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##  Learning Assistance Centers: Helping Students Through. ERIC Digest.          

Facilitating student success has long been a goal of American higher            education. Learning Assistance Centers (LACs) assist institutions to            meet this goal by providing much needed comprehensive learning                  assistance to meet the academic demands of all students. LACs have              many different names including Student Learning Center, Academic                Success Center, Learning Skills Center, Learning Laboratory and                 Center for Academic Development, among others. Regardless of how                they are named, these centers are best understood as a campus                   resource that provides a variety of academic support services to                students, faculty, and staff (Maxwell, 1997). 
Though LACs have                been linked with "developmental education", targeting the under                 prepared or remedial student, according to a 2000 survey of 144                 colleges and universities most centers' mission statements use                  holistic language about helping all students reach their academic               potential (National College Learning Center Association). LACs                  emphasize flexibility in assisting students along all points of                 their academic careers. Their offerings are designed to assist both             the advanced student as well as those who need assistance with basic            skills. Ultimately, LACs are dedicated to simply "helping students              become successful learners" (Enright, 1997). This Digest discusses              the role of LACs and how LACs differ from other campus services,                emphasizing the importance of LACs in creating academic                         success. LACS DIFFER FROM LEARNING RESOURCE CENTERS AND                       DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATIONLACs differ philosophically from both                Learning Resource Centers (LRCs) and Developmental Education.                   Enright (1997) distinguishes: "the LAC is directed to helping                   students become successful learners while assuming modes of                     instruction will remain relatively constant. On the other hand, the             LRC is dedicated to providing innovative instructional delivery                 systems" (p. 3). LRCs primarily provide instruction and learning                resource-related "things" to assist with learning - updated academic            computer centers, library literacy, distance education, electronic              access to remote resources, multimedia audio cassettes, radio, and              videos, and other uses of advanced technology and audio-visual                  equipment to aid in instructional goals (Fradkin & Hisle, 1993). On             the other hand, LACs use such methods as collaborative groups,                  computer technology, and collective learning providing such services            as content tutoring, workshops, advising, and supplemental                      instruction (Enright, 1997). The LRC is likely to fall under the                Dean of Library Services, while the Dean of Counseling or Student               Services directs the LAC. 
Developmental Education, with its                   emphasis on teaching basic skills and helping students become more              competent learners, focuses on particular preparatory classes,                  tutoring, and other support as preparation for college-level                    coursework. Developmental programs typically target specific skill              areas - reading, writing, and mathematics - with the intent of                  assessing proficiency before students move to a more rigorous                   curriculum. LAC goals are similar; however, LAC staff favor                     voluntary enrollment into basic skills courses and place less                   emphasis on assessment tests. LAC advocates are less insistent that             students must pass through a specific set of requirements before                moving on. Their role is to enable educational success by improving             learning outcomes of students at all levels (Kerstiens, 1997). The              centers themselves provide comprehensive services that are connected            with the whole campus system. FUNCTIONS OF A LEARNING ASSISTANCE              CENTERBased on a review of the literature, Martha Maxwell (1997)            identified fourteen main services or functions LACs deliver: 
*                Academic evaluation/diagnostic testing for learning difficulties 
*            Programs (workshops, counseling, and courses) to improve study                  skills and learning strategies 
* Peer tutoring and/or professional            tutoring (appointments, drop-in, and online services) 
*                       Supplemental instruction (course-related, highly structured group               tutoring in which one student is trained to be the leader and meets             with groups to model successful study strategies; may be offered for            extra academic credit) 
* Computer assisted                                    instruction (interactive software for basic skills courses, study               skills, critical thinking, and ESL students) 
*                                Developmental/remedial courses (ranging from those who need some                review to those who need a more intensively structured program;                 colleges are finding that connecting previously stand-alone                     developmental courses with a comprehensive LAC integrates services              and provides more support to students with typically high drop-out              rates) 
* Faculty outreach services (engaging faculty in promoting             and incorporating services and providing support materials as well              as helping faculty incorporate study skills into their classes) 
*             Publicity and public relations (ongoing information services;                   increasing contact with faculty) 
* Contact with college                       administrators about services and program needs 
* Ongoing staff               development and staff/program certification (this can be done under             the National Association for Developmental Education guidelines) 
*            Referral services (often made even more accessible through a web                site) 
* Counseling (links to personal, financial, educational, and            career counseling) 
* Advising (professional and peer) 
*                     Evaluation (student questionnaires of services, keeping accurate                records, alumni surveys; follow up studies on grade point averages              and transfer/graduation rates) 
In order to carry out these                    functions, LACs must coordinate with existing campus services (i.e.             counseling, financial aid, etc.) to reflect the mission and goals of            the institution. Large campuses may have different departments to               carry out particular functions, while smaller campuses may have one             centralized space. Creating an environment of assistance on campus              is as crucial as providing assistance; it is what encourages                    students to not only seek out services, but to feel as though they              are receiving support from the campus as well. COMMUNITY COLLEGE              STUDENTS: OFFERING A "SENSE OF PLACE"According to                           Enright (1997), the "sense of place" created by LACs, which enables             students to learn with greater ease and self-confidence, is                     fundamental to the success of LACs: "...the territory or real estate            itself is central to the LAC concept...it is the place and the                  ecology that distinguishes the LAC from the isolated reading                    improvement class, the study skills seminar, the summer orientation,            and the tutorial session" (p.2). LACs create a "learner-centered                environment" for students that allows them to find their place on               campus, a component long acknowledged as having a significant effect            on one's learning outcomes (Silverman and Cassazza, 2000). 
