Program Review Update 2010-11

Tutoring Services

(Report Due: October 15 2011)

Program/Service Description (source: Tutoring Assist. Coor.)
Description:Tutoring Services provides free tutoring to any College of the Desert student enrolled in a credit course. Each semester, some level of tutoring is provided for all levels of math and for various courses in the physical sciences, nursing, social sciences, computer sciences, writing, English as a Second Language, American Sign Language, and foreign languages. The Mind Shack Tutoring Center is open 32 hrs/wk fall and spring, and 28 hrs/wk in summer, with additional support provided in the Academic Skills Center and many other locations on campus, at EVC Indio and in the new Mecca/Thermal center.
Mission Statement: Tutoring Services assist the learning process, helping students to become independent and active learners andtraining tutors to be effective facilitators of these skills across all disciplines. This is done in partnership with instructors, counselors, and support staff.
Number of Years at COD:34 years
Participants in the program/service receive the following benefits:
  • Assistance with understanding and applying concepts, techniques, and skills related to specific academic disciplines;
  • Confidence in their own mastery of academic subjects;
  • For students in select categorical or grant funded programs, one-on-one tutoring or support associated with learning communities.
Contact Person/Title Chris Nelson, Director, Academic Skills Center Phone: (760) 776-1376
Chris Farmer, Tutorial Coordinator Phone: (760) 568-3274
Supervisor:Carl Phillips, Dean, School of Library & Learning Resources Phone: (760) 776-3099
Students Served (source: Tutoring Coor.-from AUR)
Courses Offered/FTES Generated (2010-11):Positive Attendance FTES in the table below is calculated from log-in records for the Mind Shack and Writing Lab tutor Logs. These include some 965 enrollments by students requesting tutorial assistance, completing 20,905.75 contact hours. Other estimates and additional services are explained in the notes below.
Positive Attendance FTES: 72.54 = $190,429 (Est. apportionment)
ASL labs WSCH FTES 6.33 = $16,605
Math 97,87,97,98 2.33 = $6,116.25
FTES earned 78.87 = $213,150.25
Tutoring Services FTES are difficult to estimate because they form a varying percentage of services within other courses or programs. Currently there is no means of precisely separating tutoring out from these contexts. Below are explanations of how these services are estimated.
  • ASL labs WSCH FTES = 3/4 of FTES for ASL labs. (About ¼ of student time is spent with video tapes.)
  • Tutoring Services also provide tutors in CIS labs for up to 8 hours a week throughout the academic year, but it is not feasible to calculate FTES earned from these services because exact student tutor usage is not available to us.
  • Many student hours are assigned in the ASC writing and language labs. FTES for the overall number of hours students logged in to ASC-100as well as other courses with required labs in the ASC, such as English 50 and 51, is included in Program Review for the ASC, so the only hours claimedhere are those that students spent signed in with a writing or language tutor. Although a precise measure is not in place, according to tutor recorded logs 1,941 students sought assistance from a writing tutor in Fall 2010, with an additional 1,897 in the spring 2011.
  • Students registered for Math 87,88,97,98 TBA labs are allowed access to the Tutoring Center to accumulate required lab hours. These students accrued 1,225 hours in the Tutoring center during the fall 2010 and spring 2011 semester combined.
  • Tutors are also provided for several categorical programs, but this does not generate FTES. This accounted for an additional 5,196.25 hours of one on one tutoring.
Student Eligibility: Any student enrolled in an academic course can gain access to tutoring services through ASC 100. The majority of the hours accumulatedin ASC 100 come from students enrolled in math and science courses (82%), with students seeking assistance for writing projects both from English and other courses representing most of the remaining requests (17%). However, as stated above this only represents the population of students who request access to tutoring services and is not intended as a complete reflection of the full scope of tutoring services offered at College of the Desert. Students enrolled in basic skills math and English courses, ESLN, and language courses have access to tutors as part of their enrollment in these courses.
Number of Students Served & Tutor Hours Assignment (2010-2011): Although the exact number of students served cannot be determined because many of the tutoring hours assigned are for the support of in-class tutoring assignments, or for small group tutoring in the Tutoring Center and the MESA Center where a single tutor may assist multiple students, 2167 students registered and logged hours with tutorial services for the academic year, at all sites where tutoring is offered, including the eastern valley centers. Unfortunately this data from log-in tracking is only a piece of the total population served because it only tracks student attendance and not actual tutor usage, nor does it include in-class assignments, students utilizing tutors who have access via class enrollment or tutoring in the MESA center.
