Academic Tutoring Center Assessment Summary—As of February 2012

Objective 1: An Environment for Learning The Tutoring Center will provide an accessible, comfortable,

collaborative environment for students of all abilities and learning styles.

Student Satisfaction: The Academic Tutoring Center completed our last self study in 2008-2009. As part

of our study we completed a student satisfaction survey (see appendix). Our data suggest 83% of students

surveyed felt the Writing Center improved the grades they received on papers and the overall quality of

their writing. Eleven percent of students were unsure whether the Writing Center helped improve their

grades or writing, and 6% felt the Writing Center improved their grades, but were unsure whether their

writing quality was improved. Of those responding to the Math Center’s survey, 52% felt the Math Center

improved their math skills, while 13% felt the Math Center improved their subject skills. In addition, 29%

believed their visit(s) to the Math Center helped improve both their math and subject skills, and 6% were

unsure whether their skills were improved as a result of their visit(s).

Students were given the open-ended option to make suggestions about how to improve the quality of their

experience as well as the overall quality of the Tutoring Center. The most common request regarding the

Writing Center was to provide more space and more computers. For the Math Center, the most common

request was to provide more tutors for the number of students coming to the Center and more available

room to work. Other requests included providing more calculators, a more quiet work environment, and

subject-specific tutors (namely chemistry and statistics).

Reconfiguration of J-wing: The planned reconfiguration of J-wing scheduled for summer 2012 will

address many of these student concerns. There will be significant technological upgrades, as we will have

a 16-station computer lab equipped to serve as an electronic classroom for group tutoring. The new room

will be a shared space for students working with math and writing tutors, which will encourage more

collaboration and may alleviate some over-crowding in the math center. We will have additional computers

in the tutoring areas of the math and writing centers, and these spaces will be configured as electronic

meeting rooms, with ample outlets for students’ laptops. Perhaps most important, our new configuration will

allow for space for private tutoring, especially for students with learning differences or ADHD, an issue

noted by our consultant in our last self study.

Partnerships with Residential Life and the Library: Beginning in fall 2009, the Tutoring Center has

partnered with Residential Life to offer evening tutoring at the Townsend Residential Life Center. Tutors are

available 5 evenings a week, Sunday through Thursday, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., just steps from the dorms.

We are especially interested in reaching freshmen enrolled in Basic Studies classes and students who are

part of the EOF program.

We have been in meetings with Library staff about having a Writing Center tutor evenings in the Library as

part of their initiative to have a Learning Commons area where students could receive help in areas outside

a librarian’s area of expertise. This project is in its early stages but progressing toward a pilot in fall 2012.

Objective 2: Student Performance The Tutoring Center should foster academic success in at-risk

students.

Data on academic performance: We have been working with Computer Services to improve our data

collection on individual students. Beginning in fall 2012 we plan to track students who are frequent Tutoring

Center users and look at their performance in their classes. We are especially interested in tracking

students enrolled in the following Basic Studies courses: College Writing, Readings, Developmental

Mathematics, and Quantitative Reasoning.

Demographic data: In addition to looking at grades of students who use the Writing Center, we are also

planning to gather demographic data to ascertain which groups of students are best served. We have

always enjoyed a strong partnership with programs including EOF and Learning Access. We may need to

do more outreach to serve veteran students, commuters, and transfer students.

Objective 3: Positive Effect on Tutors The Tutoring Center seeks to enhance the academic and pre-

professional experiences of our tutors.

Alumni surveys: As part of our last self study, we solicited comments from alumni tutors. We contacted

former tutors and asked them what they were doing in their lives, and if they would comment on the role

that tutoring played in their professional or personal development. The feedback was clear that the former

tutors considered working in the Tutoring Center to be one of their fondest memories of Stockton and in

every case was seen as important in their professional development, regardless of field. See full text in the

appendix.

Assessment in GEN 3952: Students enrolled in the training course for Writing Center tutors, GEN 3952,

participated in the assessment of GEN courses in fall 2010. Students wrote a reflective letter at the end of

the course explaining the ways in which they expected the learning in the course to contribute to education,

work, and life activities outside of college/after graduation. According to the General Education Task

Force’s report of January 2011, “the student responses overwhelmingly skew positively; the often rather

concrete, focused and skills oriented intentions of the GEN category appear to be understood by students.”

Objective 4: Tutor Training Develop effective tutor training that improves problem-solving and

communication skills of tutors.

Assessment Institute: In 2009, both Tutoring Center coordinators attended the Institute of Faculty

Development, Summer Assessment Institute. As part of our participation, we developed performance tasks

designed to assess tutors’ communication and problem-solving skills. The task has served as a midterm

evaluation for students enrolled in GEN 3952, the training course for writing tutors. Students’ performance

tasks are graded and students are presented with clear feedback about how well they are meeting the

learning outcomes of the course. The task is also used as part of the training for Math Center tutors.

Beyond communication and problem-solving, it is used to highlight objectivity, empathy, and listening skills.

