Learning Centers Some Best (Promising?) Practices for Some Best (Promising?) Practices for Learning Support Centers in Higher Education 1

IE Webinar: May 7, Our Collective Intelligence Who Are We? University Community College Private College Other

IE Webinar: May 7, What Are We? LSC Administration LSC Staff Campus Administration Graduate Student Other Our Collective Intelligence

Workshop Overview Summary Definitions Promising Practices A-H References Participant Next Steps Suggestions Unfinished Business IE Webinar: May 7, 20094

Workshop Summary The 21st century is a time of standards and best practices for programs and services in higher education. Such standards and best practices assist learning center administrators to review their programs and practices and make appropriate changes to strengthen them. In this presentation, participants will review over 50 best (promising) practices in eight categories. Most practices are based on qualitative and quantitative research. IE Webinar: May 7, 20095

Definition "Best Practices are defined as elements and activities that the institution perceives as congruent with its mission and the concomitant mission of its academic support center aka learning support center.“ Christ, F. L. "Best Practices of Learning Support Centers," presentation at the 2005 Winter Institute, Austin, TX January 4, 2005 IE Webinar: May 7, 20096

Eight Practices Categories A) General [1-12] B) Clientele [13-14] C) Programs & Services [15-20] D) Technology [21-24] E) Partnering [25-35] F) Assessment & Evaluation [36-41] G) Publicity & Public Relations [42-51] H) Certification & Recognition [52-61] IE Webinar: May 7, 20097

8 Time Out... for reflection for sharing for questions

[A1-12] LSC Promising Practices [A1-12] General Practices IE Webinar: May 7, 20099

LSC Promising Practices [A1-3] General Practices The LSC has a mission congruent with its division and institutional mission The LSC has the support of central administration The LSC has an adequate budget to support its mission, goals, and objectives IE Webinar: May 7,

Promising Practices [A 4-6] General Practices The LSC has an adequate professional staff to support its mission The LSC has an adequate clerical staff to support its mission The LSC uses volunteers to support its mission IE Webinar: May 7,

Promising Practices [A 7-9] General Practices The LSC has developed and followed a systematic plan annually based on feedback and program monitoring The LSC has developed a Three or Five Year Plan that is shared with administration The LSC has an Advisory Board IE Webinar: May 7,

Promising Practices [A 10-12] General Practices The LSC is centrally located and is accessible at convenient times with adequate space for its programs and services The LSC has adequate equipment and furnishings to implement its programs and services The LSC has access to learning materials for student use that allows for learning style choices IE Webinar: May 7,

IE Webinar: May 7, Time Out... for reflection for sharing for questions

[B13-14] LSC Promising Practices [B13-14] Clientele IE Webinar: May 7,

Promising Practices [B13-14] Clientele The LSC serves the total campus community: students, faculty, administration, staff, and alumni The LSC serves academic departments and their faculty through orientations to center programs and services, faculty invited course presentations and/or workshops, student referrals, and feedback service. IE Webinar: May 7,

IE Webinar: May 7, Time Out... for reflection for sharing for questions

[C15-20] LSC Promising Practices [C15-20] Programs & Services IE Webinar: May 7,

Promising Practices [C15-16] Programs & Services The LSC allows walk-in Learning & Study Strategies Assistance The LSC encourages and tracks referrals for Learning & Study Strategies Assistance IE Webinar: May 7,

Promising Practices [C17-20] Programs & Services The LSC offers Campus-wide Workshops The LSC offers Workshops to Campus Groups (Student Associations) The LSC offers Faculty Invited Workshops to Give In- Class Learning Strategies Demonstrations The LSC offers Workshops to Administration, Faculty, and Staff IE Webinar: May 7,

IE Webinar: May 7, Time Out... for reflection for sharing for questions

Promising Practices [D21-24] TECHNOLOGY The LSC uses technology to capture, analyze, and report usage data The LSC uses technology to enhance individual student learning The LSC uses technology to support its programs and services The LSC uses technology including social media to develop and maintain communications with students and faculty IE Webinar: May 7,

IE Webinar: May 7, Time Out... for reflection for sharing for questions

[E25-35] LSC Promising Practices [E25-35] Partnering IE Webinar: May 7,

Promising Practices [E25-28] Partnering The LSC is involved in the institutional student orientation program The LSC is involved in any new faculty orientation program The LSC is involved in supporting the learning needs of online students The LSC is involved in supporting the needs of ESL students and faculty IE Webinar: May 7,