In an attempt to give some picture of the number of hours not tallied by log in machines, according to tutor logs in the Writing lab and MESA, students signed in to work with tutors 3,838 and 1,420 times in those locations last year respectively, but the actual number of hours spent is unknown. Students supported by DSPS, nursing, and ACES that do not log in to the POS tracking machine either, spent an additional 2,171.25 hours working with students, most of which are one on one appointments(DSPS 1,455.75, ACES 439.75, Nursing 276). It should be noted that the number of tutoring hours offered to categorical programs has been increased in all of these categories. Combined, tutors spent more than 20,000 hours assisting students in one form or another.
Discipline/Program Outcomes (source: Tutoring Assist. Coor.-from AUR)
OVERARCHING PROGRAM LEVEL OUTCOMES
STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES
  1. Personal Development and Responsibility
Students utilizing this program/service will demonstrate an ability to:
1.1 Display habits of intellectual exploration, personal responsibility, and physical well being.
1.2 Develop individual responsibility, personal integrity, and respect for diverse people and
cultures.
1.3 Value and accept people with different cultural and linguistic backgrounds and abilities.
1.4 Understand ethical issues to make sound judgments and decisions.
  1. Self-Awareness, Self-Understanding, and Self-Advocacy
Students utilizing this program/service will demonstrate an ability to:
2.1 Evaluate their own knowledge, skills, and abilities.
2.1.1 Display three components of an effective self-advocate:
  • self knowledge.
  • define their own needs.
  • the ability to get what they need.
2.2 Develop realistic goals.
2.3 Appreciate the value of feedback.
2.4 Adapt to challenging situations.
2.5 Recognize that knowledge is the key to self-advocacy.
2.6 Teach the people around them.
  1. Self-Sufficiency and Independent Learning
Students utilizing this program/service will demonstrate an ability to:
3.1 Identify and utilize services, programs, and resources to become life-long learners including, but not limited to:
3.1.1 Study/Learning Labs
3.1.2. Supplemental Instruction
3.1.3.Computer-aided tutorials/instruction
3.1.4 Learning Communities
3.1.5 Student Development Courses
3.1.6 Tutorial Assistance
3.1.7 Counseling Services
3.1.8 Special Programs for Student Success
3.1.9 Admissions and Records
3.1.10 Business Services
3.1.11 Financial Aid
3.1.12 Scholarship information
3.1.13 Career/Transfer Center Resources
Narrative:
It is the goal of Tutorial Services to enhance the student life of all students seeking our services. We attempt to accomplish this through the encouragement of sound study habits and those skills leading to the creation of independent learners, both in and out of the classroom. It is our hope that through the training of tutors as student leaders, and valuable contributors to campus society we can create an organization that purveys a positive influence on the campus community as a whole.
Program Accomplishments (source: Tutoring Coor.-from AUR)
  • Increased the number of Nursing Tutors as well as the availability to students;
  • Continuing in-class tutoring for Math 60/54/40 (using General funds, and funds from the Basic Skills Initiative);
  • Utilized Informer technology to map student progress in basic skills classes, evaluate trends in student enrollment and examine student populations in ASC 100;
  • Continue CRLA Level 1 Certification license;
  • Continue to improve and expand ESLN Literacy tutor training program.
  • Moved the Tutoring Center into West Annex 3 & 4.
