Southeast Missouri State University student publication

Tutorial Services' demand increases

Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Kierra Wicks assists a Southeast student in the Trio Lab. Photo by Julian Sanders

More than 550 Southeast Missouri State University students have requested academic support already this semester, which is a sign of growth in the university's Learning Assistance Program and a number the department's staff hopes to continue to expand.

Tutorial Services at Southeast provides free assistance to all students regardless of academic major, year or learning level.

The program is provided through Learning Assistance Programs, which is one of the many programs offered under the university's Academic Support Program.

Southeast's Tutorial Services is nationally certified through the College Reading and Learning Association and has retained this certification since 2001.

WyKeshia Wallace, tutorial specialist and graduate assistant for Learning Assistance Programs, said that the number of early requests for tutoring is direct reflection of student enrollment and the department's ability to match students to a learning assistant that can properly facilitate additional academic support.

These tutors, who are commonly referred to as learning assistants, are students who have received a B or higher in the course they are tutoring and hold a minimum 3.0 GPA in their major.

Wallace said that the number of requests has already surpassed the number of students successfully matched last semester. According to Wallace, more than 490 students have been successfully matched with learning assistants in the course they need support in.

She also said that the match rate, which is the number of students successfully matched with learning assistants, is currently at 86 percent, which is higher than the match rate last semester.

"The department has absolutely experienced growth so far this semester. By the end of last semester we had about 719 students utilizing theses resources, and we currently have about 550 students who are requesting academic help, and this is before students have received their midterm grades," Wallace said.

Steven Taylor, coordinator of Tutorial Services, said the growth in students requesting learning assistants is also a reflection of the boost in enrollment and shows that students are becoming more likely to get the help that they need in the courses that challenge them.

Taylor said that while it is his department's job to match students with a learning assistant that is knowledgeable in the courses they need assistance with, the students also play a key role in their overall success. He said that the biggest challenge his department faces is generally getting students to connect with their learning assistant.

"It's the student's obligation to connect with their tutors and assist the tutors in providing an environment that enriches the student's learning," Taylor said.

"This means that the student has to be proactive in the classroom by asking the questions they need to, attending their professor's office hours and even going to additional open labs that are specific to the course they need help in," Taylor said.

Taylor also mentioned that while the number of requests continue to grow, students who wish to receive tutoring on campus shouldn't worry about not being able to receive any learning assistance because Tutorial Services has a number of resources that would allow students to get the assistance they need.

"If a student goes unmatched to a specific learning assistant, then the student has the option to attend small group tutoring sessions or a supplemental instruction session, which allow students to work with a supplemental instruction leader, who has studied and successfully passed the course previously, or even attend open lab tutoring in any of the various tutoring labs throughout campus," Taylor said.

Junior exceptional child education major Kierra Wicks serves as an open lab and educational mathematics learning assistant. Wicks said that she feels the growth in tutoring request is a result of changes in the academic expectations amongst faculty and students.

"The increase in students requesting tutoring shows that students may be becoming more responsible in their pursuit of attaining a degree," Wicks said. "While enrollment has increased, ultimately the thirst to become successful does seem to be a common trend amongst the students that I work with. Our tutoring sessions aren't about the learning assistant giving the student the answers but to reinforce and develop the skills that are apart of each departments curriculum."

Rashuan Henry, academic specialist for Student Support Services, supported Wicks' statement.

"Our success is when each and every student utilizes the academic resources that are available to them on campus," Henry said. "Their individual success turns into our success because we celebrate their achievements and encourage them to push past their perceived limitations even if those limitations include themselves."

Staff members said they expect the number of students requesting academic assistance to continue to rise due to midterms.

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