National Park College’s (NPC) Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) officers interviewed faculty and staff last month to inform students about resources available on campus. This week's interview is with Lisa Walker, Academic Success Center coordinator.
The Academic Success Center is dedicated to providing personalized tutoring sessions to help students achieve their academic goals. Walker shares insights into the center’s approach and the strategies they employ to ensure effective tutoring.
“When a student comes to the center for assistance, we devote an hour to that student for a one-on-one session. The tutor begins by listening to what the student needs and asks appropriate questions to determine the correct approach. A student may need help understanding the assignment or may need further instruction on a concept. At other times, the student may need help with using an external learning tool such as MathLab,” explained Walker.
To ensure the effectiveness of their tutoring programs, the center uses a comprehensive evaluation system. “Our scheduling system sends out electronic evaluation forms to each student after the tutoring session,” Walker said. “We also try to follow up with students and instructors to see how they are doing in their classes, and periodically I look up final grades for students who attend five or more tutoring sessions in a particular subject.”
Collaboration with faculty is a key component of the center’s strategy. “We primarily communicate with the math faculty since 70% of what we tutor is math,” Walker notes. “We also speak with faculty about individual students as needed to help us tutor more effectively.”
Walker finds great joy in her role at the Academic Success Center. “I love the relationship aspect of my job as I get to know the students who come to the center and see them overcome challenges and be successful. I also love the relationships I have with my fellow tutors in the center.”
Walker encourages students to take advantage of the tutoring services offered by the Academic Success Center. “While coming for tutoring may seem intimidating or a cost of time and effort, tutoring is a small investment of time that yields great rewards. A few hours of tutoring can save you repeating an entire course. We all love to help our students, so please take advantage of this free service,” added Walker.