A Message from the Director
The University of New England has a long-standing history of learning assistance programming, dating back to 1977. While there have been some changes through the years, certain elements have endured. I believe it is these elements, which have withstood the test of time, that have been the cornerstone of successful learning assistance programming.
Foremost, our learning assistance program provides the opportunity for personalized learning. It is our goal to meet students where they are and to then work to enhance the abilities they already possess. This may include working with a student to develop a strong foundation of basic skills or it may include working with a student who wants to improve his/her course grade from a B to an A. In support of a personalized approach to services, we offer learning style inventories to our students so that they can learn study strategies that align with personal preferences. Incorporating student experience to make learning relevant is key. We have a holistic view of learners and recognize that first year students encounter a host of issues in transitioning to college.
Our program is a responsive service. We respond not only to individual student needs, but also to needs identified by the University at large. For example, if a course is identified as high risk for student difficulty, we will work to provide academic support in the identified area. Program development is ongoing and is informed by trends within the student population.
Fostering student independence is an integral part of our philosophy of learning assistance. Scaffolding work on skills, training tutors to engage students and emphasizing student responsibility for learning in individual consultations are examples of ways this may be accomplished.
Assessment is an important component of our services. This includes both assessment of student readiness and progress as well as evaluation of our programming. Individual placement testing of students and evaluations of mastery of content in developmental courses are examples of the former. Endeavors to align our work with best practices as defined by NADE self evaluation guidelines and CAS standards for learning assistance are examples of the latter. Student satisfaction surveys, course evaluations and performance outcomes are important components of our assessment process. In accordance with best practices, we maintain a highly qualified staff and our services are centralized.
The mission of Learning Assistance Services at the University of New England it to assist students in becoming independent learners, so that they are able to meet the University's academic standards and attain their personal educational goals. I feel verfortunate to work at UNE as the Director of Learning Assistance Services and to uphold UNE's long tradition of quality learning assistance programming.
Kind regards,
Maura
Maura O'Connor
Director of Learning Assistance Services