Title of Effective Practice: - California Postsecondary Education ...

Direct Connection to Policy Area 4 of The Illinois Commitment
ACCESS/PAL Tutoring Center
Northern Illinois University
What issue or need is addressed by the effective practice? The primary objective of the Access to Courses and
Careers through Educational Support Services (ACCESS)/Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) Tutoring Center project is to
increase student retention and academic success through a coordinated university-wide set of support and tutoring
services. This project contributes to the achievement of the overall ACCESS programs’ goals, which are to improve
students' academic success and retention and graduation rates by helping them to:
• achieve levels of cognitive skill development necessary to perform tasks required in the courses in which they
require assistance
• gain the academic skills (e.g. note taking, test preparation) necessary to master course content, apply them to
appropriate new situations, and perform well academically
• achieve self-confidence and motivation necessary to learn and persist in a given course and/or major
Description of the effective practice: ACCESS/PAL provides multiple forms of tutoring for students. Tutoring is
provided for the majority of 100- and 200-level general education courses and several gatekeeper courses in popular
majors. There are three tutoring centers located on campus in Lincoln, Douglas, and Grant South Residence Halls
where students can “drop in” for individual and group assistance. Students can also apply for long-term, one-on-one
individual tutoring services. In fall 2005, ACCESS/PAL introduced a new, 8000 square-foot, state-of-the-art tutoring
facility in the Grant South Residence Hall. The space has been the home for traditional tutoring as well as study
groups and learning skills workshops. One office has been designated as a satellite location for the university’s
Academic Advising Center, providing students with “one-stop shopping” for a number of important services.
How does this practice achieve sustainability? Over the past nine years, there has been a consistent history of
institutional support for this program. In 1997, Housing and Dining offered permanent space for the first tutoring
center. In 2000, the Illinois General Assembly approved expansion funding to broaden the services to the model
currently in use, and Housing and Dining provided space for additional tutoring centers. Further evidence of the
university’s support for the Grant Tutoring Center is demonstrated by the reallocation of funds within the Division of
Academic and Student Affairs for the renovation of space and the purchase of furnishings, computers, and other
materials.
In terms of cost effectiveness, tutoring has a positive effect on course performance, grade performance, overall GPAs,
and re-enrollment, contributing directly to retention rates and ultimately, graduation from NIU. Mastering courses the
first time enables departments to reduce instructional costs on students repeating courses. Success in lower-division
courses means that students are more likely to move into major courses without delay, reducing time to graduation.
What are the results/measurable outcomes? Since the tutoring centers were introduced into the campus culture in
2000, first-year retention rates have increased. Tutoring is very likely to have contributed to that in a number of ways.
Thanks to the addition of the Grant Tutoring Center facility and the publicity associated with the tutoring programs,
1,500 students received 10,614 hours of tutoring during the 2005-2006 academic year. These data show a 40 percent
increase in student use of tutoring services in the Grant facility in 2005-2006, a 30 percent increase in tutoring
services usage overall compared to the 2004-2005, and 100 percent increase in tutoring hours from 2003-2004.
National studies, replicated within the NIU ACCESS programs, have shown that tutoring has a significant impact on
student retention by improving study strategies and academic performance, which result in re-enrollment and a larger
number of students remaining in good academic standing. CHANCE special-admission students who use tutoring
services are more likely to return for subsequent semesters at NIU, and show, on average, higher GPAs in relationship
to the amount of tutoring they received. All students participating in tutoring services are asked to evaluate the
program. In 2004-2005, of those who indicated that they had used the Grant Tutoring Center services, 94 percent
indicated that they found them to be beneficial.
Contact Information
Name: Virginia R. Cassidy
Email: vcassidy@niu.edu
Phone: (815) 753-0492
88