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CRLA Tutor Program Certification offers numerous benefits for individual tutors, tutorial coordinators, and programs. The following is a partial list of the opportunities/benefits that are possible with CRLA Tutor Program Certification:

1. Develop a super tutoring program from scratch by utilizing certification guidelines, The CRLA Tutor Training Handbook, and the experience of other professionals attending CRLA Conferences.

2. Utilize allotted time for development of an individual certification plan to carefully rethink your whole existing tutorial program, an opportunity for a fresh perspective.

3. Using CRLA guidelines, organize separate training sessions into a coherent curriculum and possibly a credit course.

4. Create a spirit of teamwork in your department by involving colleagues in tutor training curriculum design, actual tutor training, and tutor evaluation.

5. Generate interest in the community about your program by giving a press release to local and campus newspapers about your CRLA Certified Program. Include CRLA CERTIFIED TUTORS on all of your program advertisements.

6. Secure greater student and faculty confidence and respect for your tutorial staff and program.

7. Attract attention and interest among other tutorial services on campus. May stimulate interaction for the betterment of both programs such as working together on training.

8. Attract highly motivated tutors with CRLA Certification credentials and extensive training.

9. Tie wage rates to CRLA Certification levels in order to provide incentive for additional training and experience. This also helps with retention of tutors.

10. Involve upper level tutors in developing and/or conducting segments of lower level tutor training. This creates excitement and motivation for ALL tutors and staff.

11. Honor certified tutors by hosting a ceremony/party in their honor. Invite all tutors, selected faculty and staff.

12. Emphasize the transferability of CRLA Tutor Certification to other certifying colleges and universities. In other words, a Level I Certificate earned at one institution would be recognized at another.

13. Encourage tutors to add CRLA Tutor Certification to their resumes and to talk about their training and experience in job interviews.

14. Add to your own resume with items such as authored certification proposal, developed and conducted tutor training and maintained certification records.
    

How has the ITTPC certification process benefited you, your tutors, your program, and/or, your institution? (Comments from some of the programs responding in Stage 2 certification. Each of these programs have given permission to share their comments.)

Since our training has become certified by CRLA, there has been an increase in the number of applicants, which has given us a larger pool of stronger applicants to choose from.
Intensive English Language Program, Portland State University

Certification has provided our program with a valuable way to promote our tutoring program to university administration and to the rest of the campus. It has allowed us to demonstrate the time and effort that goes into the training component of tutoring, and that tutoring is a professional role that involves in-depth training in pedagogy, communication, and other skills.

Level 1 certification validated our program. It was a great advantage to our college’s application for Higher Learning Commission (HLC) accreditation. When the Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) team visited our college, they singled out our program as being an asset to our college.

Certification was used to showcase the professionalism of our tutoring center. Also, creating the actual documentation was useful to see how wonderful we are.

University Center Rochester (UCR) –
Rochester Community and Technical College

The certification process has allowed us to market our unit as one of the more professional and effective departments on campus. Having an external agency certify our training of student workers is very important to us as a department, but also important to the tutors themselves. They gain confidence in knowing that their training process is thorough, standardized, and comprehensive.

Crafton Hills College Tutoring Center, CA

The tutors who have earned their Level 1 Certification are significantly stronger tutors than the tutors who complete Plymouth State University’s basic tutor training workshop. 

The certified tutors are role models for those who are not certified, and they have generated quite a buzz on campus about the strength of our tutoring program.  Students ask for our certified tutors by name, and professors appreciate the dedication these tutors have to their work.

The CRLA certification process has added much needed structure and legitimacy to the ASSA Tutor Program. 

• I’ve benefited from the process because it gave me direction while restructuring the tutoring program. 
• I took over the position of tutor coordinator in January of 2009 and was giving the responsibility of completing the certification process immediately... 
• Completing the certification process allowed me to thoroughly evaluate the current state of the ASSA Tutor Program and implement changes that were necessary to adhere to the CRLA requirements. 
• I was able to justify changes and get additional staff by simply stating this is necessary to comply with the CRLA requirements.

The ASSA tutors have benefited from the certification because upon completion they are eligible for a raise and or promotion. 

• The increased structure and attention to the tutoring program also allowed us to weed out tutors that were not effective and reward those that are. 
• We now have a tutor of the semester and year awards.
• The two new positions that were created are currently held by tutors that completed the certification. 

The increased attention to the tutoring program has had a direct impact in our student-athletes academic performance. 

• During the spring of 2010 our student-athletes earned a 3.05 GPA, the highest in school history. 
• Student-Athletes also noted in our annual end of the year survey a significant increase in overall quality and satisfaction with our tutoring services than in previous years. 
• We also saw  approximately a 25% increase in tutor appointments from the previous year. 
• This increase can be attributed to tutors actually recoding all their appointments, mandatory tutoring for at risk students as well as the students wanting to use the services.
• We were also able to significantly decrease the number of No Shows to tutoring appointments. 
  