Promising Practices [E29-30] Partnering The LSC offers programs and services to students in dorms, campus center, fraternity and sorority houses, clubs and associations The LSC offers, upon faculty invitation, classroom presentations on learning and study strategies appropriate to a course IE Webinar: May 7,

Promising Practices [E31-33] Partnering The LSC offers or partners online tutoring with academic departments The LSC partners with academic departments that have high risk courses to develop and manage SI The LSC partners with other academic support services (TRIO, Upward Bound, Veterans, and other special populations IE Webinar: May 7,

Promising Practices [E34-35] Partnering The LSC partners with the campus bookstore to display learning and study strategies materials used in the center’s programs and services The LSC partners with School Relations to support outreach to local high school administration, faculty, and students IE Webinar: May 7,

IE Webinar: May 7, Time Out... for reflection for sharing for questions

[F36-41] Promising Practices [F36-41] Assessment & Evaluation IE Webinar: May 7,

Promising Practices [F36-38] Assessment & Evaluation The LSC has developed a mission and goals statements with specific objectives and follows a systematic management plan based on feedback and program monitoring The LSC uses benchmarking to review its practices The LSC uses both qualitative and quantitative measures for program evaluation IE Webinar: May 7,

LSC programs and services are evaluated by faculty and students The LSC is evaluated by an outside evaluator The LSC publishes and disseminates an annual report to appropriate administrators IE Webinar: May 7, Promising Practices [F39-41] Assessment & Evaluation Promising Practices [F39-41] Assessment & Evaluation

IE Webinar: May 7, Time Out... for reflection for sharing for questions

[G42-51] Promising Practices [G42-51] Publicity & Public Relations IE Webinar: May 7,

Promising Practices [G42-45] The LSC has both a publicity and a public relations policy to promote its programs and services The LSC facility is visible through campus signage The LSC is visible as an institutional support service in institutional publications: catalog, web site, and recruitment literature The LSC attempts to maintain a non-remedial image of the center as an academic resource IE Webinar: May 7,

Promising Practices [G46-48] Publicity & Public Relations The LSC has ongoing communications with deans, department heads and faculty The LSC has descriptive materials (videos, photos, bookmarks, brochures, flyers) for campus dissemination to administration, faculty, and students The LSC publishes and disseminates a regular newsletter (print, , or website) IE Webinar: May 7,

Promising Practices [G49-51] Publicity & Public Relations The LSC has a virtual presence through its website An LSC uses social media (RSS Feeds, Twitter, Blogs, Google.docs) to build and maintain a LSC community The LSC staff reads and shares LRNASST and LSCHE information and research with faculty and administration IE Webinar: May 7,

IE Webinar: May 7, Time Out... for reflection for sharing for questions

Promising Practices [H52-60] Certification & Recognition IE Webinar: May 7,

Promising Practices [H52-53] The LSC chief adminisrator has institutional status as a program director or coordinator The LSC administrator and staff are recognized by administration and faculty for their learning assistance competence, academic publications, research, consulting, and leadership IE Webinar: May 7,

Promising Practices [H54-56] The LSC chief administrator has institutional recognition as a program coordinator or director The LSC chief administrator is certified By NCLCA as a Learning Center Professional The LSC staff is represented on relevant campus committees and task forces IE Webinar: May 7,

Promising Practices [H57-60] The LSC's tutorial training program is accredited by CRLA The LSC tutors are certified by ATP The Learning Support Center website has won a Website Award The LSC or its staff has received campus, district, or national recognition IE Webinar: May 7,

IE Webinar: May 7, Time Out... for reflection for sharing for questions

References for Best Practices of Learning Support Centers IE Webinar: May 7, Some References for Best (Promising)Practices of Learning Support Centers

Next Steps So, what have I learned in this workshop? With whom can I share what I have learned? What practical use can I make of what I have learned? What can I do with what I have learned after I am back at my institution? How can I insure that I follow through with my next steps? IE Webinar: May 7,

LSC References IE Webinar: May 7,

IE Webinar: May 7, Time Out... for reflection for sharing for questions

Unfinished Business IE Webinar: May 7, You can me at with your questions and comments. Collegial dialogue never ends…………..