Students who always wanted the grade point average of their dreams may finally get their chance.

The Learning Resource Center has raised the bar for its tutors this semester as it stepped up its tutoring program to a Level-Three certification, making the best possible training available for its tutors.

The Tutor Certification Program of the College Reading and Learning Association presented the LRC with this new opportunity to boost training skills within the program, giving any SU student an opportunity to have the best tutoring options for his or her classes. This type of certification is recognized in learning center education departments nationwide.

‘What it means is that anyone who participates in tutor training through SU’s LRC can be internationally recognized as a peer tutor,’ said Jane A. Neuburger, director of the LRC and National Association for Developmental Education Certification Board Chair.

Few colleges across the country are able to train tutors at Level-Three, and most schools only provide Level-One training, Neuburger said.

The differences in levels of certification vary greatly, ensuring that those trained at Level-Three have an enormous background in tutoring services.

At a Level-One, tutors attend 10 hours of training and work 20 to 25 hours of actual instruction before they become certified tutors.

At a Level-Three, Neuburger said, tutors must receive at least 30 hours of training and have 75 hours of actual experience before they can become certified.

‘They learn a whole lot about learning styles so (they) can work with other people,’ Neuburger said. ‘It increases their tool box.’

LRC tutors interested in being certified at Level-Three are encouraged to take a training class for course credit called EDU 400/600: Pedagogy.

The seats are filled for tutor training, but students are still able to take the class, Neuburger said.

In order to become a tutor through the LRC, students need a minimum GPA of 3.0 and are encouraged to take the course which they intend to tutor. In addition, applicants should be empathetic of others’ academic needs.

If students meet the criteria, they must undergo an application and interview process before they are considered for the position.

The candidates must also go through a mandatory 12-hour training program, which consists of six hours of face-to-face training and six online sessions, Neuburger said.

This mandatory training for new tutors, though, does not include the Level-Three certification that tutors are able to take in order to increase their abilities to instruct.

‘We want to make sure our tutors are good. We want them to be able to help (students) – not just do the work for you,’ Neuburger said.

Members of the LRC are delighted about the new advances in tutor training.

‘The training is great for tutors,’ said Steve Moore, a graduate assistant for the LRC, who has attended some of the certification sessions. ‘It’s very professionalized. It’s a foundation in which to tutor.’

Kathy Glum, office coordinator for LRC agrees that the certification is beneficial for SU students in need of tutoring.

‘(The certification) should provide better service to the students,’ Glum said.

Neuburger is looking forward to the future of the LRC with this new level of training.

‘It really is pretty awesome,’ she said.

Published on August 31, 2004 at 12:00 pm