REACH Academic Support Services

Since its creation in 2000, Resources of Academic Achievement (REACH) has evolved into a large and complex academic support system for undergraduate students at the University of Louisville. REACH offers structured study sessions and tutoring for a majority of 100 and 200 level classes, as well as some 300 level classes offered by the university (Welcome to REACH, n.d.). It has also provided peer-mentoring for over 3,500 students; including first-year students, transfer-students, TRIO students, Cardinal Covent, and other groups on the University of Louisville’s campus (Welcome to REACH, n.d.). In addition to peer-tutoring and mentoring services, REACH aids a large number of undergraduate students through its student success seminars on topics such as study skills, critical thinking, time management, and preparing for exams.

The mission of REACH is “to assist the University of Louisville’s diverse undergraduate student population to reach their academic goals. REACH provides academic support services and retention programs which encourage students to be independent and successful learners” (Our Mission, Values, and Goals, n.d., para.1). This mission statement from REACH provides the foundation for the goals that the organization attempts to achieve and helps guide the leadership within the organization on how to achieve them. These goals include providing high quality, comprehensive, and impactful academic services that support a diverse and changing undergraduate population, and help to assist students in transitioning and adapting to the college environment by developing critical thinking skills (Our Mission, Values, and Goals, n.d.). Not only do these goals allow students to achieve success in the classes for which they are attending tutoring but enable students to gain skills that are beneficial for all courses that they take at the institution.

In the summer semester of 2018, the Computer Resource Center (CRC) opened an auxiliary branch in the J.B. Speed School of Engineering named the Academic Leadership

Center (ALC). This peer-tutoring learning center designed specifically for engineering students currently operates as a drop-in tutoring center. By acting as a drop-in tutoring center, tutors freely interact with students as they have questions. Therefore, students can receive peer-tutoring in the courses supported by the center with no appointment necessary. During its first academic semester in the summer of 2018, the ALC focused on tutoring courses in computer engineering and computer science (CECS) along with a few other engineering courses. However, by the beginning of the spring 2019 academic semester, the ALC greatly expanded its coverage by providing peer-tutoring in topic areas such as electrical, chemical, and mechanical engineering. With the use of drop-in peer-tutoring in the ALC becoming more well-known and utilized among engineering students in Speed School, the ALC is looking to expand once again by providing peer-tutoring assistance in civil engineering as well as additional tutoring assistance for more courses in content areas already covered by the center.

With such rapid expansion of course subjects in which peer-tutoring is available for undergraduate students, several issues have occurred. First, there are not enough hired peer-tutors to cover the number of students who are utilizing the services provided by the ALC. This issue has resulted in the ALC not having enough available tutors necessary to work during hours of operation when the center is frequently busy. Second, some peer-tutors are only able to cover specific disciplines (i.e., electrical engineering), meaning that they are unable to assist students requiring help in a different engineering discipline. In this situation, the ALC cannot assist in areas that students need help even though the center is adequately staffed with enough tutors. Third, a student might need peer-tutoring for a particular class, but a student’s schedule and the tutor’s availability for a certain topic might not align. These issues have created a central problem of not properly supporting all engineering students who come into the ALC needing peer-tutoring assistance. This problem is significant because if the ALC is unable to provide peer-tutoring assistance to properly support all engineering students, their quality of academic work could suffer. This result could lead to lower grade point averages (GPA’s) and retention rates within the engineering school, negatively impacting the university as a whole.

For the future of peer-tutoring services in the ALC, leadership within REACH must decide if drop-in tutoring with the requirement of hiring more tutors, appointment-based tutoring, or a hybrid model that combines both drop-in and appointment-based tutoring best serves the needs of undergraduate engineering students within the J.B. Speed School of Engineering.

