The Tutorial and Academic Enhancement Center at Nicholls received international accreditation from the College Reading and Learning Association on Sept. 10.
According to Susan Gilbert, director for the tutorial center, she had to prepare and submit a booklet to the CRLA to see if the center met the association’s criteria, which include a set number of hours of tutor training per semester, varied training modes, varied training topics, tutor experience, tutor selection criteria and a tutor evaluation process.
Gilbert said she has been the director for the Center for over a year and this is the first time in 20 years it has undergone the accreditation process.
“I was not surprised that the tutorial center received accreditation. I felt I had submitted all the information they had asked for and expected the center to receive accreditation. Students can now have the security even though their tutor is a peer; they do know what they are doing,” Gilbert said.
According to Gilbert, the accreditation process began in the spring. Data was gathered to compile the booklet and it was submitted to the CRLA by May. The CRLA would notify the center in Aug. about whether or not it received accreditation.
Gilbert said the tutorial center has to follow guidelines for different training modes. It must cover eight topics by the end of the semester, and tutors must have 25 hours of tutoring experience by that time as well.
There are also selection criteria for tutors. Tutors must make an A or B in the subject that they tutor and must have an overall 3.0 grade point average.
The tutees, or students who use the tutorial center, are given a form to fill out and evaluate their tutor.
“Things that the center was evaluated on were the ways tutors are trained and students’ evaluations,” Gilbert said.
According to Gilbert, the tutorial center is not a budget item for Nicholls, but is funded through orientation fees, the Student Government Association, and Alumni Association.
Students pay $25 per semester to attend tutoring sessions two times a week. The courses that are available are mostly geared toward freshmen classes. The courses offered in the tutorial center include math, biology, chemistry, English, history, physics, French and Spanish. However, a few upper level courses such as Math 265, English 255, English 256 and all levels of French and Spanish will also be offered. Other courses are sometimes made available if enough students request that a course be offered and if the tutorial center can find a tutor qualified to tutor students in the course.
The tutorial center is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The center is also open in the evenings from 6 to 8:30.
“The tutorial center is very helpful for students because it prepares students for their classes and explains the material better. The fact that the tutorial center is accredited means that the tutors know what they are doing,” Steve Landry, mass communication junior from Morgan City, said.
Students are paired with tutors who are available at the same time they are available. No more than three students are paired with the same tutor. Gilbert said around 220 students are currently receiving help from the tutorial center.
Gilbert said that last spring there was an 83 percent success rate among students who used the tutorial center. This means that 83 percent of the students tutored made a C or better in the classes they were being tutored in.
According to Steve Escobar, business administration sophomore from Nicaragua, most people come to the tutorial center to be tutored in math or chemistry, but the demand for Spanish is growing.
“My job is to guide students on how to study and prepare for their classes by explaining the material in a more personal way. Receiving accreditation makes me feel more professional,” Escobar said.
Now that the tutorial center is certified, Gilbert will be meeting with Debi Benoit, director of research sponsored programs, this week to locate funds to put together grants. Benoit said now that the center has received certification they are more likely to receive grants for the tutorial center.
“The bottom line is that the tutorial center is here to enhance the academic success of students. We want students to know we are here to help and are qualified to help in the subjects they need help in,” Gilbert said.