Advisor Resource Page
We recognize that advisors are an important key to a student's academic success and personal development. The Academic Center for
Excellence offers these co-curricular resources to assist you as you address the core skills your students need to be effective college-level
learners and, ultimately, graduates from IU South Bend.
Tutoring
Study Smarter
Learning Skills
Quick Reference
Other
Tutoring
The Learning Center offers tutoring for many gateway courses (biology, business, chemistry, computer science, physics and world languages-to name a few). Unfortunately, we are unable to offer this free tutoring for every IU South Bend course and the services are limited to current IU South Bend students. Additionally, it is a drop-in center (located in AI 122) so most tutoring will be provided in a group setting. Check our online schedule for subjects/ days/ times. To assist your students in maximizing their time with a tutor, it would be helpful for them to read our brochure, How to Get the Most Out of a Tutoring Session.
Study Smarter
In Spring of 2009 we saw a number of non-traditional students who came into the Center struggling because they had been out of school for
several years. They did not have particular content issues but were having difficulty with college-level learning skills. In response, we
developed our Study Smarter program. Academic coaches are specially trained and administer
pre- and post-tests to measure students' progress. Additionally, students complete goal sheets each time they meet with a Study Smarter coach
so they establish some accountability for their own performance.
We limit participation to 25 students each semester. Students can request a Study Smarter coach
online or by coming by the Learning Center.
Learning Skills
The Academic Center for Excellence has several ways to assist students in developing college-level learning skills. For students who
prefer to work on their own, our Tutoring Resources page has a number of learning skills handouts
(in addition to study tips and information about specific content areas).
A new tool you may find helpful for some of your students struggling academically is our Learning Survey. The
online, self-scoring survey will provide cut scores in six different categories so you and the student can work on action plans for specific
areas of difficulty. Additionally, the student can select his/her advisor to receive a copy of the results via email (see the drop-down box).
The six areas addressed by the Learning Survey (Time Management, Note Taking, Test Taking, Memory, Concentration and Reading) will also be
offered throughout the fall and spring semesters as Academic Skills Workshops. Students are encouraged to
sign-up for these workshops online and they will be contacted by our office prior to the workshop to
remind them of their intended participation.
Lastly, we also offer an online Barsch Learning Styles inventory that is also self-scoring. The Academic Center
for Excellence also offers a Learning Styles workshop in the fall and spring semesters.
Quick Reference
| Student Difficulty | ACE Resource(s) |
|---|---|
| Course content | Tutoring |
| Hard to concentrate | Academic Skills Workshop Barsch Learning Styles Inventory Study Smarter program |
| Ineffective test taking skills | Academic Skills Workshop Study Smarter program Tutoring |
| Lack of motivation |
Study Smarter program |
| Lack of college-level study skills | Academic Skills Workshop Learning Survey Study Smarter program Tutoring |
| Overwhelmed with course work | Study Smarter program Tutoring |
| Poor organizational skills |
Study Smarter program |
| Poor reading comprehension | Academic Skills Workshop |
| Returning student (out of school for some time) | Academic Skills Workshop Barsch Learning Styles Inventory Learning Survey Study Smarter program Tutoring |
| Underdeveloped time management skills | Academic Skills Workshop Study Smarter program |
| Unable to understand course content |
Tutoring |
Other
You can help us by referring qualified students for employment as tutors and student assistants. The Academic Center for Excellence is a great on-campus job. It provides students with meaningful para-professional experience with flexible hours. Student Assistants need to have basic computer experience, excellent people skills, and no campus disciplinary record.
Questions
If you have any questions, please
email the center or stop by.
Last updated May 28th, 2009 by Zachary Torstrick