All three of these proposed solutions to solve the problem of not properly supporting all engineering students who come into the ALC for peer-tutoring assistance are supported by findings from academic literature. A study by Cooper (2010), shows that students who utilized a drop-in tutoring center at a higher education institution more than ten times a semester had approximately ten percent higher rates of persistence than students who infrequently visited or who did not visit the drop-in tutoring center. Also, these same students had approximately two-tenths of a point higher grade point averages (GPA’s) than students who infrequently visited or who did not visit the drop-in tutoring center during their first academic year of college (Cooper, 2010). A study by Chadwick & McGuire (2004), shows that students who used appointment-based peer-tutoring services had higher overall course grades and GPA’s than students who did not use peer-tutoring services. Last, a study by Vick, Robles-Pina, Martirosyan & Kite (2015), shows that students who used a hybrid model learning center that combined both drop-in and appointment-based peer-tutoring received a higher percentage of A’s and B’s than students who did not utilize any peer-tutoring services. These students also had lower withdrawal rates in comparison to students who did not use the peer-tutoring services provided by the learning center (Vick et al., 2015).

The first solution available to solve the problem of not supporting all engineering students who come into the ALC for peer-tutoring assistance is to hire more peer-tutors and for the ALC to remain a drop-in tutoring center. In this scenario, tutors freely interact with students as they have questions, meaning that students can receive peer-tutoring in the courses supported by the center with no appointment necessary. Furthermore, students could also use the ALC as an area to study independently or work on upcoming assignments collaboratively with other individuals. REACH would hire additional peer-tutors who are knowledgeable in courses tutored at the ALC which are currently not tutored by many individuals working at the center. By hiring these additional tutors, it would allow for more peer-tutors to work in the center at a time, providing expanded coverage of engineering courses that are tutored by the ALC.

The primary advantage of a drop-in tutoring center is that it is an efficient and financially effective means of improving academic comprehension and retention to multiple students working in different course topics simultaneously (Cooper, 2010). It provides students with the ability to chose when tutoring works best for them, as well as allowing peer-tutors to help more students at one time than in appointment-based tutoring centers (Cooper, 2010). This ability is important as the tutoring program can accomplish more with a smaller budget, a constraint that many academic programs and services are currently facing in higher education administration (Dickenson, 2010). Drop-in tutoring centers provide students with a quality option to improve upon their academic ability, as well as provide administrators in higher education with a financially feasible program.

One weakness of implementing the solution of hiring more tutors for the ALC and remaining a drop-in tutoring center is that hiring more tutors does not necessarily mean that students using the ALC will obtain increased benefits. Instead, it is the job of leaders to help ensure that the group of tutors function as an effective team and provide students with

educational benefits when they utilize the peer-tutoring assistance within the center (Bolman & Gallos, 2011). For the group of peer-tutors who work in the ALC to operative as an effective team, it is crucial that REACH hires the right people for the job in the first place (Bolman & Deal, 2017). This idea means hiring prospective individuals who fill a significant need and fit into the culture of the organization (Bolman & Deal, 2017). Hiring tutors who fill a need and fit into REACH’s culture will allow the organization to achieve its mission statement and goals. Another weakness is that drop-in tutoring centers hinder active learning (Bailey, 2010). Tutors who work in drop-in centers must focus on a larger number of students than they would in an appointment-based tutoring environment, while also having to assist students in multiple courses (Bailey, 2010). Because of these unique circumstances, peer-tutors working in these types of environment typically do not have well-defined roles within the organization. Without well-defined roles, tutors who work within the ALC are unlikely to find their fit within the organization to believe that their work is meaningful and satisfying, negatively impacting the long-term success of the organization (Bolman & Deal, 2017).

The second proposed solution to properly support all engineering students who come into the ALC needing peer-tutoring assistance is that the ALC would function as an appointment-based tutoring center. Using this model, students would schedule an appointment for a tutoring session at least 24 hours in advance with a peer-tutor in the ALC on REACH’s website. Tutoring appointments would last approximately one hour and occur in a small group environment (one to four other individuals) with students in the same course with the same professor. Once the student has created and attended the session, it reoccurs each week on the same day, at the same time, and with the same peer-tutor for the remainder of the semester. Students can also reschedule, cancel or terminate appointments when necessary.