Math Workshop Tutor Assessment: Starting in the fall of 2010, workshop tutors began to be assessed by

students and faculty questionnaires prepared during the Summer Assessment Institute of 2010. The

student questionnaires, as well as a workshop observation by the Math Center Coordinator, are done in the

middle of the term. Direct feedback and recommendations on how to improve the workshops are then given

by the Math Center Coordinator to the tutors in individual meetings. Faculty questionnaires are given at the

end of the term and help determine future tutor assignments.

Objective 5: Collaborate with other areas of the College The Tutoring Center will collaborate with

faculty and staff of other Schools, programs, and offices to enhance learning and instruction.

Our lab use data show ongoing support from all Schools at the College. We have current partnerships with

Residential Life and collaboration with the Library with our current practice of having tutors trained as

Library Mentors and our future work with the proposed Library Commons.

Objective Learning Outcome Measurement Analysis Changes The Tutoring Center will provide an accessible, comfortable, collaborative environment for students of all abilities and learning styles.

Consistent student use and strong student satisfaction with Tutoring Center

Lab usage data

Lab usage data show that students use both Centers consistently and in increasing numbers at the TRLC in evenings.

Evening tutoring in Residential Life Center.

See major renovation of J-wing, with specific space for private tutoring and expanded technology.

Proposed partnership with Library for tutors in Learning Commons area

Increased number of tutors in chemistry and statistics

Student satisfaction survey

Data from student satisfaction survey is reflected in some of the proposed changes. We will be developing a new survey in fall 2012

Foster academic success in at-risk students

Successful performance in BASK courses

Look at GPAs of first-year students in BASK courses correlated to visits to the Tutoring Center in fall 2012

TBA

TBD

Student participation in BASK 1703, Mathematics Workshops, improves success in BASK 1203, Quantitative Reasoning

Look at GPAs of students in BASK 1203 and correlate to attendance in BASK 1703.

TBA

Enhance the academic and pre-professional experiences of tutors working in the Tutoring Center

Increased professional awareness and skills applicable to careers or graduate study

Alumni tutor surveys as part of self study Assessment performed in GEN courses

Tutors gained experience that translated into better career preparation and live-long learning.

Will continue to survey alumni tutors.

Will continue using reflective

assignment as part of course.

Develop effective tutor training that improves problem-solving and communication skills of tutors

Tutors should possess demonstrable skills in communication and problem solving.

Performance task developed in Assessment Institute

Analysis shows tutors develop problem-solving and communication skills through tutor training and experience working as tutors.

Develop new self-reflective instrument to further evaluate tutors’ perspectives on what they have learned and what they still need to learn.

Tutors working with students in BASK 1703, Math Workshop, are effective in improving students’ understanding of the material in BASK 1203.

Student and faculty questionnaires to evaluate BASK 1703 tutors. Formal observation by Math Center Coordinator of BASK 1703 tutors while performing workshop.

Began in Spring 2011+

Collaborate with faculty and staff of Schools, programs, and offices to enhance learning and instruction

Maintain relationships with Basic Studies, Writing, QUAD, SOBL, NAMS, and Residential Life.

Lab usage data Student satisfaction survey

Data shows strong relationships with other Schools and programs. A significant percentage of students visited Tutoring Center due because of faculty involvement

Maintain direct contact with instructors teaching BASK courses

Increase faculty collaboration in all first-year courses.

More collaboration with Library and proposed Learning Commons collaboration

New tutors hired in business and programming

Increase collaborative relationships with Library and Business Studies

Collect data on satisfaction between departments

TBA

1

Appendix A: Student Surveys

Survey Results Over the course of the spring 2008 semester, we asked students who visited the Tutoring Center to

participate in a survey evaluating their experience. (Please see Appendix G for sample surveys.) Questions

included how they found out about the Tutoring Center, the reason for their visit, and how much help they

received from the tutors.

In the Writing Center, we collected 140 surveys. Here’s what we found:

I) Who are the students who used the Writing Center?

More juniors used the Writing Center than any other ranks, and female students outpaced their male

counterparts (54% female versus 39% male). Majors represented showed great diversity, with biology

majors comprising the largest group. The figures below take into account those who did not fill out the

demographic portion of the survey, as noted in the “no response” category.

Distribution of Students by Class

Freshman

23%

Sophomore

9%Junior

35%

Senior

19%

Graduate

3%

No response

11%

II. How did students learn about the Writing Center?

The largest response was “My instructor told my class about the Writing Center.” The rest of the responses

appear below:

33% My instructor told my class about the Writing Center

2% A Writing Center representative came to one of my classes

6% My instructor required our class to go to the Writing Center

12% My instructor suggested I go to the Writing Center

6% My instructor offered extra credit for going to the Writing Center

41% Other, with the most popular response being word-of-mouth advertising (friends,

professors, etc.)

