The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Department of Mathematics is marking new milestones in its innovative Learning Assistant (LA) Program, while piloting a new artificial intelligence (AI) curriculum for undergraduates.
More than 40 LAs support math courses each semester, providing peer-to-peer guidance and helping students succeed in the classroom. The program has become essential to the department’s growth, especially in Math 134: Precalculus Elementary Functions, where enrollment has more than doubled in recent years. The course now runs 11 sections, each built around interactive activities that rely on LAs to support instruction.
Data from the past three semesters show that sections with two LAs achieved final exam scores approximately 12 percentage points higher on average than sections with only one. Since UH began expanding the LA program, and math hired a precalculus coordinator, the passing rate in Math 134 rose about 10 percentage points in just a few years. Withdrawal rates have also dropped significantly. Similar improvements have been seen in Math 140: Precalculus.
“Our learning assistants are making a significant impact on student success in math,” UH Mānoa math Instructor and Precalculus Coordinator John Robertson said. “They bring energy, innovation and a peer perspective that make all the difference in the classroom.”
AI in math
Math 100: Survey of Mathematics has also benefited from the LA program. The course now averages a passing rate above 85%, with LAs considered crucial to its success. In fall 2025, Math 100 introduced a new unit on AI and will continue weaving AI concepts into the curriculum throughout the semester. This work was selected as part of UH’s Integrating AI into Curriculum initiative. Read more in this UH News story.
Students learn how large language models such as ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini actually work and how to use them responsibly. By working with these tools alongside their own calculations, they practice evaluating, questioning and refining solutions, skills at the heart of critical thinking and quantitative reasoning. LAs receive weekly training to deepen their understanding of language models and to support their peers through the activities.
“Being a learning assistant in Math 100 has given me invaluable skills,” said Dipshay Reddy, a math LA for several semesters. “Through using the new AI-embedded worksheets, I not only support students in their learning but also develop my own understanding of how to integrate innovative tools into the classroom. Working alongside amazing professors like Professor Monique Chyba has been both a learning experience for me and a chance to prepare myself for my future goals.”
The AI module included large lecture presentations, three recitation sessions and hands-on activities. One exercise examined tsunami predictions in Hawaiʻi, while others looked at tourism, water quality and heart disease, showing students how quantitative reasoning and AI can be applied to real issues that matter in their community. Large language models are now incorporated into every subsequent unit.
It was Camila Gonzalez’s first time using large language models and she learned that it’s important to “be really precise on what you tell it to give you the accurate numbers back.”
The math department said the LA program now impacts thousands of students each year at a relatively low cost, while preparing undergraduates to navigate the rapidly changing role of AI in education and beyond.
“By engaging directly with new AI tools, our learning assistants are not only supporting their peers but also preparing to be part of a broader shift in how technology is integrated into math education,” said UH Mānoa math Professor Monique Chyba, who co-teaches the course with Professor Elizabeth Gross. “This is about equipping the next generation to shape, rather than just follow, the future of learning.”
The Department of Mathematics is housed in UH Mānoa’s College of Natural Sciences.
The math Learning Assistant Program is under the UH Mānoa Learning Assistant Program, directed by College of Education Professor Tara O’Neil.
