On September 15th, from 1-4 PM, the Morton Family Learning Center held an open house inviting students to see what support services the center offers for completing assignments and presentations. At least fifty students attended the event, getting the opportunity to tour the facility and gather information about the Arch program and other support services. The event offered a variety of snacks to its visitors, and staff members were present for conversations about the programs and how students can use the facilities.
These facilities include the Theodore and Cynthia Berenson Center for Writing, Mathematics, and Presentation Excellence, the Academic Coaching suite, and the Accessibility Services Center. There is also a testing center where students can take tests in a quiet setting and the study center on the second floor next to the Beanery.
The Berenson Center provides students with one-on-one learning assistance, as there are writing, math, and presentation tutors who specialize in helping students with their class work. In addition, several students have been hired as tutors and assist with classes they have already taken and completed successfully to support other students currently taking a course this semester. Students can also send in their assignments to tutors, and tutors can give feedback to the students in a reasonable amount of time.
Many students take advantage of several of these opportunities to assist students with their assignments and presentations. Junior ARCH student Joëlle Nelly Reisner reported that the academic coaching suite is the most valuable area of academic support for completing assignments. This is helpful because she gets one-on-one support from her coach, who tailors the sessions to Joëlle’s needs two hours per week. Some students meet with their coaches up to four or five times per week.
Gavin Estey, Assistant Director of the Arch Learning Community/Success & Career Advisor, spoke about how the program has evolved. When asked about what has changed in the program and the learning center since last year, Estey replied, "We have added many new supports, and our staff has evolved. They all work well together." Estey also shared that the goal of the open house is to ensure that students are aware that there are places where students have tutors and coaches available and can get assistance with their homework. The Arch and Learning center staff hopes to continue finding new ways to engage students so students use their facilities more and complete their assignments.
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