Learning Support Services: Tutoring @ Medical Campus
Learning Support Services: Tutoring @Medical Campus
Ivan Toledo and Carla Clark
Miami Dade College, Medical Campus
Miami Dade College (MDC) has eight campuses and a student credit head count of 90,000. 48% are not native English language speakers; 57% are low-income; and, 51% are first-generation college students. MDC confers more associate degrees than any other community college in the country. The Medical Campus produces the most associate degrees in Nursing in the state of Florida. This diversity and size reveal our strengths as well as our challenges. The Learning Resources Department at the Medical Campus aims to offer exemplary services and resources to all of our students.
The Learning Resources Department (LR) at MDC’s Medical Campus supports the mission of the Florida College System and the Association of Florida Colleges by maximizing student learning, success, and retention. In order to support and complement the educational experiences of students, the Medical Campus provides study skills laboratories where students receive academic support through supplemental instruction, review sessions, test preparation, tutoring services, access to electronic resources, and specialized in-lab training sessions. Additional support services include group study areas and facilities for collaborative work and technical support via one-on-one instruction and workshops to hone technological skills.
Tutors provide a valuable bridge between the professor and the student and enable learning to extend beyond the classroom walls and hours. By integrating tutors at the point-of-need, students are more likely to utilize the services. Students who typically would not seek out tutoring are exposed to the benefits. Tutors are viewed as approachable and supportive mentors, who reinforce course content and enable additional opportunities to practice concepts and skills.
In addition, the tutoring program has proven to be an exceptional public relations tool for Learning Resources. Faculty have become more acquainted with the staff, resources, and services and are eager to incorporate tutoring into their classes and laboratories. They recognize the benefit of supplemental instruction and individualized attention to optimizing their students’ success. Tutors at the Medical Campus come recommended by the faculty with selection criteria based on class performance and academic success.
This tutoring program can be adapted to suit other institutions’ needs. After identifying where and when students need tutoring services, administration and staff can determine how to best meet those needs. The space is not as significant as the connections between tutor and student. Whether in a cafeteria, a student center, a lab, a classroom, or the library: tutoring can fit many needs.
The Tutoring Life Cycle @ Medical
- New Student Orientation: New students participate in a mandatory orientation prior to their first semester. They are given pertinent information on available resources and services.
- Schedule a Time to See a Tutor: Walk-ins are welcome; however, appointments can be made using an online platform called WC Online.
- Sign in for Tutoring: Students sign in prior to a tutoring session. Data collected tracks attendance as well as usage. Staffing changes can be made based on demand.
- Meet with the Tutor: During the first session, students have the opportunity to meet with the Study Skills tutor, who will work with them on time management, note taking, and test taking skills. Otherwise, they can move directly into program-specific tutoring.
- Assessment: Learning Resources keeps a calendar of assessments that are conducted every two years. Assessment results inform our decision-making process in revising and/or adding tutoring services.
At MDC Medical Campus, the tutoring program supports student learning through three different modalities:
- Face to face individual and/or small group tutoring;
- Embedded into the laboratories; and,
- Embedded into online classes.
Face-to-Face Tutoring
Medical Campus tutors are based in the Success Center for face-to face sessions, where students can either walk-in or make an appointment to receive support in a variety of subject areas. LR offers individual or group sessions depending on the students’ needs.
Face-to-Face tutoring is offered in the following areas:
- Academic Writing
- Clinical Laboratory Sciences
- Dental Hygiene
- Diagnostic Medical Sonography
- Health Information Technology
- Medical Coder Biller
- Nuclear Medicine Technology
- Nursing (BSN)
- Nursing (RN)
- Physical Therapist Assistant
- Radiography
- Respiratory Care
Embedded Tutoring in Labs
The Medical Campus, working in conjunction with program coordinators and faculty, implemented in-lab embedded tutoring services. It is crucial for students in Nursing and the Health Sciences to put theory into practice. Applying what is learned is essential to forming the critical thinking skills demanded in high-stress, fast-paced health care environments.
Tutors embedded in the labs provide students with support as they put in practice the different techniques learned in class. Lab embedded tutoring takes place during lab classes involving both the professor and the tutor and through open lab sessions with the support of a tutor. Involving tutors and faculty has proven to be successful as everyone involved is on the same page in terms of retention and completion.
Embedded Tutoring (Blackboard)
Having a presence online allows our students who cannot come to campus access to academic support services. Students interact with tutors individually or in groups, via email or set a time to meet virtually via our web conferencing platform, Blackboard Collaborate.
Via Blackboard, tutors can view the same materials, such as LibGuides, videos, PowerPoints, etc., as the faculty and students. Assignments and assessment tools are also accessible so that tutors are better informed of expectations. Tutors can send reminders to students, or they can flip the tutoring session and ask students to view a video or read material prior to a tutoring session.
Assessment of Tutoring Program
Assessments are an essential part of the decision-making process. During the 2017-18 Fiscal Year, Learning Resources conducted the Embedded Tutoring Student Feedback Survey College-Wide with 160 total participants from the Medical Campus. The results from this survey are available in the supporting documentation.
In conclusion, the Learning Resources tutoring program at MDC’s Medical Campus has proven to be an exemplary program. By decentralizing tutoring and meeting students where they are, we have broken down barriers. We remain committed to providing students with valuable resources and services to enhance their learning and help them be successful