About the Tutoring & Learning Resources of the Department of Academic Support Programs

About the Tutoring and Learning Resources of the Department of Academic Support Programs

Tutoring and Learning Resources, a component of the Department of Academic Support Programs, offers a unique set of services. These services are used by many students at the University, but are sometimes overlooked by those who could benefit most. The Department is seeking the support of faculty and advisors, who are in a position to identify students in academic difficulty and refer them to services that will provide academic support. In addition, Tutoring and Learning Resources, like all of the Department of Academic Support Programs, seeks to cultivate and maintain partnerships with faculty and school administrators that create innovative academic support services for all students. This office offers an array of programs and services that address a variety of academic needs and concerns of students, and complement classroom instruction. Students benefit most when these services are developed in collaboration with individual faculty, schools and departments.

Some ways which Tutoring and Learning Resources assists students are:

individual assessment of learning needs;
"walk-in" tutorial services and learning strategy instruction;
individual tutoring sessions in most undergraduate courses;
school-based on-site tutorial support;
mid-term and final exam review workshops, and "clinics" (scheduled on-site help sessions for any course within a discipline);
professional instruction focusing on academic reading, writing, critical thinking, studying and time management;
"Mastering the Ivy League," a workshop series for first-year students;
"Academics Plus," a workshop series for international students;
"Success at Penn," a workshop series for returning adult learners;
instructional resources for faculty, instructors, and teaching assistants;
programs and services for students with learning differences or disabilities;
faculty-approved Old Exam File.

During the 1995-96 academic year, Tutoring and Learning Resources employed 468 tutors who made 5249 tutoring contacts in a variety of venues. Eight hundred eighty-nine contacts were made in On-Site Tutoring sessions. One-on-one tutoring was offered in 112 courses in fall 1995, and 89 courses in spring 1996. During this same period, 10 learning instructors provided academic support in reading, writing, and studying to 1,038 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in individual or group settings. Seventy-five outreach workshops were presented throughout campus.

While most students may access the services by self-identifying, it is extremely effective when referrals are made by faculty and/or advisors who recognize that a student is having academic difficulty. Students may be referred by calling 57-EXCEL (573-9235) or sending an e-mail message to tutoring@pobox. Those making the referral are encouraged to inform the students of the service to which they are being referred.

Tutoring and Learning Resources has had successful working relationships with many individual faculty and departments in hiring tutors and developing special academic support initiatives such as those with the Mathematics and Biology Departments, Wharton, Nursing, SEAS, and the Department of Athletics.

For example, the Nursing Academic Resource Center (NARC), developed by Tutoring and Learning Resources in collaboration with the School of Nursing's faculty and students, provides Nursing students with on-site walk-in instruction in academic reading and studying as well as workshops on learning strategies appropriate for Nursing courses.

Faculty and Tutoring and Learning Resources' staff can collaborate in a variety of ways:

referral of students needing help;
identification of talented majors to serve as tutors;
tutor training;
development of group tutorial programs such as collaborative learning, student- and or faculty-led discussion groups;
development of creative instructional strategies to enhance learning in the course.

The staff from Tutoring and Learning Resources welcomes opportunities to work with faculty in developing creative support strategies or to work with students who need more assistance than a faculty member has time to provide.

For more information about the programs and services of Tutoring and Learning Resources, located in 110 High Rise East, contact Bernadine Abad, associate director, Tutoring Services (573-9235 or abad@pobox); Myrna Cohen, associate director, Learning Resources (573-9235 or mcohen@pobox); or Terri White, director, Department of Academic Support Programs (898-0809 or twhite@pobox). For more information on Academic Support Programs, located in 209 High Rise East, visit the web site at https://medley.isc-seo.upenn.edu/penn_portal/article.php/RegistrationInfo/74, or contact Terri White (above).