Procedure Manual for Faculty

Academic Learning Center

The Academic Learning Center (ALC), accessed through the library, provides academic support for improving writing and mathematics skills, learning APA style, and understanding citation procedures. Other areas of assistance include one on one paper consultation, writing a literature review, statistics, academic honesty, and plagiarism. Sessions are intended to supplement, not replace, class attendance and personal study time. The tutor’s role is to be a facilitator for student learning. The tutor will not write or edit papers, do homework, help with take-home tests, or other assignments for students. Our goal is to empower students by helping them learn and improve their critical thinking and academic writing skills.

ALC Tutors receive training and are certified. The ALC received the International Tutor Program Certification from the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA). CRLA certifies the tutor training program, which is then qualified to train and certify tutors after they have met the established criteria for tutor training and experience.

Faculty may contact the ALC to make arrangements for a classroom visit to inform students of available services or to schedule an in-class writers’ workshop. Faculty may also refer students to the ALC for needed writing assistance. The ALC proctors exams for students with disabilities who have accommodations for extended time and/or distraction-free environment. Proctored exams need to be scheduled at least one week in advance due to our limited space.

An Overview of the ALC Free individual and small group tutoring is available to currently enrolled Argosy students on an appointment or drop-in basis. To ensure the availability of a tutor, it is best to make an appointment. Appointments can be scheduled for one fifty-minute session per day, and a student may receive up to 3 sessions of tutoring per week. Tutors will assist 1 to 3 students per session. Students without an appointment are taken on a first-come, first-served basis. Students should not wait until the last minute to seek assistance.  To schedule an appointment call (312) 777-7645 or email the Academic Learning Center. 

Student Referral: Faculty may refer students to the Academic Learning Center and use the Tutoring Intake Form available on the ALC webpage at: http://www.auchicagolib.org/alcintake.pdf .  Students may also seek tutoring support on their own by dropping in, emailing or calling. Frequently the ALC provides ongoing tutoring on longer projects or a tutoring “package”: for example, four weeks on a specific writing commonplace such as organization, or perhaps six weeks on editing longer documents regarding APA Style. Often these packages are created and formalized by the course instructor, ALC tutor and student.

Student Responsibilities

• Bring the textbook, syllabus, written assignment, any handouts, paper and pencil.
• Be on time for all arranged tutorial sessions.
• Turn off cell phones and pagers before arriving at the ALC
• Speak quietly in the ALC as not to disturb others.
• Please give 24 hours notice when canceling an appointment.
• Remember that the ALC is an academic area serving many students. Therefore, children, family, and friends should not be invited to come along, or attend, your tutorial sessions.

The hours for the Academic Learning Center are posted on the library website.
http://www.auchicagolib.org/

Encourage your students to come and join a community of learners!