Academic Support Offerings Through Learning & Tutoring Services

Welcome to the spring semester, faculty and staff. We hope you had a wonderful winter break. 

We are reaching out regarding academic support through Learning & Tutoring Services that will be available to students for the spring semester. We hope that the language in this link finds its way into your syllabi and course containers.

Learning & Tutoring Services for Spring

The learning centers are at the heart of the direct academic support that the Office of Undergraduate Studies (OUGS) provides CSUSM students. Virtual and in-person academic support is available. For a list of specific courses supported, visit our website. We look forward to working with you to ensure that students have access to available academic resources. 

• NetTutor supports courses in these disciplines: Business, economics, finance, history, psychology, political science, philosophy, Spanish, statistics for human development, and statistics for psychology
• STEM Success Center supports courses in these disciplines:  Biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics and physics
• Writing Center: Supports writing in all courses
• Supplemental Instruction supports courses in these disciplines: Biology, chemistry, economics, physics, psychology and speech-language pathology

Language for Your Syllabi/Cougar Course Container

Faculty are our most powerful partners in engaging students with academic support resources on our campus. To assist you in directing students to campus academic support resources, we have provided this information to include on your syllabi/Cougar Courses containers. You also might want to provide this link to your students.

 When do we open to students?

• Students are welcome to visit Learning & Tutoring Services to see the space or study beginning Jan. 22.
• Tutoring begins on Jan. 29 and is open Mondays through Thursdays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Fridays from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Where?  The second floor of the Extended Learning Building. The STEM Success Center is in ELB 250. The Writing Center is in ELB 273 for in-person tutoring (see our website for virtual support options).

Do students visit the academic learning centers? Yes. Supported by roughly 120 trained peer educators, the Academic Success Center, STEM Success Center and Writing Center supported nearly 21,000 student visits during the 2022-23 academic year. This represents a 48% increase from the previous academic year. In fall 2023, students made 11,218 visits. Thank you to faculty and staff for directing students to these learning centers and for your key role in recommending students to serve as peer educators in Learning & Tutoring Services. We can support many more students, so please continue to direct them to us.

To what effect? Data suggest that students who make at least five visits to a single learning center per semester in support of a specific course tend to earn higher grades. Visiting the learning centers early and often is sage advice. In the words of one of our peer educators, “The more you go, the more you know.”

Friendly Suggestions

1. Add the language in this link to your syllabi and Canvas course containers.
2. Encourage students to stop by LTS during the first week of the semester to get acquainted. They can simply come by to look around.
3. Encourage students to make use of the free tutoring at least once during weeks 2-6.
4. Remind your students that LTS is a safe space to learn. Encourage them to bring a friend with them when they visit LTS.
5. Remind your students that with regular visits to LTS early and often throughout the semester, their learning will be deeper and their GPA likely will be higher.

 Feel free to reach out to us with your questions and suggestions.

• In his role as assistant dean, Adam Petersen now supervises Learning & Tutoring Services. You can reach him at apetersen@csusm.edu.
• For Learning & Tutoring Services questions, contact Evan Smith (esmith@csusm.edu), our new Learning & Tutoring Services director.
• For Writing Center questions, contact Evan Smith (esmith@csusm.edu).
• For STEM Success Center questions, contact Trevor Ryback (tryback@csusm.edu), STEM Success Center director. 
• For Supplemental Instruction (SI) questions, contact Alex Picasso (apicasso@csusm.edu), SI coordinator. 

We know that the more students believe they belong, the better they do academically. Thank you for all you do to enrich this vibrant learning community.

Best wishes as you continue preparations for the start of the spring semester!

Dawn M. Formo
Dean, Undergraduate Studies

Adam Petersen
Assistant Dean, Undergraduate Studies