New Horizons at the Learning Center

By Kayley Erlandson

By Kayley Erlandson

The foundation of education doesn’t change, but the way students learn is always evolving.  The Learning Center at Valley City State University is proof of this as it undergoes many external and internal changes to accommodate to students more efficiently.  

“It’s publicized more, so we have more people than last year,” said Nicole Hedmark, a VCSU student and writing tutor at the center. 

The VCSU Learning Center (originally titled the Writing Center) was founded in 2004 and started 2005 to respond to the needs of students with ACT scores lower than 16. Originally, the center only concentrated on writing skills, but now offers help in mathematics, English Language Learners Support, and to Praxis I students.  The Learning Center has been through four directors in five years.

The current director is Jodi Shorma, Instructor of English/Learning Center Director, the person credited for making big changes in the center. 

“We have had a series of directors whose (sole) job was not to run the learning center,” said Margaret Dahlberg, the Vice President of Academic Affairs, “Joan (Aus, the first director) focused on ELL (English Language Learners); that was her job.  Jodi has been hired to run the Learning Center, which makes a huge difference.”

According to Kyle Vareberg, a writing tutor at the center, “The first thing Shorma did to change service was create a concrete schedule of tutors, one that students can follow and know the hours will be the same week after week.”  Before, the hours of the center changed daily.  With set business hours, Shorma hopes to make the availability of tutors more convenient for students searching for help.

Shorma also implemented student profiles to track which students and what classes were coming to the center.  The Learning Center also started making connections between the Learning Center and athletics when Shorma volunteered the tutors to record the hours for athletic team study tables.

Pictured: Kyle Vareberg signing in athletes on the digital sign-in sheet for athletic study tables

“Students at VCSU need to ‘see’ learning and practice learning as a community or social event to prepare themselves for the world after college,” says Shorma.

“Everyone is going to use writing no matter what they are going to do,” said Hedmark, “if you can’t communicate effectively, you’re going to struggle in any field.”

The number of clients utilizing the Learning Center has doubled since spring of 2010. “There are more people aware that we have tutors,” said Oluwatoyin Oladosu, a tutor for international students, “Students come to students, so the tutors understand what a student is going through.”

The center has also undergone physical changes, transforming from a few old tables in the basement of the Allen Memorial Library to a well-furnished setting, including couches and small tables behind dividers. 

(Pictured: Top (a comfortable study area in the Learning Center) Bottom (Some tables and private divider areas off to the left))

 

The Learning Center is still relatively young in comparison other schools’ tutoring programs, but it seems that it is finally hitting its stride. “There are still some kinks to work out,” said Vareberg, “but the Learning Center has survived and is ready to change even more in the years to come.”