Distribution of Students by Major

HIST

6%CSIS

4%

HOSP

3%

LITT/LANG

4%

SOWK

3%ECON

1%

ARTP

4%

CRIM

10%

ANTH

1%

PSYC

11%

PUBH

4%

COMM

4%

BSNS

11%

PHIL

1%

EDUC

4%

BIO

15%

No response

12%

III. What aspects of writing did you work on at the Writing Center?

Most students (71%) came to the Writing Center seeking help with the writing process (which includes

prewriting and brainstorming, research and documentation, thesis development, and organization and

paragraphing). The second most popular concern was style and content (style, conciseness, grammar,

punctuation, and editing).

Aspects of Writing Most Commonly Tutored

Writing

Process

71%

Style and

Content

29%

IV. How would you rate your own writing ability?

Students visiting the Writing Center generally rated their writing ability as average. Twenty-nine percent felt

their abilities were very good, 60% felt their abilities were average, and 11% felt their abilities were below

average.

V. Do you think your visits to the Writing Center helped to improve the grades on your papers, and

do you think the Writing Center improved your writing?

83% of students felt the Writing Center improved the grades they received on papers and the overall quality

of their writing. Eleven percent were unsure whether the Writing Center helped improve their grades or

writing, and 6% felt the Writing Center improved their grades, but were unsure whether their writing quality

was improved.

Student Opinion of Writing Abilities

Average

60%

Very Good

29%

Below

Average

11%

VI. How would you rate the skill of the tutors in helping students with their writing?

The largest percentage of students was pleased with the service they received. 95% rated the tutors’

competence as excellent, 31% rated the tutors as very good, and only 1% felt the tutors’ competence was

only adequate.

VII. How could the experience be improved?

Students were given the open-ended option to make suggestions about how to improve the quality of their

experience as well as the overall quality of the Writing Center. Responses varied, but the most common

request was to provide more space and more computers. Other requests included more hand-holding

during the tutoring process, with comments such as more help with generating content and ideas, and

subject-specific tutors (namely biology).

Student Opinion of Tutors' Skill

Adequate

1%Very Good

31%

Excellent

68%

Math Center Surveys

Over the course of the spring 2008 semester, students who visited the Math Center were asked to

participate in a survey evaluating their experience. Sixty-eight surveys were completed.

I. What are the demographics of students who used the Math Center?

The majority of students who used the Math Center were freshmen. Females made up most of the students

(70% female versus 25% male), and the largest major represented was Biology.

Freshmen, 37%

Sophomore, 22%

Junior, 25%

Senior, 13%

No Response, 3%

Distribution of Students by Class

II. How did students learn about the Math Center?

The largest response was “My instructor told my class about the Math Center.” The rest of the responses

appear below:

51% My instructor told my class about the Math Center

13% A Math Center representative came to one of my classes

6% My instructor required our class to go to the Math Center

0% My instructor offered extra credit for going to the Math Center

12% My instructor suggested I go to the Math Center

18% Other, with the most popular being word-of-mouth advertising (friends, professors, etc.)

BIO, 28%

EDUC, 1%

ENVL, 10%

HOSP, 4%

LITT/LANG, 6% ARTP, 3%

MATH, 3% CRIM, 1%

POLS, 1% ENGN, 1%

HIST, 1%

PHTH, 1%

SOCY, 1%

PSYC, 3%

COMM, 3%

SOWK, 3%

SPAD, 3%

CSIS, 3% BSNS, 7%

No Response, 13%

Distribution of Students by Major

III. What aspects of math did you work on at the Math Center?

Most students (32%) came to Math Center seeking help with Basic Skills, Pre-algebra, or Algebra. The

second most popular concern (22%) was for Pre-calculus or Calculus courses.

Areas of Math Where Students Received Help

Biology

4% Statistics

10%

Geometry

3%

Chemistry

15%

Physics

12%

Other

2%

Bask, Pre-

Algebra, Algebra

32%

Precalc.,

Calculus

22%

IV. How would you rate your own math ability?

Prior to visiting the Math Center, students generally rated their ability in math as average. Those who felt

their abilities were very good was 18%, 57% felt their abilities were average, and 25% felt their abilities

were below average.

V. What do you think your visits to the Math Center helped you improve in, and do you think the

Math Center helped improve your grades?

Of those responding, 52% felt the Math Center improved their math skills, while 13% felt the Math Center

improved their subject skills. In addition, 29% believed their visit(s) to the Math Center helped improve both

their math and subject skills, and 6% were unsure whether their skills were improved as a result of their

visit(s).

Very Good, 18%

Average, 57%

Below Average, 25%

Student Opinion of own Math Abilities

VI. How would you rate the skill of the tutors in helping students with their math?

Of the students responding, 56% rated the tutors’ competence as excellent, 38% rated the tutors as very

good, and 3% felt the tutors’ competence was only adequate, while another 3% did not offer a response.

VII. How could the experience be improved?

Students were given the open-ended option to make suggestions about how to improve the quality of their

experience as well as the overall quality of the Math Center. Responses varied, but the most common

request was to provide more tutors for the number of students coming to the Math Center and more

available room to work. Other requests included providing more calculators, a more quiet work

environment, and subject-specific tutors (namely chemistry and statistics).

