Center for Academic Success offers a variety of student resources

Sam Kratky, ’19, Annie Pearson, ’19, Courtney Henig, ’19, and Liv Kelly, ’19, study in Williams Hall on Monday Sept. 21, 2015. Many Lehigh students are using the campuses academic resources to prepare for upcoming midterms. (Alexis King/B&W photo)

Four o’clock exams are around the corner, and the Center for Academic Success is offering multiple services to help students reach their highest potential.

Students have the option to choose the tutoring scenario that works best for their personal study preferences and schedules. Julie L. Seifert, administrative coordinator, believes this makes the center a unique resource that students should utilize throughout the semester.

Kate Robinson, the center’s new director, believes students should try learning in tutoring sessions. Robinson wants students to know that tutoring services will help them develop a better understanding of material and will help develop their personal study skills.

“The tutoring services are about more than just grades,” Robinson said. “Students go into tutoring with the expectation of getting the right answer, but what we do is help them come to the right answer on their own.”

If students are anxious about their coursework, they can participate in the study skills assistance program. The program focuses on teaching students to handle test anxiety, take effective notes and adequately prepare for exams. With this resource, students are able to work one-on-one with graduate students who help them figure out how they should be preparing for exams.

The center offers workshops for different student groups and has been visiting Greek chapters to discuss the effectiveness of the program. The center also has various handouts regarding time management, test anxiety and goal setting that can be found online or in their office.

Both Robinson and Seifert agreed the center sees an increase in the number of students asking for tutoring every year.

Last year, the center helped 706 students, and it expects that number to rise by the end of this year. In total, the Center for Academic Success has provided tutoring to 11,089 students. The center helps math students most frequently, but tutoring is available for a variety of subjects. Regardless of the course, students are encouraged to seek help before they feel the classwork is unmanageable.

For students who do not have the luxury of planning ahead, walk-in tutoring is is also one of the center’s offerings. Tutoring is offered at several different times during the week to accommodate students’ busy schedules. The center reaches via posting fliers online and in residence halls.

If students prefer group settings, they can sign up for a group tutoring and will be placed in groups that meet for two hours each week for the entire semester. Students can sign up by going onto the center’s website and selecting the class or classes that they need help in. Group tutoring is a bigger commitment because students are expected to go the majority of the sessions and will be removed from the group if they miss more than three.

First-year students can also attend tutoring sessions in their residence halls, which are offered Sunday through Wednesday from 8-10 p.m. These sessions cover calculus, chemistry and physics. The sessions take place in the B213 study lounge of Dravo, the third floor lounge of M&M, the first floor study lounges of Richards, Palmer and McConn houses.

These walk-in sessions are intended to answer student questions and help in understanding course material. While the goal of tutoring sessions is to help students pass their classes, instructors and tutors focus on effective methods to teach the material.

The Center for Academic Success has relocated to Williams Hall room 441 and is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday at 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The center is closed on weekends.