Establish a Powerful Legacy: Make the Learning Center the Nucleus of a Learner Centered Institution Saundra Yancy McGuire, Ph.D. Director Emerita, Center for Academic Success Retired Asst. Vice Chancellor & Professor of Chemistry NCLCA Certified Learning Center Professional - Level 4 Elected Fellow of CLADEA, ACS, AAAS

Learning Outcomes Identify the departments, administrative units and individuals that will be allies in your quest for campus leadership Describe the local and national initiatives necessary to improve campus influence Discuss specific strategies that will successfully move the learning center to a leadership position Determine the first step in an action plan that you can begin implementing in Spring 2014

Reflection Questions What are the major drivers for making the learning center the nucleus of a learner centered institution? What are the major barriers to making the learning center a leader on your campus?

Learning Center Partners Faculty Student Organizations Departments Colleges University Centers Others?

What are some important characteristics of departments that are leaders on your campus ?

The Role of Learning Support Centers in Academic Improvement Provide faculty and TA’s with information on the learning process, characteristics of their students, and learning strategies they can teach students Assist faculty in advising students about effective learning strategies (Absent Professor Program) Help students identify the problem with their performance (e.g. memorizing vs understanding) Help the institution improve enrollment, retention and graduation rates (through the PhD!)

Scientific and Theoretical Bases Supporting the Learning Center Programs Cognitive Science Principles Metacognition Constructivist Learning Theory

Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., Cocking, R.R. (Eds.), How people learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

 Historical Background on Study Strategies  Developmental Education and Learning Assistance Today  Diverse Populations in the Classroom  Students’ Beliefs about Study Strategies  Theory, Research, and Best Practices  Assessment and Evaluation Hodges, Simpson, Stahl eds. (2012) Teaching Study Strategies in Developmental Education, New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s

Gabriel, Kathleen F. (2008) Teaching Unprepared Students. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing Another Valuable Reference

How Can Learning Centers Significantly Impact Retention and Graduation Rates? Bridge Programs Tutoring Supplemental Instruction Faculty Workshops Others?

Comparison of DFW versus FW Rates for SI Fall 2008 Louisiana State University

Five Barriers to LC Recognition 1.Campus mindset that learning centers are only for struggling and remedial students 2.Teaching and Learning Centers that focus only on faculty development 3.Attitude that any good, student friendly faculty or student can effectively tutor 4.Learning centers that are not connected to the community of scholars in this field 5.The absence of a clear academic pathway to a career in this area 6.Location, location, location!

Ten Habits of Highly Effective LC Professionals How many have you adopted? Martha Maxwell Frank Christ Gladys Shaw

1.Present workshops at accreditation body meetings (SACS, WASC, NEASC) 2.Publish in learning center and discipline specific journals 3.Obtain NCLCA leadership certification; certify our tutors; apply the CAS standards; etc. 4.Present our work at meetings outside of the learning center community (POD, NISOD, discipline specific meetings) 5.Offer to help the daughter, son, or other relative of an influential administrator

6.Develop a message that is NOT threatening to faculty, and present faculty development workshops 7.Get recognition for ourselves and our learning centers 8.Work with all students – first year through graduate school, Greeks, Honor Societies, etc. 9.Partner with other units on campus to secure funding (e.g. Student Success & Retention, Research faculty) 10.Stake our claim to the center of the institution!

Becoming the Nucleus… What are the characteristics of your institution and learning center (or services) Who will be involved in moving to the center? What actions need to be taken? What human and financial resources will be needed? How will you go about getting them? What will success look like?

We can significantly increase the influence of the learning center! We must teach our institution the value of what we do for ALL students We must partner with other units We must continue to be data driven, and present the data to others We must continue to improve our services We must increase our presence on the national stage and pursue national recognition

Teaching and Learning Strategies That Work SCIENCE, VOL SEPTEMBER ROALD HOFFMANN 1 * AND SAUNDRA Y. MCGUIRE 2 1 Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Baker Laboratory, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. 2 Center for Academic Success and Department of Chemistry, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.

MARGINALIA Learning and Teaching Strategies Roald Hoffmann and Saundra Y. McGuire September-October 2010 Volume 98, Number 5

LRNASST-L Archives – A Rich Source of Information! Thanks to Winnie Cooke for hosting LRNASST-L!

National College Learning Center Association Frank L. Christ Outstanding Learning Center Award

More Useful Websites Other learning center sites

 Colleagues at LSU, especially the Center for Academic Success, the Division of Student Life, and the Department of Chemistry  Sarah Baird, former CAS learning strategist  National College Learning Center Association (NCLCA)  College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA)  Dr. Frank Christ  Innovative Educators  The Teaching, Learning, and Technology Group (TLT)  Our many students who have proven to us that metacognitive strategies really do work! Acknowledgements

References Bruer, John T., Schools For Thought: A Science of Learning in the Classroom. MIT Press. Burns, James MacGregor, Leadership. New York: Harper and Row. Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., Cocking, R.R. (Eds.), How people learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Christ, F. L., Seven Steps to Better Management of Your Study Time*. Clearwater, FL: H & H Publishing Halpern, D.F and Hakel, M.D. (Eds.), Applying the Science of Learning to University Teaching and Beyond. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Nilson, Linda, Teaching at It’s Best: A Research-Based Resource for College Instructors. Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing Company. Taylor, S. (1999). Better learning through better thinking: Developing students’ metacognitive abilities. Journal of College Reading and Learning, 30(1), 34ff. Retrieved November 9, 2002, from Expanded Academic Index ASAP. Zull, James (2004). The Art of Changing the Brain. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.