Presented by: Stefanie Anderson,Math Services Coordinator

MichaelRuwe,Learning Services Coordinator

University of North Carolina Wilmington

STUDY SESSIONS: AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO

GROUP TUTORING

Public InstitutionLocated on the shores of southeast North

CarolinaStudent Enrollment: 14,500 undergrads and

graduate studentsFaculty: 625 full-time, 271 part-time facultyOffers 55 bachelor’s degrees, and 42 master

degree programs, 2 doctoral degrees

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA WILMINGTON

DePaolo Hall1003 – Writing Center & Supplemental

Instruction

1056 - Learning Services & Math Services

Four Services1. Learning Services: individual tutoring for

most University Studies courses2. Math Services: a drop-in Math Lab and select

individual appointments3. Supplemental Instruction: a series of peer-

facilitated group review sessions designed to help students succeed in historically diffi cult courses

4. Writing Services: individual appointments and a drop-in Writing Lab for students to receive response to drafts of their papers while they work on improving their writing skills

UNIVERSITY LEARNING CENTER (ULC)

During the 2014-2015 academic year: the ULC provided academic support for more than 35% of UNCW’s students

60 tutors were CRLA certified

ULC NUMBERS

Problem: Fall 2010 – Statistics (STT) 215High demand for statistics tutoringVery few students interested in tutoring statisticsGrowing student body with a stagnant budget

Solution #1: Spring 2011 – Pilot of Supplemental Instruction (SI) for STT 215

Low attendance during first 1/3 of the semesterSolution #2: Study Sessions

Mid-semester the sessions were opened to all STT 215 students

Program now supports 3 courses: Physics, Spanish, & Statistics

THE START OF STUDY SESSIONS

Study Sessions are NOTOne-on-one content tutoringPeer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) Structured Learning Assistance (SLA)

Supplemental Instruction (SI)

STUDY SESSION: DEFINED

Study Sessions are: Peer-Assisted Group TutoringPeer

Student leader who is CRLA certified or in training

Assisted Guide, counselor, translator, mentor, coach, resource

Group TutoringSometimes 2 students, sometimes 20 or more students

“…people from similar social groupings who are not professional teachers helping each other to learn and learning themselves by teaching” (Topping, 322).

STUDY SESSION: DEFINED

Ideal Study Session Leader Veteran tutor who has already achieved Regular

certification Graduate student Teaching Assistant

Recommendation of Faculty Current tutors Academic Advisor

Search Academic Departments Student Clubs Advisees

PEER: RECRUITMENT OF STUDY SESSIONS

LEADERS

ULC is certified through the College Reading & Learning Association (CRLA)ULC offers Regular, Advanced, Master level CRLA certification

All ULC tutors/leaders/mentors are required to achieve Regular certification

Advanced & Master levels are optional

PEER:TRAINING STUDY SESSIONS

LEADERS

Study Session Leader Handbook:Study Session Definition Job DescriptionApproachesChallengesRewards

Weekly & Bi-Monthly Meetings with CoordinatorIndividual weekly meetingsStaff bi-monthly meetings

PEER:TRAINING STUDY SESSIONS

LEADERS

Guide: Position students in a way that their efforts are meaningful.

Counselor: Be aware of psychological and motivational components of learning.

Translator: Help students interpret instructor’s jargon and prompts.

Mentor: Share knowledge of subject content & learning strategies.

Coach: Encourage, challenge, and support students.

Resource: Refer students to the proper resources.

ASSISTED: ROLES OF THE STUDY SESSION

LEADER

Advantages of Group Tutoring Students learn content info & study strategiesStudents develop collaborative skillsStudents gain an understanding of diverse intellectual approaches, personal backgrounds, and educational viewpoints

Leaders develop leadership and organizational skills

Cost effective program“…learning may be viewed as being first developed

in small group settings that are precursors to the…individual processes” (Wertch qtd. in Jones & Brader-Araje).