A key advantage of appointment-based tutoring centers is that attending regularly scheduled appointments help students build stronger academic skills through the use of cognitive scaffolding (Bailey, 2010). According to Pinantoan (2013), cognitive scaffolding is “a teaching method that enables a student to solve a problem, carry out a task, or achieve a goal through a gradual shedding of outside assistance”. Drop-in tutoring centers tend not to use scaffolding practices because students utilizing these centers are more dependent on the knowledge of the tutor rather than their understanding (Bailey, 2010). Another advantage of using appointment-based tutoring centers is that weekly tutoring sessions foster strong relationships between the student and the peer-tutor (Bailey, 2010). These strong relationships also lead to increased academic benefits, such as improved course knowledge (Bailey, 2010). The use of scaffolding as well as stronger student-tutor relationships helps REACH to meet their mission statement and goals because this process improves academic skills that are not only useful for the subject tutored, but as well as other subject areas taught at the university. Achieving the organization’s mission statement and goals is important as it stabilizes the work environment and provides employees with direction (Bolman and Deal, 2017).

A disadvantage of this proposed solution is that appointment-based tutoring centers are more expensive than drop-in based tutoring centers (Cooper, 2010). Additionally, drop-in peer-tutors currently working at the ALC would need training on how to properly assist students in an appointment-based tutoring environment, using even more resources in the form of time and money. To transition from a drop-in tutoring center to an appointment-based tutoring center, and to retrain existing employees working at the ALC, additional funds outside of REACH’s current budget would be necessary. For this solution to have success, REACH would have to acquire funds in an environment where departmental budgets for academic programs are already tight (Dickenson, 2010). Even if REACH does receive the funds necessary to train existing tutors and reopen the ALC as an appointment-based tutoring center, the reallocation of existing funds from other academic programs and services would most likely take place (Dickenson, 2010). This reallocation of resources could potentially weaken the relationship and communication among REACH and other student support programs on campus (Bolman & Deal, 2017). This result could have significant repercussions, such as negatively impacting student success both academically and non-academically.

The third solution available to solve the problem of not properly supporting all engineering students who come into the ALC for peer-tutoring assistance is to have the ALC operate as a hybrid peer-tutoring center. In this model, students could either utilize drop-in tutoring as described in the first solution or they could make scheduled, reoccurring tutoring appointments as described in the second solution.

One advantage of a hybrid peer-tutoring center is that it allows students to receive tutoring that is more tailored to their personal needs (Vick et al., 2015). Students who need tutoring at the ALC would have the ability to decide if one-time drop-in tutoring assistance or weekly reoccurring appointments best fit their needs. This choice would help reduce frustration among students as they could receive tutoring assistance that best suits their schedule, and among peer-tutors because they will have distinct roles within the workplace. Having well-defined roles can provide a strategic advantage because tutors within the ALC would be more likely to find that their work is both meaningful and satisfying (Bolman & Deal, 2017). Another advantage of a hybrid peer-tutoring center is that the center could adapt to meet the needs of both current and future students (Vick et al., 2015). If more students are utilizing appointment tutoring than drop-in tutoring, more human and physical resources could be devoted to appointment-based tutoring or vice-versa. This flexibility is important because it would allow the ALC to adapt in a dynamic higher education environment, allowing them to have the resources necessary to meet organizational goals if they were to change in the future (Bolman & Deal, 2017).

A primary disadvantage of having the ALC operate as a hybrid peer-tutoring center is that REACH does not currently have the human resources necessary to operate a tutoring center of this magnitude. The ALC does not have enough tutors currently hired to support both drop-in and appointment-based tutoring services. While it is possible to promptly hire the number of tutors necessary to operate the ALC as a hybrid peer-tutoring center, it is unlikely that all the people hired will be the right fit for the organization. During the hiring process, “hiring decisions are particularly critical for autonomous workers whose judgment and skill are essential to their effectiveness” (Bolman & Gallos, 2011, pg. 101). If the right people are not hired for the job, it could negatively impact both productivity and morale within the ALC (Bolman & Gallos, 2011).

After carefully considering the three different solutions to best support engineering students who come into the ALC for peer-tutoring assistance, the best solution is to turn the ALC into an appointment-based tutoring center. Ultimately, reforming the ALC into an appointment-based tutoring center best reflects the mission statement and goals and objectives that REACH aspires to accomplish. In addition, appointment-based tutoring provides engineering students using peer-tutoring services at the ALC with the most substantial academic benefits when comparing all three potential solutions. Some of the objectives that REACH aims to accomplish to carry out its mission includes helping students develop critical thinking skills and content mastery and engaging students in an active learning process through the use of cognitive scaffolding and critical thinking (Our Mission, Values, and Goals, n.d.). Appointment-based tutoring best facilitates active learning, which allows for the development of academic skills such as content mastery and critical thinking rather than in a drop-in tutoring environment where just a simple transfer of knowledge usually occurs (Bailey, 2010). It is essential for REACH to achieve its goals and objectives because it provides direction for employees within the organization and allows everyone to work towards carrying out the mission statement of the organization (Bolman & Deal, 2017).

