Office of Academic Support

What does The Office of Academic Support provide for students?

The mission of the Office of Academic Support is to help students realize their academic potential. For the good student who wants to improve their GPA, or for the student who is struggling academically, there are skills and strategies that can enhance academic performance. The services and programs that are available through this office that will help students do better academically, include the following options.

•    Academic skills and strategies instruction

           ° Time management

           ° Reading Skills

           ° Classroom skills and strategies

           ° Exam preparation

•    Academic time management assistance
•    Regular, ongoing support
•     Academic problem solving
•    Academic skills assessments and inventories
•    The "Targeting Academic Success" program
•    Early warnings about academic deficiencies
•    Academic skills information lending library

More detailed information about several of these options follows.

Academic skills instruction

Contrary to popular belief, academic skills are not intuitive to everyone. In fact, like musical skills or athletic skills, when study skills are learned and practiced, students typically get better grades. You can call x5964 or use the above link to request a tutorial or to get information about when group sessions will be available, either for individuals or for groups.

   Academic time management

             This includes discussions about semester long planning, as well as day to day, and weekly time  management strategies.           

Reading strategies

          Effective reading in college means you cannot read all types of texts the same way. An effective reader will approach a text book, a thesis essay, a non-fiction book, or a work of fiction in different ways.

Classroom skills and strategies

           Listening skills, how to make meaningful contributions to class discussions, and effective recording and  use of class notes are some of the important skills needed for effective classroom performance.

Exam preparation

              How one organizes to prepare for exams is an important part of improving test grades, and these preparation strategies can lead to improved exam performance.

Academic time management options

The most important predictor of academic success is effective time management. Yet, college time management is very different from anything most student have ever experienced previously. It is especially different from high school where students are kept in school 8 hours a day, then return home to a living environment that often facilitates doing homework. In college, you typically have 2-3 hours of class per-day, and the rest of your time is up to you. Suddenly, you are in college and expected to know how to manage your time in a college environment. If you would like to improve your college academic time management, the following options are available to you.

1. Personalized time management system

You can have a personalized academic time management system designed specifically for you. Call x5964 or click on the banner at the top of this web page to contact this office for an appointment.

2. Time management tutorial

You can request a tutorial and learn how to design your own academic time management system.

3. Do it yourself

You can design you own schedule and system using the forms that are linked to and available on this web page.
 

Time management 14-hour day sheet
Time management 24-hour day sheet
Syllabus map and calendar

 

Study skills assessments and inventories

Would you like to find out what academic skills and strategies would help you to improve your academic performance? This office has several academic skills inventories available that will help you to learn about your academic strengths and weaknesses, as well as the strategies that either contribute or detract from your academic success.

The specific inventories available are:
· LASSI (Learning and Study Strategies Inventory)
· SBI (Study Behaviors Inventory)
· MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator)

Program: Targeting Academic Success

The option to participate in an academic success program is available to you from the Coordinator of Academic Support. Students who have participated in this program in good faith have typically increases their grade point averages, sometimes dramatically.

The "Targeting Academic Success" Program includes:

· Weekly or regular meetings with Ginny for support and problem solving
· Academic time management
· Discussions about strategies for academic success
· Academic skills assessments
· Academic skills instruction
· Early warning notification from faculty for academic deficiencies
· Academic skills information books and information sheets
· Academic problem-solving assistance

Individualized assistance and support

If you are struggling academically, or unsure about how to approach an academic difficulty, you can contact Ginny for assistance. She has a broad range of experience at SLU and can be a helpful resource for academic problem solving. Some specific possibilities that can be discussed in individual meetings include:

-How to improve your grades
-How to design a strategy to address academic challenges
-How to design an academic recovery plan

You can request regularly scheduled meetings with Ginny, weekly or biweekly which provides an opportunity for continuing support throughout the semester.