Excellent, 56% Very Good, 38%

Adequate, 3% No Response,

3%

Student Opinion of Tutors' Skill

Appendix C: Alumni Tutor Feedback

Alumni In this section, we get to brag about the accomplishments of our Academic Tutoring Center alumni. Please forgive any breach of modesty as we indulge ourselves. Our alumni have gone on to attend graduate schools, medical schools, and law schools. Three alumni are currently on the faculty of the college. They’ve started their own businesses and worked for large corporations, and they have participated in the Teach for America program and in the Peace Corps. Moreover, dozens of our tutors go on to teach or work in the New Jersey public schools. For this report, we contacted former tutors and asked them what they’re doing these days and if they would comment on the role that tutoring played in their professional or personal development. Here are some of their responses:

Donna Huneke, Writing Center Tutor 2004-2007

A recent graduate of Stockton, I entered the job market in December 2007, just as the country entered

what is looking to be an economic recession, with a B.A. in Literature/Creative Writing and a Minor in

Writing. Within two months of graduation day I began my current position as an Interactive News Indexer at

Dow Jones Newswires, which involves working on publications that include The Wall Street Journal,

Barron's, and Smart Money, and best of all I enjoy my job.

I believe that my years at the Stockton Writing Center truly gave me an edge in the work world. Beyond my

knowledge and skills in writing and editing, I now use something every day that I would have never learned

as a student without my tutoring experience: the ability to solve problems for people.

Being a student teaches one to ask questions and find answers; however, being a tutor puts the student in

the position of being the person other students come to for help, for answers. Stockton tutors know how to

be personable with a diverse population of students and know what it means to have to be more than

competent at something, to be well versed enough in something to know how to teach it to others.

I have found that my supervisors at work really appreciate the fact that I quickly picked up on my work, and

also that I am already someone others can come ask to help them find answers and solutions. The Writing

Center will always be what I remember most about Stockton, and it gave me the necessary confidence in

myself and my abilities to succeed outside of college.

George Dimitrou, Math Center Tutor 2006 - 2007:

I am currently teaching high school physics at Lacey Township High School. I worked in the tutoring center from September 06 to May 07 when I graduated. Working in the Math Center helped me in two different ways.

First, working one on one, or with small groups of two or three helped me to see the things that students

have trouble understanding, which is useful as a teacher. Students don't always ask question, so knowing

where they are going to get confused helps me to stop and wait those extra seconds to coax question out

of students.

Second, by constantly answering questions and doing problems, I was always reviewing what I had

learned. For this reason my knowledge of physics and math was much stronger when I graduated, and

that would help me in any field, not just teaching.

Michael Nees, Writing Center Tutor 2005 – 2007 Following graduation I enjoyed a smooth transition out of Stockton and into the professional world, a luxury

that I can wholly attribute to having worked as a writing tutor. Though I’m currently employed as a United

Way program coordinator, I rose to this position after originally being taken on as an editor for my agency’s

newsletter. Not surprisingly, it was my experience as a tutor that made me eligible for that position.

Tutoring taught me how to function in a professional environment. The ability to instruct others supportively

has been indispensable in supervising volunteers. The sharpened prose I acquired as a tutor is useful

every day. Basically, everything about the experience is advantageous. It helped me become a better

student and it helps me to this day.

Nelson Brown, Math Center Tutor 2003 - 2005:

I worked at the Tutoring Center for two years while at Stockton. During that time, I fostered relationships

with fellow classmates that I considered, and still consider, invaluable. Being dedicated to the pursuit of

your work and studies is important, but actually engaging others (both students and fellow tutors) in a

relaxed and conversant manner about the material is an extremely efficient way of learning.

Prior to starting at the Tutoring Center, I was a B student at best, and improved a great deal due to my

experience there. Whenever I try to solve a problem I haven't seen before, I often mentally frame it in the

context of a student bringing me that problem into the Center. I imagine how I might have started to explain

it, and how some of my fellow tutors may have approached it.

I graduated in 2005, and immediately got a job teaching. After that, I found a job at the FAA Tech Center,

and attended night school at Rutgers, Camden. I recently earned my MS in Mathematical Science with a

4.0 GPA. I consider my experience at the Stockton Math Center unique. I've not seen anything like it at

most of the universities and colleges in the area, which maintain appointment-based tutoring services if any

at all. I owe a large debt of my ability to comprehend new material to my time there, and often miss the

camaraderie and intellectual debate that a position as a tutor entails.

Tara Ronda, Service Learning Coordinator, Stockton College Writing Center Tutor 2003-2005

I began my job as the part-time Service-Learning Coordinator at Stockton in 2001 as a sophomore. When I graduated in 2005, I became full-time in that position. I have also been a successful freelance editor/proofreader, specializing in academic and scholarly writing, since 2004. My experience working with Stockton students as a writing tutor informed both my professional and personal lives in a variety of ways.

Tutoring my peers taught me patience, improved my communication skills, and allowed me to hone my copyediting skills so that I could start my own freelancing business outside of Stockton. As a result, I now work with graduate students on a part-time basis to help them improve their writing and editing skills, and my most proud moments are when my clients tell me that their dissertation committees have approved their proposals and praised them for their work. Because of my work in the Writing Center, I learned how to help students help themselves in a way that builds their confidence in their writing and in their ability to edit their own work.