At                 community colleges the LAC client is likely to be nontraditional.               This student is more likely to be older, a first generation college             attendee, single or married with children, an adult woman, foreign              born or a full-time employee. This student is less likely to feel at            home in the academy and does not usually feel the same sense                    of "belonging" as students on four-year campuses (Enright,                      1997). 
Consequently, these students sometimes may not find                    adequate support for themselves on campus, especially their "sense              of place". Ultimately, this may contribute to their "stopping out"              of higher education. 
From various student development                         studies (including Astin, 1993), students who are affiliated with a             campus organization, a particular on-campus job, or an instructor               are more likely to feel connected and remain in school. For                     Enright (1997), having an actual locale to go to on campus, at which            one can find effective support as well as scholastic assistance,                enables students to realize a place of their own, their                         personal "sense of place." This important relationship to the                   institution, however formal or informal, boosts retention. Enright              proclaims, "The learning center is the nontraditional students'                 place." Thus, at the community college, the LAC can be a physical               place for a student to not only receive the academic assistance                 required to succeed in college-level courses, but the "sense of                 place" needed by students who may not feel comfortable in the realm             of academia. 
The recent trend in postsecondary education of                   becoming more "learning-centered" (Silverman & Cassazza, 2000)                  supports the importance of LACs and the many services they provide.             The LACs' campus-wide approach to learning assistance for all                   students advances a comprehensive student learning                              environment. ADDITIONAL RESOURCESTo support learning                      assistance professionals, the National College Learning Center                  Association provides resources regarding tutoring, grants,                      conferences, and a summer institute on its web site.                            www.eiu.edu/~lrnasst/nclca/index.html 
The College Reading and                 Learning Association offers a monograph for practitioners                       entitled "Starting a Learning Assistance Center".                               www.crla.net/newstuff/ordermonograph.html 
For a list of LAC web               sites by state and college see                                                  http://www.pvc.maricopa.edu/%7Elsche/resources/websitedir/states.htm            l or http://www.crla.net/lacm_states.htm. REFERENCESAstin,                A.W. (1993). What matters in college? Four critical years revisited.            San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc. (EJ 479 695) 
Enright, G. (1997).             LAC, LRC, and developmental education: An orientation for the                   beginning learning center professional. In S. Mioduski and G.                   Enright's (eds.) Proceedings for the 15th and 16th Annual Institutes            For Learning Assistance Professionals: 1994 and 1995. Tucson, AZ:               University Learning Center, University of Arizona. 
Fradkin, B. &              W.L. Hisle. (1993, April/May). Harnessing the future: Administrative            support for learning resources. Community College Journal, 63 (5),              24-29. (EJ 461 681) 
Kerstiens, G. (1997). Taxonomy of learning                support services. In S. Mioduski and G. Enright's (eds.) Proceedings            of the 15th and 16th Annual Institutes For Learning Assistance                  Professionals: 1994 and 1995. Tucson, AZ: University Learning                   Center, University of Arizona. 
Maxwell, M. (1997). What are the               functions of a college learning assistance center? (ED 413                      031) 
National College Learning Center Association 2000-2001                   Resource Directory. National College Learning Center                            Association. 
Silverman, S.L. & M.E. Casazza. (2000). Learning and             Development: Making Connections to Enhance Teaching. San Francisco:             Jossey-Bass, Inc. (ED 435 698). 
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This project has been                 funded at least in part with Federal funds from the U.S. Department             of Education under contract number ED-99-CO-0010. The content of                this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies             of the U.S. Department of Education nor does mention of trade names,            commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S.             Government. ERIC Digests are in the public domain and may be freely             reproduced.                                                                  **Title:** Learning Assistance Centers: Helping Students Through. ERIC Digest.          **Note:** ERIC Clearinghouse for Community Colleges, University of California             at Los Angeles, 3051 Moore Hall, P.O. Box 951521, Los Angeles, CA               90095-1524. Tel: 310-825-3931. For full text:                                   http//www.gseis.ucla.edu/ERIC/eric.html.                                     **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Descriptors:** Basic Skills,  Community Colleges, Computer Assisted Instruction,                Educational Diagnosis, High Risk Students, Learning Strategies,                Remedial Instruction,  Skill Development,  Student Development,                  Tutoring, Two Year Colleges                                                 **Identifiers:** ERIC Digests,  Learning Assistance Centers                                   
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