...The tutors stated that the peer tutor training has greatly helped them to improve their tutoring skills.

One of the mathematics faculty, who observed one of the face-to-face training sessions, said that the training was very thorough and she felt more confident in sending her students to receive tutoring assistance from the trained peer tutors.

     Parkland’s Center for Academic Success has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a model program for providing academic support for developmental students.  The fact that the peer tutor training program was CRLA-certified was emphasized in the report to the U.S. Department of Education...

..For us, implementing CRLA Certification as a requirement for our staff has created a more customer/student-centered, service-providing atmosphere.

• Our tutors feel professional because the certification process reminds them of how important their role is in the lives of our students.
• This feeling translates to a true concern for the success of the student.
• The variety of training topics and modes equip our tutors with how to appropriately assist the student population in their college success.

Carol Bond, the Student Learning Center Manager for all Palm Beach State College campuses states,

 “CRLA certification has significantly added to the prestige and professionalism of our Student Learning Centers’ tutoring component.

As our tutors strive to reach Level III certification, they become role models to new tutors and certification achievement has become a greater focus in each of our labs.

The Student Learning Center Cluster from all four campus locations also included CRLA certification as a focus for our Learning Outcomes.”

UC_Berkeley... Reviewing the certification topics helped us consider additional topics for inclusion in our training...

Tutors often continue with us for several years, and one challenge we have faced is how to keep returning tutors interested and engaged in training that they have already completed during the prior year.

Our solution... during the spring semester (..Level 2...for first-year tutors)...tutors themselves would plan and lead the training modules. Tutors select...from the list of Level 2 training modules, plan the training during their...team meetings, then meet with the tutor trainer to finalize their lesson plan. This approach has allowed us to continue to cover the Level 2 topics, but often with a fresh approach each year and in a way that keeps returning tutors engaged in the material by helping to lead the training themselves.

Certification has given our program a new level of credibility with faculty and administration. Our tutors are also excited for the opportunity to achieve the requirements of certification; especially those who are pursuing a teaching degree.

Tutors had some very positive things to say about this new opportunity:

• “It is great to have a structured framework around all the work that we do and a means of recognition.”
• “Looks great on my resume.”
• “This is going to be a good opportunity for me and I will have credentials.”
• “Looking forward to this opportunity.”
• “This process will help secure a job in the future because I will become a better tutor.”
• “The certification will help me gain employment at other institutions.”
• “It is a great way to learn about the college.”
• “This will help me understand the role of the tutor in other contexts.”
• “This training helps me focus on specific techniques and modes of delivery to assist students.”
• “I will learn how to do workshops.”
• “Being approved by a nationally recognized group is valuable.”

The pros to having certified tutors on our campus are immeasurable.

Salish Kootenai College has a high level of students needing additional resources to succeed in their college career. Many of our students are displaced workers and non-traditional students, who have not been in school for many years. Approximately 70% of our new incoming students, each year, need some type of developmental course before they can enter their programs of study. Many of those students need extra help in writing. Therefore, having access to certified tutors has been a phenomenal asset to our campus.

After a year of students receiving certifications at levels one and two, we have not run into too many concerns. The original program director and those who helped her organize this program did an excellent job. The tutor certification courses run very smooth, and the tutors find this experience both rewarding and grasp the chance for growth in their own writing and interpersonal skills.

When Salish Kootenia College’s Writing Center began in September 2009, it hit the ground running. There was immediate use of the tutors and the center. This has continued to grow each successive quarter. This in and of itself is a good thing; however, we have almost maxed out our resources in just one short year. We have a healthy staff of certified tutors, but due to a shortage of financial resources we struggle to keep up with student demand. The money we had for the initial group of six tutors was sufficient. We want to keep the tutors on after the completion of level 3 training, but there are no more volunteer hours once they complete those levels. We need to find funding for those tutors who have put in the time and energy to become such a valuable resource to our campus. It is an issue we are working to resolve by the end of this year by networking with other departments and actively pursuing outside funding sources.

The certification process has benefited the Salish Kootenai College students and faculty in numerous ways. Since the original certification in August 2009, we have served over 400 students, with a total of 4341 visits in one year. This is quite an accomplishment with only 16 tutors. Salish Kootenai College averages an enrollment of approximately 1100 students, so almost half of this population utilized the Writing Center in its first year. The students and faculty are seeing the benefits of our services and repeating their use of the center and its tutors.

The faculty is seeing improved writing on campus and are asking for more workshops and sending more students in for tutoring every quarter.

CRLA certification has provided students with trained tutors who are prepared to meet student needs. Tutors gain improved writing skills, job skills and interpersonal skills. The SKC Tutoring Program improved retention of students and completion rates in composition courses.