In a less obvious way, my participation in Pam’s Writing Tutor Practicum class marked the first time I had ever seriously considered issues of cultural competence in working with others. I remember Pam talking several times about the importance of knowing where others, particularly ESL/ELL students, come from and what their cultural norms are. I learned from those lessons that it’s not enough to know the basics of a person’s background, but that we must be sensitive and patient when working with people who sometimes have very different views from us about education, writing, and communication. In that process, we can learn from the people we help as much as (or more than) they can learn from us. The pleasure I derived from learning about and working with students also helped propel me into a graduate program in Counseling in Educational Settings at Rowan, where I hope to gain further expertise in cultural competence and working one-on-one with students.

I credit my experiences in the Writing Center with far more than helping me improve my own skills. My work as a peer tutor helped give me direction for a future career and thoroughly enhanced my overall experience at Stockton as a student and an employee. I continue to spend a significant amount of time in the Center and plan to once again volunteer as a tutor there in the fall of 2008.

John Macaluso, Math Center Tutor 2003 – 2005 :

After graduating from Stockton College in May 2005, I started my graduate research at Brown University as

a PhD candidate in Physics. I spent the first year in graduate school covering my core classes and was

supported through a teaching assistantship where I taught a lab course for undergraduate physics. In the

middle of my second year I started working in an observational cosmology group under the advising of Dr.

Greg Tucker and have remained there since. My graduate work involves working on a larger collaborative

project called EBEX, which stands for ―The E and B EXperiment‖. EBEX is a balloon-borne experiment

which houses a telescope designed to measure the polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background

(CMB) – more specifically the ―E and B modes‖. The CMB can essentially be thought of as the ―afterglow‖

of the Big Bang. How the light from the CMB is polarized gives us many insights into how structure formed

in the universe as well helping resolve problems with how the events of the Big Bang played out. I work on

designing and testing various components of the experiment and preparing for them for flight. Once

everything is complete (hopefully December 2009) the EBEX collaboration with embark to Antarctica to

launch our balloon experiment. After a two week flight we will recover our gondola and start analyzing the

data.

Working at the Math Center at Stockton College was an extremely rewarding experience. Not only did I

find the people and environment pleasant, but the experiences in teaching and engaging with other

students were priceless. Much of that experience paid off a great deal when I found myself handling an

entire lab course at Brown University on my own. In addition, I have participated in many outreach

programs with local high schools and middle school where my previous teaching experiences came into

play often. While working at the Math Center I learned how to get students to become interested in a

subject(s) that many find too hard or abstract. I was also always forced to think on my toes and find unique

solutions to problems in order to fit the person I was teaching’s way of thinking. I also gained and refined

many social skills that it takes to make the learning experience productive, but pleasant. My time working

at the Math Center left such an impression on me that I am aiming to have teaching become a major

component of my future professional career.

Emari DiGiorgio, MFA, Assistant Professor of Writing, Stockton College

Writing Center Tutor 2000 – 2003

When I started tutoring as a sophomore, I could not predict that I would return to my alma mater as an

Assistant Professor of Writing or that I would become a New Jersey State Poet-in-the-Schools. The three

years I spent tutoring in the Writing Center were as instrumental in preparing me to teach composition at

the college level, as they were in persuading me that education was my calling.

I have framed my teaching pedagogy around experiences I first encountered as a tutor: Each lesson should

empower the student and focus on his/her specific skills and needs. Though it was initially difficult to hand

the pen to the student, as a teacher, I am sure that this method works. I learned how to listen and how to

ask the right questions; I also learned how to address the insecurities students brought into the lab.

However, beyond the skills I acquired as a tutor, I also cherish the community of teachers and students that

Pam Cross has united over her many years. Professors treat tutors with respect, and both interact openly

and informally. Pam has created a supportive and creative environment that values hard work, intelligence,

and individuality. I have always felt at home in J105, and I hope to recreate the same feeling in my classes.

Pat Shaffer, Writing Center Tutor 1999-2002 I am currently teaching Biological Science at Pinelands Regional High School in Tuckerton, NJ and I really love teaching. It's going well and I love the students, especially the freshmen. Being able to include that I have a minor in writing and worked at the Writing Center on my resume impressed many prospective employers. A lot of tests now are open ended, so writing skills are a must for students. I include short answer essay questions on my exams and it's amazing how they struggle with writing! It is hard for some of them to just put a complete sentence together, let alone an entire paragraph, even at the high school level. I don't think they understand the structure of a sentence. It is a skill I like to help them with, and they think it's funny for their Biology teacher to talk about subjects and verbs! (We won't even go into spelling!) Some of them think they're too old to learn; isn't that curious? I tell them to write about things that interest them -- start a journal about their high school days -- it will help them get their thoughts into words, and might just help them deal with the stress of being a teenager in today's world!! I miss my time at the Writing Center! As a non-traditional, commuting student, it helped me feel like I was a "part" of Stockton. It gave me a sense of belonging, and I met some really wonderful people, students and professors alike. It was a very rewarding experience, and tutoring definitely improved my ability to effectively communicate constructive criticism, something I must now do daily. But I always do it one-on-one, just like tutoring. It's not something the whole class has to hear; just the one it's supposed to help.