While appointment-based peer-tutoring learning centers are typically more expensive than drop-in peer-tutoring learning centers, a peer-tutoring program that assists engineering students is a prime candidate for enrichment. Programs within STEM majors, especially engineering, often receive increased funding because individuals both inside and outside of higher education believe STEM fields make more substantial contributions to society than majors that are in non-STEM fields (Saxena, 2016). Increased funding in STEM fields leads to stronger academic programs within those departments which attract stronger faculty members and more students to the institution (Saxena, 2016). A peer-tutoring program that helps engineering students in their academic studies is a prime candidate for enrichment because it meets specific criteria such as having a strong internal and external demand for the program and maintains a high quality of program inputs and processes (Dickinson, 2010).

Even though particular resources are needed to effectively train individuals currently working in the ALC to become effective appointment-based tutors, training can have a positive impact throughout the organization. Proper training can provide long-term benefits for REACH as many organizations report a “significant return on their training investment” (Bolman & Deal, 2017, p. 144). For the ALC, this significant return on their investment would include helping engineering students reach their academic potential throughout their time in college. Also, it is important for organizations to consistently train their employees because undertrained workers can harm organizations in many ways including “poor service, higher costs, and costly mistakes” (Bolman & Deal, 2017, p. 144). While training might consume time and money in the short-term, the long-term benefits often outweigh the risks. Properly trained peer-tutors who assist engineering students in an appointment-based tutoring center can help REACH achieve its goals and work towards carrying out its mission statement. Achieving organizational goals will help contribute to the long-term success of both the ALC and REACH.

Over the past academic year, the ALC has undergone rapid expansion through the addition of peer-tutoring assistance in new content areas and course that are offered by Speed School. This expansion has created the central problem of not properly supporting all engineering students who come into the ALC needing peer-tutoring assistance. To better serve all engineering students who come into the ALC for peer-tutoring assistance, three options were available: 1) Keeping the ALC as a drop-in tutoring center but hiring more tutors 2) Reforming the ALC into an appointment-based tutoring center 3) Reforming the ALC into a hybrid model tutoring center. Overall, transforming the ALC into an appointment-based tutoring center is the best solution because it reflects the mission statement and goals that REACH sets out to accomplish as well as provide the substantial academic benefits to engineering students using the center. Reforming the ALC into an appointment-based peer tutoring center will provide Speed School students with increased benefits for years into the future.

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References

Bailey, G. K. (2010). Tutoring strategies: A case study comparing learning center tutors and academic department tutors (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations Publishing. (3403672).

Bolman, L. G. & Deal, T. E. (2017). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership. 6th edition. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Bolman, L. G. & Gallos, J. V. (2011). Reframing academic leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Chadwick, S. A., & McGuire, S. P. (2004). Effect of relational communication training

for tutors on tutee course grades. The Learning Assistance Review, 9(2), 29-40.

Cooper, E. (2010). Tutoring center effectiveness: The effect of drop in tutoring. Journal of College Reading and Learning, 40(2), 21-34.

Dickeson, R. C. (2010). Prioritizing academic programs and services: Reallocating resources to achieve strategic balance. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Our Mission, Values, and Goals. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://reach.louisville.edu/about/ mission.html

Pinantoan, A. (2013). Instructional scaffolding: A definitive guide. Retrieved from https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/teacher-resources/scaffolding-in-education-a-definitive-guide/

Saxena, V. (2016). Funding disparity between STEM, humanities programs impacts enrollment. Retrieved from https://badgerherald.com/news/2016/04/18/funding-disparity-between-stem-humanities-programs-impacts-enrollment/

Vick, N., Robles-Pina, R.A., Martirosyan, N.M., & Kite, V. (2015). The effectiveness of tutoring on developmental english grades. Community College Enterprise, 21(1), 11-26

Welcome to REACH (n.d.). Retrieved from https://reach.louisville.edu/about/index.html