  • Partnered with DSP&S to place Writing and Math Tutors in the DSP&S Lab
  • Placed Anatomy and Physiology tutors in Biology 13 & 14 Live Labs
  • Partnered with California State University, San Bernardino to expand tutoring for pre-nursing curriculum classes
  • Offered science tutoring on Fridays starting the spring 2011 semester
  • Completed FLEX presentations for both the fall and spring semesters informing fellow faculty of tutoring services and accomplishments
  • Completed Tutoring Services Procedures Manual
  • Implemented a laptop checkout procedure for students in the Tutoring Center
  • In partnership with the Nursing Department, began TEAs remediation workshops for students re-taking the nursing entrance exam
  • Began offering a portion of ASC-005, Tutor Training as an online presentation
  • Completed an evaluation of the impact of in-class tutoring in basic skills math courses
  • Assisted in the delivery of the math and English Summer Enrichment Programs

Program Challenges: (source: Tutoring Coor.-from EOY)
  • Coordinating efforts with the new Title V Tutorial Coordinator Position
  • Gauging effective tutoring support for shifting lab requirements for classes requiring student time in the Academic Skills Center. These courses traditionally gained access to tutors through required course labs, such as English 50 and 51 which had required lengths of time that students had to spend in the ASC. As these courses move away from required labs, the only student access to tutors will be through registration in ASC-100, and the effect on the use of writing tutors is uncertain;
  • Keeping up with the increasing use of online Math assignments in the Tutoring Center with limited space for computers as well as limited and aging computers. The majority of math courses have now shifted to online homework assignments. Currently the Tutoring Center has 9 desktop units between 6 and 7 years old, and 6 netbook units for students to check out at the reception desk. This number is inadequate for the increasing student demand. This issue is even more noted at the Mecca-Thermal Center where many student attendees do not have internet access at home and are required to complete all online assignments in the ASC/tutoring Lab on campus which currently houses 15 computers shared by 4 math courses and 3 writing courses;
  • Implementing with the assistance of Title V funding pilot programs to enhance student retention and pass rates, particularly in the eastern valley centers, in particular the implementation of a supplemental instruction program beginning in the spring 2012 semester. Many of the programs to be initiated through the Title V Student Affairs grant to increase pass rates and retention will directly involve additional training and usage of existing tutors, and staff, as well as an expansion of tutoring services currently offered in our eastern valley centers;
  • Complete SLOAC for at least one SLO in both ASC 005 and 100 each semester and use the results to make changes as needed in these courses;
  • Providing assistance for the newly developed self-paced math courses. In design, these courses rely on having tutors and ISAs in the classroom with students utilizing online math resources, however no additional funding has been offered to tutoring services;
  • Depending on staff and financial resources, attempt to offer expanded tutor training for selected courses. ;
  • Continue to enhance a Nursing tutoring program including study skills workshops as well as one-on-one tutoring, and potentially supplemental instruction;
  • Enhance the Blackboard site for ASC 100 to provide better resources for students with online presentations;
  • Expand training and tutoring offered for biology courses, including Anatomy and Physiology and Microbiology.
  • Partnering with the TRiO Eastern Valley program and the TRiO/SSS/DSPS program to deliver tutoring services to these new programs.
  • Keeping up with increasing clerical demand in the tutoring center brought on by student enrollment and student usage of tutoring related services including satellite campuses, one on one and workshop tutoring offered to categorical programs, nursing, and HSI without any clerical staff. Currently all of these tasks are undertaken by the Assistant tutorial Coordinators in addition to hiring, training, and supervising tutoring services.
Goals Specific to Tutoring Services 2011-12
  • Increase support for students outside of those subjects traditionally supported by tutoring services
  • Expand tutoring services to support special populations such as ESLN and Nursing.
  • Improve and expand tutor training for specialized subject areas
  • Implement a pilot program for supplemental instruction for satellite campuses.
  • In collaboration with reading faculty, explore training tutors in reading skills and reading across the curriculum techniques.
  • Continue to improve observation and supervision of tutors outside the Tutoring Center
  • Evaluate the ability of the facilities currently used by tutorial services to meet program needs.

Course Level Assessment Completed (source: Tutoring Coor. & OAC Coordinator)
(See Appendix G of Academic PR)
CYCLE 1
COURSES: / ASSESSMENT
(Steps 1 – 3) / ANALYZE, REPORT
& DISCUSS
(Steps 4 & 5) / COORDINATE and IMPLEMENT CHANGES
(Step 6) / COMMENTS
ASC-005 / 11/FA / OASR incomplete
ASC-100 / 10/SP / 10/FA / 11/FA / OASR completed
Changes Implemented as a Result of the Assessments (source: Tutoring Assist. Coor.)
ASC-005: Based on observations and quantification of survey results completed by observing staff, a deficit in tutor’s attempts to identify instructors’ instructions to students with regard to specific homework assignments was identified in both math and writing disciplines. Based on these results it has now become heavily emphasized in tutor training that tutors verify assignments with tutees either by checking notes or chapters before engaging students in assistance. Furthermore, new forms were created for writing tutors to use whereby they may communicate to instructors the direction of the tutoring appointment. Additionally,a section on cognitive processes has been added to tutor training where it is heavily emphasized that tutors allow ample time to students to complete tasks on their own. These changes were implemented during the spring 2011 semester and are set to re-evaluated during the fall 2011 semester.
