{"id":233341,"date":"2026-04-29T14:27:52","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T00:27:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=233341"},"modified":"2026-04-29T14:27:52","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T00:27:52","slug":"la-program-ceremony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/29\/la-program-ceremony\/","title":{"rendered":"Student learning assistants recognized for impact on campus learning"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

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The University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Mānoa<\/span> Learning Assistant Program<\/a> recognized students, faculty and program contributors at its annual award ceremony on April 24.<\/p>\n

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The event honored 30 graduating seniors, along with 38 new learning assistants and three new faculty members joining the program. The ceremony also highlighted four award categories recognizing excellence in teaching innovation, program advocacy, and student support.<\/p>\n

The Learning Assistant (LA<\/abbr>) Program places undergraduate students in courses across campus to help facilitate active, discussion-based learning. Learning assistants work with faculty to support collaborative instruction in lectures, labs and discussion sections, helping shift traditionally lecture-based courses into active learning environments. The program, which began in STEM<\/abbr> fields, has since expanded to include a wide range of disciplines across UH<\/abbr> Mānoa<\/span>.<\/p>\n

For the first time, graduating seniors in the LA<\/abbr> Program were presented with honors cords, recognizing their academic progress, skill development and contributions to student success. The cords were approved following the LA<\/abbr> program\u2019s transition into the Office of Student Academic Success<\/a>, after serving as a successful pilot of the Provost’s office for the past several years.<\/p>\n

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Program organizers describe the cords as a symbol of dedication, perseverance, and belonging within the LA<\/abbr> community. They recognize students who have significantly supported active learning environments while completing their own academic journeys.<\/p>\n

“The honor cords recognize meaningful time supporting their peers and partnering with faculty to cultivate active learning communities across disciplines,” said LA<\/abbr> Program Director and College of Education<\/a> Professor Tara O’Neill. “This program is about creating meaningful learning experiences on both sides of the classroom—where students and instructors are shaping how knowledge is built and shared at UH<\/abbr> Mānoa<\/span>. As LA<\/abbr>s, our students are not only strengthening their own content knowledge, they are transforming learning at UH<\/abbr> Mānoa<\/span> by creating spaces that encourage engagement, questions and innovation.”<\/p>\n

Program awardees<\/h2>\n