The Learning Fellows Program creates partnerships between professors, undergraduate students, learning designers, and faculty developers to design and deliver active and collaborative learning environments. Learning Fellows support faculty by helping small groups of students interact positively with each other and engage more deeply in the course material through in-class problem-solving sessions, discussions, projects, and other activities.
Interested in having Learning Fellows in your course to help create an active and collaborative learning environment? Apply here!
Interested in applying to be a Learning Fellow? Go here!
Who are Learning Fellows?
Learning Fellows are talented Dartmouth undergraduates interested in teaching and education who work directly with Dartmouth professors to help facilitate group problem solving sessions, lead small group discussions, provide academic support to their peers during lectures and labs, and promote deeper engagement with course material. 
In which kinds of courses do Learning Fellows serve?
Learning Fellows work in courses throughout Dartmouth’s College of Arts and Sciences, in STEM (including Thayer School of Engineering), Arts & Humanities, and Social Sciences undergraduate courses.
We started in Summer 2015 with 1 course and 3 learning fellows. As of Fall 2023 we have had over 872 learning fellows in over 315 course sections serving more than 11,666 students.
How are Learning Fellows selected?
Learning Fellows are chosen from students who have previously completed the course and have received a B grade or higher. Calls for applications are sent to all eligible students two months before the term. Students interested in becoming Learning Fellows may approach their professors or our program at any time during the year to discuss upcoming opportunities. For more information on how Learning Fellows are selected, please visit our FAQ page.
Are Learning Fellows unique to Dartmouth?
Our program is based on the Learning Assistant Alliance program that originated at the University of Colorado – Boulder. This model is used by many colleges and universities nationwide. Most courses that include Learning Assistants are introductory STEM (science, technology, engineering, or math) courses that typically have very large enrollments. However, at Dartmouth, we encourage Learning Fellows in all of our courses, including the arts & humanities and social sciences. Our program also differs from other models because of our emphasis on “teaching huddles” – weekly course team meetings where the professor, learning fellows, and a learning designer/faculty developer discuss their experiences through reflection, brainstorming, and pedagogy or facilitation training. Because of this highly collaborative environment, we refer to our students as Learning Fellows.
Where can I learn more?
If you are a faculty member at Dartmouth interested in working with Learning Fellows, check out our Faculty FAQ page. If you’re a student interested in becoming a Learning Fellow, we have a student FAQ page just for you! Please get in touch with us at any time or visit these great websites, which outline more aspects of the Learning Assistants and Learning Fellows models:
The Learning Assistants Alliance @ UC Colorado – Boulder
Teaching with Learning Assistants @ SERC
The Learning Assistants Program @ Boston University
