Learning Assistance Center expanding student options

Jason Deal
The Advocate

After two weeks of fall quarter, many students have various deadlines for class assignments and projects looming over their heads. For some, completing the massive array of assignments on time is not a problem. But for others, the instant onslaught of essays, math homework and book reports is too much to deal with alone.

So, in an attempt to support the Mt. Hood Board of Education’s mission of increasing student academic persistence by 5 percent each year, the Learning Assistance Center in the library has spent approximately $100,000 in additional resources to adjust its methods to be more helpful as well as more user friendly to the students.

Located on the second floor of the library, the center’s new focus is to fulfill a broader range of student needs while maintaining emphasis on aiding those students who lack the know-how to be successful in their courses.

The services include drop-in tutoring, in which students can “drop-in” and ask a quick question without setting up an appointment. For more extensive help, the center has expanded its individual and small group tutors, who are available by appointment. Heather Lang, director of Learning Assistance and Testing Services, described the individual tutoring services in more detail. “Students would get matched with a tutor for a given subject for the whole term so they can work with an individual tutor a couple hours a week at a given subject.”
Although individual tutoring services have been expanded, it’s still a limited service. Upon discussing the individual tutoring services, Lang said it’s “not for everybody. Unfortunately, we don’t have enough resources to offer [individual tutoring] to everybody who wants it. But what we’re going to do is focus on those students who are at higher risk of academic failure.”

Complementing the individual tutoring services are a variety of student success seminars running throughout the fall. The seminars offer tips on improving study habits for classes and tests, as well as for writing resumes. “We’ve got what we call learning specialists,” said Lang, “We have a staff of full or part-time learning specialists that can work with students on their study skills and help them to become more effective learners overall, helping them to develop strategies . . . to be better learners.”

The expansion of the tutoring center is an early step in an ultimate plan to merge the Learning Assistance Center and the library. “We really envision this dynamic learning center where students can come into the library which they know is the place where they can get the academic resources they need,” said Lang. The plan is to have a Learning and Research Center that feels less like a library and more like a fun and friendly place to research projects and get help.
Additional information on tutoring services is available in the learning assistance center, via telephone at (503)-491-7108 or online at

http://www.mhcc.edu/academics/student_services/lac/main.htm.