Memo

To: INTO OSU Faculty

From: Sydney Purdy, Testing and Learning Center Coordinator

Brendan Hansen, Learning Center Assistant Coordinator, and Pathways Peer Tutor Supervisor

Date: Summer 2013

Re:Learning Center Information & Policies

The following is some general information concerning the Learning Center (LC). If you have any questions, please talk to either Sydney or Brendan. The policies and information that follow are intended to keep things running smoothly for all of us.

Information:

Borrowing Materials:

Teachers are welcome to borrow LC materials. If you wish to borrow LC materials (books, videos, etc.), please go to the Checkout Desk and ask a lab assistant.Videos can be borrowed for twodays, and if you need them longer just let us know. It’s best to borrow items during Open Hours, when a lab assistant is not working with a class.

Camera Reservations:

To reserve a camera, please let us know as much in advance as possible. It’s best to let us know at least 24 hours in advance. Please email us, ( and ). We prefer that you send an email, and send it to both of us to make sure your reservation will be taken care of as promptly as possible. Assistants are not able to reserve a camera for you. When reserving a camera, you’ll need to include the following information:

  • Dates needed—
  • Both pick up date and return date

Also, if you find yourself in an emergency situation, needing equipment without having reserved it, please just give us a call at our offices (7-1813) for Sydney, (7-2309) for Brendan, or the LC main phone (7-1881).You are welcome to call us if any problem arises.

There are two types of cameras at this time: Flip and Kodak. The Flip cameras are being phased out because they have turned out not to be as hardy as we need, and the company is going out of business. The Kodak cameras are new, and we are still in the process of figuring out the best ways for you to email the videos to students. Please let us know if you would like a demonstration of how to use the cameras. There are also tutorials.

  • The cameras are easy to use. One drawback is that they do not show how much battery is left, so please charge as you go if using for multiple days. You can easily charge the Flip by plugging the USB into your computer. The Kodaks come with a cord to plug in to the wall or computer to charge.
  • You may pick up your camera anytime on the day it’s reserved. The camera will have your name on it and be on a shelf marked “Reserved Cameras” in the LC library, room 142. You may help yourself to your camera, and when you return it please place back in the library on the “Returned Camera” shelf.

LC Keys:

For security purposes, the LC will be kept locked when a staff member is not here. Your classroom key will work on the LC front door (140 ILLC) and the library door (142 ILLC). Our regular hours are approximately 8:00am-8:00pm weekdays.

Student Folders for classes:

Guided Learning, IDL, and Media Lab classes are automatically given student folders. These are in the Reading Roomon a bookshelf for your use. If you ever need more folders for a class, please let us know and we will provide more.

Writing and Pronunciation Assistance:

WRAP (writing and pronunciation assistant) will be automatically scheduled for each Guiding Learning, IDL, and Media Lab one day per week if your class has fewer than 18 students and every day of the week it meets if your class has 18 or more students.

The WRAP assistants are responsible for helping you with your class in whatever way you deem necessary. If you find their work to be unsatisfactory in any way, please let us know. Also, if you find that you do not need your WRAP assistant for a certain day, please let him/her know so that s/he does not show up for work unnecessarily. Note: WRAP assistants cannot help with any sort of grading.

There will be WRAP assistance available to students for a portion of our afternoon hours and for all evening Open Hours, too. For afternoon Open Hour WRAP sessions students can get walk-in appointments. Evening WRAP appointments are by online appointment only. Afternoon appointments are 20 minutes each and evening appointments are 25 minutes. Students are restricted to one booked appointment per week. Those who fail to arrive for more than two appointments are denied WRAP help for the remainder of the term. Each WRAP session is documented with a blue form.

The nature of the appointment and the assignment worked on is noted, and then the form is copied and given to the instructor of record for the assignment/class the student received assistance for. Since appointment time is limited, and therefore precious, the WRAP assistant does not have time to fill out extra forms besides the WRAP slip. The WRAP slip is copied and provided to the instructor for whom the assignment is for. The copied slip can be given to the student to give to the instructor, or the LC staff can set the slip on the instructor’s desk.

WRAP assistants will not edit a student’s paper, but help guide them along in the writing process. Our approach is to work from global to local issues with regard to a student’s paper. WRAPs are trained not to write on a student’s paper (underlining is fine). There are several things a WRAP can assist with: brainstorming, outlining, pointing out structural or thematic issues in a paper, as well as conducting pronunciation appointments, allowing students to practice giving a presentation, and leading small group work during class.

General Policies:

  • There is NO food and drink allowed in the computer labs at any time (even for instructors!). Please watch your students—they are very good at smuggling drinks into the labs. All food and drink must be left on a bookshelf or coffee table outside the computer lab door.
  • Classes end 10 minutes before the hour or half-hour. Many lab assistants must leave for classes of their own. Sometimes the IDL class lab assistants will collect checked out material before you are ready to leave. Please understand they are doing this because they must run to a class.
  • Please do NOT turn off the computers when you leave.
  • Please make sure that students do NOT write on desks and tables.
  • If your students rearrange the furniture, please make sure everything is returned to its original place.
  • Students are to push in chairs, generally tidy up after themselves, and leave with everything they came with.
  • If you have a WRAP or lab assistant assigned to work with you and you find you don’t need him/her (either for one class or permanently), please notify Sydney or Brendan.
  • The copier is not for students’ use. They are never allowed to copy items themselves. If a student needs to copy, they are encouraged to visit the Valley Library.
  • We have a scanner for student use in ILLC 134, the independent lab.

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