Jennifer Diptee-Martos is the Director of Learning Resources at the Kendall Campus of Miami Dade College. In a little over the five years she’s been with the College she has developed and expanded the Learning Resources connections and programming within her campus in order to serve more diverse populations, including International and Community Education students. Her academic training in Higher Education Administration and Leadership from the University of Miami and experience across various academic roles has allowed her to establish partnerships with stakeholders across the campus community. Whether it’s creating unique learning spaces, highlighting special collections, hosting special events or developing/presenting at orientations and trainings aimed at increasing student and faculty engagement of LR services, she is a committed educator and librarian at heart. In addition to leading a number of Learning Resources initiatives at the College, she also served as the 2014 AFC Interim Chapter Membership Chair for MDC. She’s the proud mother of a one-year old and has become an avid reader of early children’s books.
The Learning Resources department at Miami Dade College is an exemplary illustration of the remarkable benefits that happen when academic libraries and academic tutoring support services work collaboratively and in full support of student success. This college wide department reaches students and staff across 8 campuses and 1 center utilizing the expert knowledge and skills from a variety of staff. Librarians, tutors, instructional assistants and administrators work collaboratively with instructional teams to tailor the supports needed by students both inside and outside the classroom. Two specific ways that Learning Resources has accomplished this supplemental instruction successfully is through its college wide tutor workgroup that developed the Tutor Training Intensive Program (Tutor TIPS), which incorporates routine trainings, workshops, and evaluations for all instructional staff, as well as the implementation of the Individualized Professional Development Plan (IPDP) that addresses each member’s strengths, targeted skill development and professional interests. Through these two strategies, MDC has enhanced tutoring general skills resulting in better professionals who are engaged and invested in student learning and completion. In addition, a consistent and uniform training program has been established and implemented in a sustainable fashion.