Academic Center for Excellence
The mission of the IU South Bend Academic Center for Excellence is to provide students the opportunity to develop diverse skills and strategies necessary for academic success within a safe and inclusive learning environment.|
Becoming a Tutor CRLA Certification Announcements Hours of Operation History of the Academic Center for Excellence Maps and Floorplans |
We offer current IU South Bend students FREE drop-in tutoring for many gateway courses, Academic skills workshops, Study Smarter Program (academic coaching), Online resources, and most importantly a team of dedicated tutors who make learning fun and interesting.
Hours of Operation
Learning Center - AI 122(Administration Building)Phone: (574)-520-5022
| Monday - Friday | 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. |
| Saturday - Sunday | closed |
Announcements
Are you ready for the college classroom? If you have doubts or have struggled with things like time management or test taking, you’ll want to sign up for our Academic Smart Start sessions offered throughout the summer.
Summer 2010: Make an appointment to see a tutor
History of the Academic Center for Excellence
In the late 1960's, the English Department, using adjunct faculty and English majors as volunteer tutors, offered individualized tutoring in what become the first IU South Bend Writing Lab. As the
Writing Lab evolved into the Writing Center with its own dedicated space and budget, it moved from the English Department and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to Academic Affairs. In response
to the success of the Writing Center and the need for tutoring in all subjects, Supplemental Instruction was established in the mid-90s, along with tutoring in some subjects, all under the auspices of
the Academic Resource Center. In the fall of 2003, the Learning Center opened in the Administration Building. Also in 2003, all support for academic courses moved under the umbrella of Academic
Learning Services, an office of the Unit of Student Services.
The evolution continued in the summer of 2009 as the Learning Center became the Academic Center for Excellence (ACE). This was in response to the strategic initiatives, Reaching Higher: Strategic
Directions for Higher Education in Indiana, that were adopted in June 2008 by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. New programs and services were implemented (Academic Skills Workshops, an
academic coaching program called Study Smarter, and extensive online resources) to address the Commission's call for: increased academic standards; a focus on the transition from high school to
college; preparation of all students with the knowledge, skills and credentials necessary to succeed; improving the number and timeliness of college graduates by 2012; and improving the graduation
rates for minority and low-income students.
The 2009-2010 school year found ACE experiencing unprecedented growth-eight of the nine months had usage increases of over 100%. In response, satellite tutoring locations were established in
Northside, the library, and the Housing Community Building. To meet the needs of both faculty and students, the Supplemental Instruction program was reworked and became Supplemental Learning (SL),
and it, too, experienced an increase in usage. During this time period, the Academic Center for Excellence also received an LSCHE website award and the tutoring program was certified by the College
Reading and Learning Association.
The work continues. ACE recently rolled out its online support for students who find themselves on academic probation (face-to-face workshops are in development for implementation in fall 2010).
Asynchronous tutoring support will be implemented summer 2010, with synchronous (imbedded in an online course) tutoring to follow in fall 2010. ACE is also collaborating with the Writing Center to
pair content tutors and writing consultants to support writing across the curriculum in a pilot fall 2010. We remain committed to finding ways to help students succeed academically!
IU South Bend Maps and Directions
Floorplan for Administration Building
Questions
If you have any questions, please
email the center or stop by.
website last updated on July 15th, 2010 by Zachary Torstrick