Stevie Helmeczi Johnson, Writing Tutor 1998 – 2000 Since graduating from Stockton in 2000 with a B.S. in Public Health and a minor concentration in Writing, I have held several positions in these fields. While working as the Community-based Projects Team Coordinator for a government-contracted non-profit organization, one of my primary responsibilities was to edit all correspondence that was drafted by members of our team. I moved to Maryland where I was sub-contracted by government agencies as a technical writer and editor. Working on these projects as a writer and editor demonstrated what I believe many of us learned as tutors: good writing skills do not come easily for most people. In my current position at the National Cancer Institute, I do much less original writing, but I am still called upon for special writing and editing projects, which I cherish. I continue to look ahead to graduate school with hopes of eventually becoming a professor. I have just applied to work with a local agency that teaches adults how to read, and I am looking forward to getting further involved in this effort.

Working as a tutor changed my life forever, both because of what I learned and the life-long friends and

mentors I gained. I was given the opportunity to offer assistance to those who wanted to find the words

that expressed best what they were thinking and feeling, all the while fine-tuning my own writing and

communication skills. I have yet to find work as satisfying as the work I did in my two-plus years in

Stockton’s Writing Center.

Julia Sluzenski, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Stockton College Writing Tutor 1996 – 1998 Twelve years ago I took the Writing Tutor Practicum with Pamela Cross. Working as a tutor in the

semesters that followed was a very rich experience for me. I realized the joys of individual instruction. I saw

my strengths and weaknesses (as teacher and student) reflected in many tutoring exchanges. I realized

that helping someone to write requires joint problem solving rather than ―instruction‖ per se. Furthermore, I

began to connect with others on a campus where I had become accustomed to my introverted ways.

After working in the Writing Center for three semesters, I went to graduate school in psychology, earning

my Ph.D. in Cognitive and Developmental Psychology. About three years ago, working at Vanderbilt

University as a postdoctoral researcher, I saw an advertisement for a tenure-track psychology position at

Stockton. I wasted no time in applying for the job.

This spring ends my second year as a faculty member at Stockton. I teach primarily psychology courses,

but look for ways to contribute to the Writing Program. I taught Rhetoric and Composition for the first time

this spring. This fall I will be teaching a Freshman Seminar entitled Science in the Media, which in many

ways is a course about writing. Additionally, I am always on the lookout for potential tutors to recommend to

Pam Cross, especially quieter students who could benefit from being more connected to the campus

community. It is my privilege to be able to give back to Stockton and to the Writing Center in these ways.

Judith Vogel, PhD, Associate Professor of Mathematics Stockton College Math Tutor (1990-1992) After graduating from Stockton, I received my Ph. D. in Mathematics from Temple University. I am now back at Stockton working as a professor in the Math program. One of the primary lessons that I learned by tutoring in the Math Center is that true teaching is more about leading than it is about lecturing. I use this style of learning whether I'm working one on one with a student or working with an entire class. I also want to say that one of the greatest rewards of working as a tutor was being surrounded by such wonderful people. John Quinn and the other tutors were an important part of my college days. I miss the closeness of that special group of people.

Class of 2008 We had a big, wonderful graduating class in May 2008. Here are their thoughts:

Laura D’Errico, Writing Center Tutor 2007–2008 (Valedictorian, Class of 2008) I'd say that tutoring at the Writing Center positively impacted my Stockton experience for a bunch of reasons, but mainly because I really feel like I helped a few students become better writers. I think/hope I was able to get through to them what their professors wanted to hear while also establishing a great rapport with them so they felt comfortable opening up to me about their concerns. Tutoring was always such a rewarding experience, and it is something that shaped my college career and that I will always remember. Thanks.

Maureen Egan, Writing Center Tutor 2006-2008 Working at the Writing Center has, more than anything, helped me gain confidence in myself. Beyond

confidence in my knowledge of writing, grammar, mechanics, and citation styles, I feel the largest

improvement has been in communication. I came to Stockton as a shy student, but the Writing Center is

where I made my closest friendships. I have always felt that Pam created a true home for us in J105, and

knew that this was the place I could come if I needed a hug, or someone with whom to celebrate a good

paper. Not only have Pam and the tutors made the Writing Lab a wonderful place, but secretaries Dale and

Maureen, as well as the neighboring professors (Heather McGovern and Betsy McShea) have always been

warm and welcoming faces. I have also been lucky enough to work for the Math Center as a tutor when I

worked with a Quantitative Reasoning class my sophomore year. I have since made several close friends

who are math tutors, and that has added to the fun and happy atmosphere of working for the Tutoring

Center.

