Learning Assistant Alliance for Promoting and Sustaining Transformation of Physics Education

The Colorado Learning Assistant (LA) model was launched at CU Boulder a decade ago in efforts of increasing research faculty members' awareness and involvement in evidence-based reforms and in the recruitment and preparation of K-12 teachers. Since then the program has been adopted by over 30 physics departments throughout the nation and has demonstrated positive learning outcomes in university physics, increased K-12 teacher recruitment, and increased research-based teaching practices among university faculty as well as among LAs who become K-12 teachers. The LA program has catalyzed the development of a Discipline-Based Educational Research group at CU Boulder and has garnered full financial support from the University. In this presentation, the Colorado LA model is framed as a model for institutional change. The national scaling of the model will be discussed and the new ``Learning Assistant Alliance'' research and development project will be described. Seven components of institutional change that align with the LA model are hypothesized and the associated national-scale research project will be proposed.