Coffey Building Your Hall of Fame Learning Center

25/S 8:15 AM Owens

Type_Presentation: 90 Minute Concurrent session

PresentationTitle: Building Your Hall of Fame Learning Center

ProgramStrand_Primary: Learning Assistant Center Management

ProgramStrand_Secondary: None

Presentation_description:

Interested in starting a learning center? Want to revamp an existing center? This session is for professionals who are interested in developing a comprehensive learning center. Topics covered will include programs, staffing, space concerns and promotional ideas for new centers. Time will be provided for questions and discussion.

Session_summary:

The goal of the presentation is to help provide ideas and structure for those professionals seeking to create or redevelop a comprehensive learning center. New professionals as well as professionals interested in something new are encouraged to attend. The program aims to showcase successful ventures as well as pitfalls when developing a new learning center. The presentation will be based on experiences at a large urban four-year institution but suggestions for adaptation at smaller and two-year schools.

After attending and presenting at several CRLA conferences it seems many participants are seeking ideas on how to get a learning center started or how to revamp an existing learning center. This session will provide concrete information but also a place to ask questions and share ideas between participants. Specific time for discussion will be included in the session to allow conference attendees to add to the session.

The presentation will be delivered with powerpoint. Handouts will include the powerpoint as well as job descriptions, recruitment forms, promotional items and other relevant materials. The delivery format will be a combination of direct information, discussion and question and answer. Participants should be able to leave the session with specific ideas they would like to implement at their institution.

Topics to be covered:

Audience- who are you trying to serve? Options for narrowing down a focus to start and how to expand.

Programs- what programs will your center include? Programs discussed will be SI, tutoring, writing, paired courses and testing. Ideas will be presented to assess what programs to be added and when based on resources. Also included here a brief summary of CRLA certification and how it helps.

Staff- how many professional staff and student staff? This topic will include how you can start small and grow by demonstrating need. Professional staff job descriptions will be provided. Student staff will go over recruitment ideas as well as training and supervision. Student recruitment ad and application will be provided.

Space- where do you put a learning center? Ideas presented here will be how to get creative and use existing campus spaces as well as design ideas if the opportunity to have a custom space is possible.

Promotional ideas- what brings students and faculty to the center? Ideas that have worked or those that have failed. Costs and budget involved with promoting a new center.

At the conclusion of the session participants should be able to create an action plan to develop a new learning center or improve an existing one.

PresenterBio:

Michal Zivan Coffey is the director of the Campus Learning Center at Virginia Commonwealth University. She has been the director since 2003 and was responsible for developing the CLC at VCU. Prior to working at VCU she worked as an academic counselor at Texas Tech University for students with learning disabilities. Before that she also taught developmental writing at Texas Tech. Michal holds a Master's degree in Sociology from Texas Tech University and a bachelor's degree from Mary Baldwin College in Virginia.