Academic Skills Center a “hidden treasure” for WMU students

By Jessica Holt
Western Herald

Struggling to get the grade you want in one of your classes? Looking for some extra help? Few students are aware of the helpful services provided by Western Michigan University’s Academic Skills Center.

“The ASC helps students to enhance and develop their studying strategies and habits so that they can be as successful as possible, not just here at WMU but following their graduation as well,” Marilyn Duke, director of the Academic Skills Center, said.

The primary goal of the Academic Skills Center (ASC) is to help students maximize their potential throughout their college career and post-graduation.  The ACS is considered to be a hidden treasure among college students because few are mindful that such a center even exists.

Their purpose is to effectively benefit students in any area they may need. From academic advising to writing and tutoring to Supplemental Instruction, the ASC has every aspect of the university covered.

College Success Seminars are held weekly covering topics such as time management, note-taking strategies, textbook reading techniques, source findings and how to increase reading rates. All seminars are 50 minutes long and completely separate of each other, so the same topic is never repeated. They are also free of charge and don’t require advance registration. A full list and schedule of the seminars are available at www.wmich.edu/asc.

“Our Supplemental Instruction (SI) and tutoring help students develop strategies for more effectively studying the material they encounter in class,” Duke said.

The Supplemental Instruction (SI) is designed for the more difficult classes offered at WMU. SI leaders are students who successfully passed the class and intend to lend their expertise to fellow classmates.

Their sessions usually consist of reviewing the material, especially what the exams will cover. Supplemental Instruction is known to help students achieve better grades, meet new people within their majors and make the best out of their study time.

The tutoring sessions typically consist of clarifying assignments and lectures or understanding the information that will most likely be on exams. The sessions can be one-on-one or with a small group. Study tips and test-taking strategies are usually passed from tutor to student as well.

“I was really struggling in my financial accounting class,” said David Ludeke, a business major at WMU.
“The first time I took the class I got a D. I researched a tutor and we met up once a week for an hour and the next time I took the class I got an A. Thanks to her, the material was put into perspective and made easier for me to understand.”

The services of the ASC are available to all students, including first-year students, graduate students and athletes. All of the staff, with the exception of the director, are students. This keeps the information fresh from the minds of successful students who are willing to lend a hand to help out.

“It is difficult to assess the impact of our services,” Duke said. “The average student who regularly attends a session typically earns one full grade higher in the class than a student who does not attend at all.”

The Academic Skills center is not out to make a profit from its attendees. A major advantage of the ASC is that the services offered are free of charge.

“As I tell the parents and students at orientation, borrowing a line from Mastercard, we’re priceless,” Duke said.

These services are provided by the university and are designed to benefit the students, especially during exam week. The tutors and session leaders will be hosting special sessions revolved around test-taking strategies and how to cope with text anxiety.

It’s important for students to learn the correct way to study and take care of themselves through this stressful week. Eating right, getting enough sleep and not cramming the night before are a few helpful hints.

“If a student needs help with something that we are not offering, he/she should still contact us,” Duke said.
“I might have someone who could help them and know of some other resources that could be helpful.”

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Posted by HeraldAdmin on Dec 2 2008. Filed under Campus, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

Cody Kimball
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