GROUP TUTORING

For any one course supported by Study Sessions:Number of sessions per week: 2 or 3Duration of sessions: 1, 1.5, or 2 hoursAttendance status: drop-in; attendance not

mandatoryMission statement: an opportunity for students

to ask questions and learn with peers ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PHY 101

Tues 6:00pm-7:30pm in Deloach 213; Thur 2:30pm-4:00pm in Deloach 212 STT 215

Mon 6:00pm-7:00pm in Cameron 210; Tues 12:30pm-1:30pm in Cameron 210 Thur 5:00pm-6:00pm in Cameron 211

SPN 201 Tues 5:00pm-6:30pm in DePaolo 2017; Thur 4:30pm-6:00pm in DePaolo 2017

UNCW STUDY SESSIONS:FALL 2015 PRACTICAL OVERVIEW

ChallengesFaculty do not always cover the same material Possibility of different books being usedFaculty members cover material at different paces

SolutionsDepends on the number of students in the study session

If many – group according to instructor If 2-3 – work the room as if it is a drop-in lab

PHYSICS & STATISTICS CHALLENGES

ChallengesSPN 201 “Intermediate SPN I = for students who have previous experience with SPN; are designated this class through a placement test

Fall 2015: 24 sections of SPN 201 offered; 24 students per section = approximately 576 students

SolutionUnlike PHY 101 & STT 215, SPN 201 students are permitted to receive individual tutoring

SPANISH CHALLENGES

First assessment – Fall 2013: Student Assessment of Study Sessions (PHY 101, ARH 201, SPN 120, & STT 215)Low response rate but valuable information:

71% heard about the service from their instructor

83% indicated “To study for a test” as the reason for attending the study session

50% disagreed/strongly disagreed with the statement, “The leader helped me develop study strategies”

58% agreed/strongly agreed with the statement, “I would attend study sessions in the future”

FALL 2013 ASSESSMENT NUMBERS

Fall 2014: Student Evaluation of Study Sessions – a separate assessment for each subjectLow response rate again!What we learned:

PHY 101 – 83% felt they were prepared and that the leader made them think critically

STT 215 – half did not come prepared, 0 students felt the leader helped them develop study strategies, 75% disagreed that the leader was encouraging

SPN 201 – all students felt they were prepared, 88% felt their confidence with the course material improved

FALL 2014 ASSESSMENT

Spring 2015 – Student Evaluation of Study Sessions – a separate assessment for each subjectPartnered with EDL 553 – Evaluation and Assessment in Higher Education

SPRING 2015 ASSESSMENT

Highlights – SPN 201Students chose to attend for test preparationThe Leader designed the study session based on students’ expressed needs and wants

Students who attended sessions felt more comfortable with the skills addressed during sessions

Students felt more prepared for tests, quizzes, and assignments

RecommendationsContinue assessment each semesterMore weekly sessionsMarketing

SPN ASSESSMENT – SPRING 2015

Highlights - STT 21561% of students heard about the service from the weekly emails

Chose to attend for test preparationOnly attending 1-2 sessionsLeader helped them develop study strategies that would benefit them in class

“I was able to work in groups with other students in the study sessions” - 73%

RecommendationsEarlier session timesEmphasize group work in Study Session leader training

Marketing

STT ASSESSMENT – SPRING 2015

Highlights – PHY 102Heard about the service from the instructorDisagreed that the leader helped them develop study strategies

Agreed that the leader made them think critically

Students would attend in the future

RecommendationsEmphasize incorporating study strategies during training

Marketing

PHY ASSESSMENT - SPRING 2015

CREATING A STUDY SESSION PROGRAM

SHARE - Discuss as a large group

PAIR – With a partner, share your ideas from the worksheet

THINK - Answer the Questions to Consider before Implementing a Study Session Program

Questions?

References Alcorn, M. W. (2001). “Ideological death and grief in the classroom: Mourning as a prerequisite to learning.” Journal for the Psychoanalysis of Society and Culture. 6(2), 172-180. Dunlosky, J. (2013). Strengthening the student toolbox: Study strategies to boost learning. American Educator. 37(3), 12-21. Fullmer, P. (2012). Assessment of tutoring laboratories in a learning assistance center. Journal of College Reading and Learning. 42(2), 67-89. Jones, G. , & Brader-Araje, L. (2002). The impact of constructivism on education: Language, discourse, and meaning. American Communication Journal. 5(3). Retrieved from http://ac-journal.org/journal/vol5/iss3/special/jones.htm

Paulson, E. C. (2012). A discourse mismatch theory of college learning. In K. Agee & R. Hodges (Eds.), Handbook for Training Peer Tutors and Mentors (pp. 7-10). Mason, OH: Cengage. Topping, K.J. (1996). The effectiveness of peer tutoring in further and higher education: A typology and review of the literature. Higher Education. 32(3). 321-345. Wong, W. (2006). Essential Study Skills. 5th ed. Boston: Houghton.