Our institutional support of CRLA tutoring training has had multiple benefits. First, during the year 2009-2010, our retention rate increased by 2% and the College President and his leadership team partially credited this positive gain to the incredible work of our centers. This was substantially accomplished through tutor training which gave tutors the tools and conditions they needed to excel in their role and targeted outreach to the college community. More advanced tutors (which was defined by number of semesters tutoring) were trained on delivering class presentations to promote the services of our centers. For the last 3 semesters, approximately 60 class presentations have occurred each semester which has translated into a steady increase in the sheer number of tutor requests. We also worked with our College Relations department to develop a poster campaign to market our services. We created 6 publications during the 2010-2011 academic year, redesigned the ALC website presence to include the faces and experiences of our tutors which also highlights CRLA certification status, and were interviewed and featured in 2 separate articles in the Reporter, our alumni magazine.

Second, our peer tutor program was developed into a student leadership model. Our Tutor Managers were typically co-presenters in all tutor trainings; they coordinated subject area specific trainings 4 times during the 2010-2011 academic year, and designed many new tutoring resources and handouts for their fellow tutors.

Third, certification facilitated the need to have a solid methodology for tracking tutoring issues, developing a learning partnership philosophy between the tutee and tutor, and empowering the tutors with dozens of strategies to keep the tutoring relationship learner centered and based in practice, review, and study skills instruction. We have developed so many new forms for evaluations, timesheets, tracking tutee progress, a tutor contract, a learning partnership agreement, peer observation forms, and multiple role plays and skits.

Fourth, certification has allowed us to create learning communities within each discipline areas. Inspiration for this idea was also born by Skip Downing's On Course principles which we used in our tutor trainings and subject area trainings. For example, we have excelled with using a goal setting model for our tutors called DAPPS (date, achievable, personal, positive, and specific goals). Each Tutor Manager established team goals for their discipline which required each tutor to create a handout, practice quiz, chart, or list of strategies for their fellow tutors. We have created and maintained a Moodle site as a communication platform for tutors to share these resources. During the Spring 2011 semester, we launched a new initiative called Tutor Strategy of the Week which involved Tutor Managers switching off on posting various strategies to enhance the tutoring experience. Tutors then replied with their own strategies and suggestions. Finally, we launched a Tutoring Newsletter called the Tutors' Voice which is designed to highlight our partnerships with the community and the various perspectives of tutors.

Fifth, the status of our certification really enhanced our tutor recruitment process and student satisfaction level. We moved from a place of begging students to apply for this leadership role to receiving many more applications than available positions. This role has evolved into a competitive and selective process on campus. We began tracking the demographics of students using our services and analyzing the results of their evaluations of their tutors. The results have been significantly positive and demonstrate that Albright students are very satisfied with tutors.

Finally, our certification status has significantly enhanced the reputations of our centers on campus. Our senior leadership, specifically the academic dean, provost, and President have made an investment in the intellectual and social development of our students. We have provided substantial data and student testimonials that continue to demonstrate the impact of tutoring on student success. And our tutors repeatedly remark during their performance review that they cannot imagine being a Peer Tutor without the support of tutor training and the mentorship provided by their supervisors. Our faculty continue to volunteer support to our efforts. This has been a wonderful experience.

Thank you.

Our tutors have taken an active role in continuing education. They not only attend conferences, such as the Georgia Tutoring Association (GATA) conference, but often present workshops at these conferences. Of our large group of tutors attending the GATA 2011 conference, at least nine presented workshops. Being certified tutors from a CRLA certified program lends greatly to presenters’ credibility.

As Charity begins at home, our college president made a point of announcing during the annual commencement ceremony that all GPC tutoring centers are CRLA certified. This announcement paved the way for a write up in our college newspaper. Publicity of CRLA certification has bolstered our visibility and credibility among the faculty, who are sometimes dubious to what our tutoring centers are all about.

Our marketing tools (website, bookmarks, and brochures) have been updated to reflect our certification status. Also, our tutors who have become certified by meeting the minimum 25 hours of tutoring and 10 hours of training are honored with a pinning ceremony in which they receive a CRLA pin, a certificate, and an upgraded name badge embossed with their new title: Certified Tutor. These ceremonies not only boost morale and camaraderie, but also draw the attention of our PR department who provides media coverage of these events. To date, we have certified 78 tutors.

Finally, our new student (& parent) open houses / orientations give us another opportunity to spread the word to the community that our tutoring center is CRLA certified...

The ITPC certification process has provided a systematic method of program evaluation and development this year. Benefits associated with the training program include increased tutor commitment and confidence, recognition of quality tutoring services on campus, and improved professional communication among tutors. In addition, certification required the learning center and its tutors to become aware of ineffective administrative processes and program needs. For example, as tutors began certification requirements, we realized the need for a better method of keeping records on tutor performance. Providing adequate and timely feedback on submitted assignments was also difficult. These challenges prompted us to promote one of our lead tutors to help coordinate the paperwork and record-keeping tasks of the training program.