What I will take with me into the future is certainly my confidence. I plan to, someday, attend graduate

school to pursue my MFA in poetry. For a career, I am interested in the fields of advertising and publishing.

It’s all wide open, and it’s scary, but I feel working with Pam and the tutors has prepared me for (almost)

anything the future can throw my way: I have a strong network of people who care about me to fall back on.

Mary Ellen Farnelli, Math Center Tutor 2006-2008 I'll tell you the same things I told my roommates: Working in the Math Center is, hands down, a rewarding

experience. You review things you haven't seen in a long time (which, of course, helps you in your own

classes), you deal with mostly students who are simply grateful for your help, and the few students who

aren't grateful for your help and choose to be aggravating instead are few and far between. More than that,

you build closer friendships with people who are in your classes and you have help right there whenever

you need it. Plus, the boss is terrific and the hours are so flexible it's definitely spoiled me! It was a great

experience and I'm proud to have been a tutor.

I'll definitely be coming back for a visit!

Angela Kramer, Writing Center Tutor 2006-2008

Working at the writing center totally changed my Stockton experience. Before the center, I did not know

anyone. Believe it or not, I am very shy, so I was not going out of my way to meet people. I spent my time

in the library or upper A-wing, avoiding eye contact and studying. Working at the center forced me to meet

new people – both tutors and tutees, and as a result I have made friends and met people that I will never

forget. These people were not only my friends. They also encouraged me to get involved in the many

events and clubs that Stockton has to offer.

My future plans are still up in the air…I’ve applied to some grad schools, and I’m also looking at my work

options.

Tricia Murphy, Writing Center Tutor 2006-2008 The semester before I discovered the Writing Center, I felt pretty alone and ready to transfer. It wasn't that I

didn't have friends, but it was more that I had the kind of typical friendships one gets those first two years in

college, ones where you don't care if the person you hang out with every night is really an awful person you

might hate under any other circumstances, but because its college, and nobody has anybody, you take

what you can get, never talking about anything further than Nicole Richie's newest hair cut.

When I found the Writing Center, I really felt as though I had found my identity again. I found a community

where, yes, Nicole Richie's haircut was talked about, but also a slew of other things, from the most

ridiculous to the most serious. If my other friends wanted to go get wings, and I said I had to stay in and

finish reading, they would tell me to ―do it tomorrow,‖ but the other tutors had similar work ethics as my

own. As much as I loved these friends, I found something in the Writing Center that they couldn't provide

me with: understanding.

The act of tutoring itself was also important in my college education. It undoubtedly improved my writing

skills and helped me to understand that good writing takes effort. Outside of a peer review here and there,

students really don't experience each other's writing much, but having the opportunity to read about all of

these different students’ lives and opinions while tutoring was really eye opening. Reading the papers of

EOF students who thought they weren't going to college, or the papers of an Indian student and her life

growing up in Delhi, or the paper of a girl who wrote about losing both her parents at 19 (leaving us both in

tears at the table in the Writing Center) taught me so much about other people’s identities.

I have recently been offered a job doing technical writing and editing for an engineering firm in North

Jersey, based primarily off my experience as a writing tutor.

Megan O’Reilly, Math Center Tutor 2005-2008 (Head Math Tutor 2007-2008) Excerpts from an assignment: “What I Learned as Head Tutor”: I have been able to learn how to get to know a variety of people better. I am at heart a quiet person to people I do not know. Now I have to say that it is not so much the case, although something that I am still working on. One of the best and more challenging parts of being head tutor is to try to get to know every tutor. Besides the fact that people are interesting and that I like to get to know people, there are benefits to knowing the people who work for you (or under you). First of all if I am talking to someone on friendly terms, they are likely to feel comfortable talking to me about any problems they are having in life or on the job. The idea at the Math Center is for everyone to grow and improve. If someone makes a mistake or does not know what to do in a particular situation they are more likely to ask for help from someone who they were just talking about their weekend to rather than the person who may only be known as the boss (aka the person who can fire you). Most people will not tell their faults to someone if they think that they are likely to get in trouble.

I once thought that if you told people what to do or what I expected of them, that it was perfectly reasonable

to expect them to do it (and in some cases this is true and works). This is almost equivalent to sticking a

seed in the ground and saying, ―Grow plant! Grow!‖ or saying, ―Now I expect a tomato plant out of you.‖

Growing plants this way will not work. Plants need sunlight, water, and most importantly rich soil. This is

metaphorically true about people. People need a positive attitude, encouragement, advice and a

comfortable environment. Harsh criticism to humans many times is like air pollution to plants…stifling.

Really leading is not about getting people to do things but rather motivating people to want to do things.

That is hard work.

One of the key skills to being head tutor is to be able to better understand people, people’s weak areas and

how to deal with the weak areas. Another skill that is valuable and difficult to do is to motivate people. Once

you know how to motivate someone, it seems the sky is the limit in what he/she can do.