ASC-100: Students enrolled in ASC 100 during week 4 of the Spring 2010 Semester were presented electronically with a survey regarding College of the Desert’s tutorial Services. Embedded within this survey were three questions attempting to address the above SLO.
Results of the survey showed little change between weeks 4 and 10, although results were rated positively and showed no decline. Based on the lack of significance in the accumulated data, no defined changes were made to the ASC-100 curriculum for the coming year and it has been advised the current discussion is how this process may be modified to better capture an accurate evaluation of the SLO. This evaluation is currently being repeated during the fall 2011 semester.
Program Requirements from outside agencies (source: Tutoring Assist. Coor.-from AUR)
In 2008-09, Tutoring Services received a license to grant the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) Level 1 Certificate in Tutoring. CRLA is a nationally recognized association that sets standards for college level tutor training and continues to certify College of the Desert Tutoring Services as an accredited tutor training facility. This accreditation has continued through 2010-11, and has shaped the curriculum offered via Tutor Training.
Student Success Data for Academic Courses (source: Office of Institutional Research)
Subject = ASC / 2006_07 / 2007_08 / 2008_09 / 2009_10
Student Success Rates: / 78.1% / 93.6% / 94.0% / 97.0%
Retention Rate: / 99.9% / 99.9% / 99.9% / 99.7%
Summary – Narrative Interpretation (source: Tutoring Assist. Coor.)
The course success data above represent students enrolled in ASC 100, Supervised Tutoring. Both success and retention rates are high because ASC 100 is a non-credit course with no specific attendance requirements. Students use it as much or as little as they need. The only way student completion drops below 100% on these measures is when students enroll but never attend at all.
For a better picture of students served by ASC 100, see FTES and student use data at the beginning of this report. Although these numbers are only an estimate of tutor usage, the number of student logged hours in ASC 100 has tripled since 2007, from just over 4,000 to more than 15,000 in the spring 2011 semester at the main campus locations. Overall, ASC-100 logged more than 38,000 student hours during the last academic year at all locations. However, the most telling statistics regarding the success and progress of students who use Tutoring Services are the ways in which Tutoring dollars are being spent. Over the last three years BSI funding has added $55,000 to meet latent demand for tutoring in a revised Eng. 51 curriculum, in basis skills math and in ESLN. Although those programs are no longer funded, more recently, tutoring services have been extended to support studentspursuing degrees in Nursing and service that is growing very quickly as well forming partnerships with three new campus organizations (TRiO/SSS/DSPS, TRiO/EVC, and HSI). Estimated proposals for a more extensive form of tutoring support for writing students would require close to another $30,000 per year, growth and expansion of self-paced learning in math and the potential cost of a fully implemented supplemental instruction program may increases the demand for tutors, as well as scheduling, training and supervision duties. As the extent of programs that are integrated with tutoring services continues to grow, the demand laid upon tutoring services staff becomes more and more demanding.
Access
Students have free access to Tutoring Services through several venues. First, they may enroll in ASC 100 to receive tutoring assistance in the Mind Shack and in the Academic Skills Center at PDC and both EVC sites. Second, they may participate in grant or categorical programs that provide special tutoring services, including ACES, DSP&S, TRiO/SSS/DSP&S, TRiO/EVC, Nursing, and MESA. Finally, students in courses with remaining lab requirements, or those students registered in 97/98 TBA labs may access tutoring through ASC labs or the Tutoring Center.
Access for Tutoring Services is limited only by the facilities and funding available to support it. Since the majority of tutoring is supplied within a larger teaching and learning context for the past two years (within classroom labs, as part of available lab services, etc.) it is difficult to determine how much of student success in these venues can be attributed to tutoring. For students in ASC 100, student attendance in tutoring labs and course success has been compared, but due to the nature of students attending tutoring centers, data remains in question.
Progress
Progress in terms of retention and persistence within ASC 100 courses is not particularly relevant because of the minimal requirements for this course. SLOs are currently being assessed, which should provide useful data in the future. A better measurement might involve a study of the effect of Tutoring Services on student success in courses for which they receive tutoring. We have begun to do such research, but finding a meaningful baseline among the general student population is problematic, but we will continue to pursue such studies in the future.

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