A second challenge that we met implementing the training program this first year was meeting the training needs of tutors at different levels of tutoring experience. We wanted all of our tutors to attend Level 1 tutor training so that all employees had a similar knowledge-base of information. Feedback received on our training survey indicated that all tutors believed tutor training was important but some of the more experienced tutors felt the information was too basic or redundant for their level. The experienced tutors added valuable information to the training discussion. Therefore, instead of exempting these tutors from training in the future, we hope to draw them out as discussion leaders or co-trainers to keep them engaged. As a program, we also hope to receive certification in Level 2 and 3 tutor training by the end of this academic year in order to offer more diverse training options for our diverse tutors.

The certification process has inspired me as a director to be more focused and purposeful in planning professional development for tutors in Learning Support Services. Creating the training curriculum has also illuminated areas of weakness in my own professional development. For instance, in preparing materials for training on tutoring students with disabilities I discovered that I have only a basic understanding of this population. Self-awareness and discovery prompted me to seek out answers and resources to fill in these gaps. Lastly, the certification process helped me to anticipate tutor concerns to address in training which reduced my time counseling individual tutors on commonly encountered problems or issues in tutoring.

Upon implementing the certified tutor training program, our tutors have become more reflective during the tutoring process, better able to regulate and advise each other on tutoring issues, and approach training in a more serious manner since they feel as though they are working towards a goal and not just attending another meeting. Focused tutor training also provides an opportunity for tutors to learn from each other. One tutor commented at the end of training that professional development often presents information that is familiar but perceiving that information from different student perspectives is invaluable.

For the tutors, it [certified training] has provided them with two useful components: a vocabulary for those aspects of tutoring for which they already had an intuitive knowledge, and a deeper understand of topics for which they were not as familiar.

I frequently tell my tutors that what training gives them is a vocabulary for what they already know. They see this very clearly when they do training sessions such as the 12 Steps of the Tutoring Cycle and realize that what they had to piece together (it is literally a puzzle/ordering activity that they do together) is what they naturally do when they sit down to work with a tutee. Not only does this bolster their confidence in their own abilities, but it allows them a common, professional vocabulary when discussing tutoring sessions with their fellow tutors. This greatly enhances and deepens their discussion of tutoring situations and what a tutor’s options are when faced with a challenging tutoring moment. It also allows them to reflect more deeply on tutoring sessions that went exceptionally well, and to analyze more thoroughly why such sessions were more successful.

Level I training also gives the tutors opportunities to learn more about topics, such as learning styles or learning differences, for which they may have only had a glancing knowledge. During interviews, all of my current tutors, when asked, said that if assisting a student with one method did not work, then they would try another way to present the materials until they found something that made sense to the student. While this is a good beginning, learning styles training gave them the tools they needed to try an even wider array of presentation methods, and also clarified the best ways to work with learners who are predominately one style or another. In the same vein, learning differences trainings allowed the students to hear from other students (via video presentation) what it was like to be in the college setting with a difference or disability. It gave them the opportunity to learn what it was that the students themselves needed and felt important that they experienced for their academic success. Again, the tutors walked away with both a deeper understanding of the topic and concrete methods to use when working with students, all of which enhanced the actual tutoring sessions.

Heidi Holst, Tutor Coordinator
Peer Tutoring
Thomas College, ME

Benefit to LRC Staff:

a) Certification helps staff in the tutor recruitment process by attracting more applicants, many of whom have exceptional qualifications;

b) The staff has a better sense of unity, purpose and camaraderie since all work as a team in certifying the LRC tutors.

Benefit to Tutors:

Tutors gain a pay increase, professional credentials for their resumes and the opportunity to further develop their tutoring skills. Tutors have also expressed and demonstrated a greater self-awareness and maturity in their dealings with staff and students.

 

Benefit to Program:

The LRC has gained recognition from the college administration. For instance, last year's annual report highlighted the LRC’s Level 2 CRLA certification offering to tutors. A further benefit to the program is that we have added new and updated materials to our training process.

Benefit to Institution:

The LRC reports directly to an office in the Division of Academic Affairs. The Office of Academic Programs’ responsibilities include “offering services that support and enhance instruction.” Hence, CRLA certification benefits the Office of Academic Programs by ensuring the quality of the LRC’s tutorial services.

One of our six core values is Learn By Doing. The LRC’s CRLA certification program maintains the integrity of this value in that tutoring as provided under CRLA methods encourages students to take responsibility for their own learning. More specifically, the LRC tutors are trained under CRLA guidelines to not provide answers and at all costs to maintain the integrity of the Center’s reputation by not being a “homework service.”