGuire)
  • BMB 207 Fundamentals of Chemistry (Jennifer Newell-Caito)
  • BMB 221 Organic Chemistry (TBA)
  • BMB 300 General Microbiology (Edward Bernard)
  • CET 326 Soil Mechanics and Foundations (Meredith Kirkmann)
  • CHY 121 General Chemistry I (Sarah Lindahl, Ana Chatenever, Barbara Cole)
  • CHY 131 Chemistry for Civil, Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (Francois Amar)
  • CHY 251 Organic Chemistry I (Natalie Machamer)
  • CIE 331 Fundamentals of Environmental Engineering (Jean MacRae)
  • COS 125 Introduction to Problem Solving Using Computer Programming (Penny Rheingans)
  • COS 140 Foundations of Computer Science (Roy Turner)
  • COS 250 Discrete Structures (Chris Dufour)
  • ECO 120 Microeconomics (Todd Gabe)
  • ERS 101 Introduction to Earth Sciences (Alice Doughty)
  • MAT 116 Introduction to Calculus (Ayesha Maliwal)
  • MAT 122 Pre-Calculus (Todd Zoroya)
  • MAT 127 Calculus II (Paula Drewniany)
  • PHY 121 Physics for Engineers and Physical Scientists I (Saima Farooq)
  • PHY 122 Physics for Engineers and Physical Scientists II (Naeem Shahid)
  • PHY 236 Introductory Quantum Physics (MacKenzie Stetzer)
  • SMS 300 Marine Ecology (Paul Rawson)
  • SMS 308 Ecology and Conservation of Marine Mammals (Kristina Cammen)

Spring 2024:

  • BIO 200 Biology of Organisms (Julia McGuire, Farahad Dastoor)
  • BMB 208 Elementals of Physiological Chemistry (Jennifer Newell-Caito)
  • CHY 121 General Chemistry I (Sarah Lindahl)
  • CHY 122 General Chemistry II (Sarah Lindahl)
  • CHY 252 Organic Chemistry II (Natalie Machamer)
  • COS 125 Introduction to Problem Solving Using Computer Programming (Laura Gurney)
  • EES 100 Human Population and the Global Environment (Kate Ruskin)
  • ERS 101 Introduction to Earth Sciences (Alice Doughty)
  • MAT 116 Introduction to Calculus (Ayesha Maliwal)
  • MAT 122 Pre-Calculus (TBA)
  • MAT 127 Calculus II (Paula Drewniany)
  • PHY 121 Physics for Engineers and Physical Scientists I (Saima Faroq)
  • PHY 122 Physics for Engineers and Physical Scientists II (TBA)
  • PHY 241 Computational Physics (Liping Yu)
  • PHY 262 Electronics (MacKenzie Stetzer)
  • SMS 201 Marine Organisms (Sara Lindsay)

All FIG-MLA courses since 2012:

  • AST 109
  • BIO 100
  • BIO 200
  • BIO 307
  • BIO 350
  • BIO 465
  • BIO 480
  • BMB 155
  • BMB 207
  • BMB 208
  • BMB 221
  • BMB 300
  • BMB 322
  • CET 326
  • CHB 112
  • CHB 350
  • CHE 386
  • CHY 121
  • CHY 122
  • CHY 131
  • CHY 251
  • CHY 252
  • CIE 331
  • COS 125
  • COS 140
  • COS 250
  • ECE 342
  • EES 100
  • ERS 101
  • ERS 102
  • ERS 151
  • ERS 201
  • FSN 330
  • FSN 485
  • HON 155
  • INT 308
  • MAT 103
  • MAT 116
  • MAT 122
  • MAT 126
  • MAT 127
  • MET 320
  • MET 440
  • NMD 106
  • PHY 121
  • PHY 122
  • PHY 236
  • PHY 241
  • PHY 262
  • PHY 441
  • PSY 230
  • SMS 201
  • SMS 300
  • SMS 308
  • SMS 422