Student + AARC = Success By Amy Roquemore
NOTHING STRIKES FEAR in the heart of a typical college freshman like a class schedule that includes algebra and/or chemistry. But SFA students have an advantage when it comes to studying for these and other rigorous courses. The award-winning Academic Assistance and Resource Center offers private peer tutoring, walkin tables, Supplemental Instruction groups, and online math and writing labs – all with proven success at helping SFA students meet or exceed their academic goals. Housed in Steen Library, the AARC staffs walk-in tables where students can get immediate help in many subjects without an appointment. Students also may register for private weekly sessions with one of 174 certified tutors paid by the university. All tutors are SFA students, and working at the AARC promotes their own leadership and scholarship development. Each semester, the AARC facilitates 80 peer-assisted SI groups that meet twice a week. SI is a national academic assistance program that utilizes peer-assisted study sessions in which students compare notes, discuss class readings and develop study tools. Each group is led by an SFA student who has previously
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made an A in the course and communicates regularly with the professor to ensure the group gets the most out of its study sessions. “We work closely with the faculty to make sure everything we do in the AARC reinforces what they are doing in their classrooms,” AARC Director M.E. McWilliams said. “We always say, ‘We are a proud number two.’ The professor is always the students’ first and best resource for ensuring academic success.” The AARC received the prestigious Star Award from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and is the only learning center in the nation to have earned Distinguished Certification by the National Association for Developmental Education. The center holds the highest level College Reading and Learning Association Tutor Certification and is one of only two centers in the nation certified at all three levels. Last year, the AARC staff was asked to speak before the Texas Senate Finance Committee, promoting the center as a cost-effective program utilizing best practices in providing student academic support. The AARC’s services are available to all SFA students at no additional cost; however, the focus is on
freshman students enrolled in chemistry, algebra, developmental math and core subjects, as well as classes with historically high failure rates. “Our goal is to equip our students with transferrable study skills that will serve them well throughout the four years they are here at SFA,” McWilliams said. The AARC is on the front line of SFA’s broader effort to increase student retention after the first year. A new freshman residence hall opening this fall will include a 5,000-squarefoot Freshman Success Center with specially designed spaces and furnishings for AARC tutoring sessions and SI group meetings. “We think by integrating the proven success of the AARC’s programs with the freshman housing facilities, we can have a significant impact on freshman retention,” said Sam Smith, director of student services. “The new hall was designed primarily to support the university’s academic mission, and the AARC will play a very important part in that effort.” More SFA students are taking advantage of the AARC each year. More than 75 percent of freshmen participate in a tutoring session or workshop each semester. More than 63,000 AARC visits were logged during the 2009-10 academic year. These numbers are encouraging, McWilliams says, because records reveal that students who visit the AARC at least five times in a given semester usually see a greater impact on their grades than those who only drop in a few times. “The AARC helped me get an A in statistics,” said Shelby Pearman, a biology major now working for the AARC as an SI leader. “When I was taking the class, I always felt lost. It was like I was stuck in a hole with no way to get out. The people at the AARC helped me get through. I really don’t know what I would do without them.” For more information about the AARC and the services it provides, visit www.sfasu.edu/aarc. ✯
Sawdust