Chrissy Robinson, Writing Center Tutor 2006-2008 Stockton played a big part in making me who I am today, and being a writing tutor was one of the best

things I did at Stockton. It's more than a job—it’s a society. I joined a group of other quirky people who were

enough like me that we all got along and different enough that I got to learn a lot of different things from

them all. I learned about myself, what I knew, what I thought I knew, and what I definitely had no clue

about. I learned so much about writing, working with other people, and I even applied some of my social

work skills to the job.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and other things have to start. I will be working with the

Department of Children and Families as a case manager with exceptional grammar and the ability to make

court reports interesting.

Audra Schappell, Math Center Tutor 2007-2008 When I started tutoring at the Mathematics Skills Center, I did not know what to expect. Through my tutoring experiences, both in the Math Center and in the Quantitative Reasoning workshops, I have gained more knowledge in the subject of math as well as knowledge in how to present the material. To be a successful tutor at the Mathematics Center, one must use numerous strategies, and/or problem solving skills in order to address the various learning styles of those students who come and ask for our help. Usually, a math problem can be solved in more than one manner, typically in between 2 & 4. For example, in Pre-Calculus, when helping students with the trigonometric functions, you can show them the graphs of these functions, explain how they relate to right triangles, or even use the unit circle in order for students to gain an understanding of the concept. One must be willing to ―think outside the box‖ when tutoring our college peers. Working as a tutor in Math has also given me a lot more patience. Sometimes students just ―don’t get it‖ right away, so you need to be patient with them when solving a problem. You might even need to solve numerous problems in a similar way in order for them to fully understand the concept. I know that my experiences in the Mathematics Skills Center have had an impact on my teaching skills/abilities and will have an impact in my future Mathematics classroom. Working in the Math Center has helped me with not only my knowledge in the subject of math, but also with my knowledge in how to present the material. It is better to use inquiry oriented questions, as opposed to completing the problem for the students. Whenever I present a lesson in the classroom, I try to use the prior knowledge of the students in order to derive the new theorem, postulate, etc. For example, when I taught a lesson on the special right triangles (45-45-90 & 30-60-90, I used their prior knowledge of the Pythagorean Theorem and knowledge of isosceles triangles.

Bryan Sharp, Writing Center Tutor 2006-2008 When I first came to Stockton, I didn't know anyone. Ok. That's a lie--I knew some people, but I didn't have a place to hang out on campus. I'm not very athletic. Wait, is reclining in a computer chair considered a sport? I lean back pretty far. Anyway, no sport skillz meant that I couldn't hang out in the gym. I'm also not big on fraternities. Alcohol scares me. The Writing Center was a place for me to go. And the people working there always filled the days with crazy conversation and smart company. The lab air was thick with the smell of firing neurons. Do neurons fire? Are axons the ones that fire? Thanks to Pam and the tutors, I was able to improve my writing just by being around and working with so many writers. I was never worried about fitting in; well, I was never as worried as I would have been without the lab. I always had a familiar place to go. The Writing Center made Stockton more like home. After school, I plan on doing some freelance work for the video game industry by writing reviews and opinion essays. I also like trying to be funny, so we'll see how far that gets me.

Appendix D: Performance Task Developed in Assessment Institute

You are about to participate in a performance task designed to assess your communication and problem-solving skills. I will present you with a fictitious but plausible scenario involving an unhappy student at the Writing Center. I will ask you to review all the documents presented and decide on a course of action to help the student. Remember you are being asked to respond as a tutor, and while your personal values and biases may enter into your thinking, you should remember that you represent the Stockton College Tutoring Center.

Effective communication and listening skills

Critical thinking

Problem solving

Beagle vs. Mastiff:

Communication

and Problem-

Solving for Tutors

Introduction

Goals

A transfer student, Amelia Beagle, has come to the Writing Center with a paper to rewrite for Professor Mastiff, who teaches American Political Thought, which is a W2 course.

The professor is unhappy with the quality of the student’s work and has directed her to redo the assignment with the help of a tutor.

The student is angry with Professor Mastiff, suggests that he is biased against her because she is a transfer student, that he is a terrible teacher, and also states he never covered the material that was on the assignment. She is also upset that Professor Mastiff’s comments are so harsh and personal. She mentions that at her last college she earned all As and Bs.

The student shows you the following documents:

instructor rating from RateMyProfessors.com

student’s transcript from a community college

an assignment sheet with details about the assignment explained

student’s essay with instructor comments

the article the student was to consult a copy of the U.S. Constitution

Scenario

Please answer the following three questions. Remember that I am looking for how well you communicate, engage in critical thinking, and employ problem-solving skills.

Question 1: How would you begin a tutoring session with Amelia? How would you, in your role as a tutor, respond to the student’s criticism of the professor? How would you balance your desire to establish a relationship with the student with your need to maintain objectivity? Present a potential script you can imagine using to start your tutorial.

Question 2: Where would you start in assessing the student’s essay? Which of the supporting documents are most helpful in determining your assessment of her paper? How would you explain your assessment of her essay to the student?

Question 3: How would you begin to direct the student in completing the task at hand? Lay out a step-by-step model that would be useful for the student to use to complete the assignment successfully.

Note: You should have 6 documents (labeled A – F) to peruse and consult.

Questions