TIC-TAC-TOE tutoring services win prestigious award

TIC TAC TOE • •

Tutoring services win prestigious award

The Academic Enhancement Center’s (AEC) TIC-TAC-TOE program recently won a University System of Georgia Chancellor’s Service Excellence Student Improvement Initiative Team Award – Silver Level.

“The AEC team’s efforts were cited for improved satisfaction and student retention,” said Dr. T.J. Arant, senior vice president for Academic and Student Affairs and provost. “This is meaningful since GGC was designed specifically to ensure that students are able to find paths to success.”

More than 30 percent of all Georgia Gwinnett students use the AEC’s tutoring services at least once. The AEC provides about 18,000 tutoring sessions annually. In addition to serving students in the AEC itself, the center’s TIC-TAC-TOE program offers three types of tutoring service designed to increase accessibility for all students.

TIC is the Tutors in the Classroom program, which provides in-class tutoring support to complement classroom instruction. TIC tutors serve about 300 students each year.

“GGC’s attentive teaching model ensures that our students get more personal interaction with our faculty,” said Dr. Justin Jernigan, dean of the School of Transitional Studies which includes the AEC. “Although our average class size is only 21, a classroom tutor in certain courses can extend the faculty’s ability to address individual students’ needs, particularly if students are doing exercises during class and may encounter questions or problems. Our TIC tutors lends a hand to ensure that students receive the assistance they need.”

TAC is the unique Tutors Around Campus program, which provides tutoring services in gathering spaces and common areas throughout campus, such as the residence halls, dining hall, study areas or even on the lawn. TAC tutors provide about 150 sessions per semester, and there are plans to expand the program in the upcoming academic year.

“Many students may not have the time to visit the AEC or feel comfortable going to the center to ask for help,” said Jernigan. “We get around these barriers by placing tutors in strategic locations around campus where students can conveniently approach them in a casual setting.”

TOE, or Tutoring Online Everywhere, provides 24/7 assistance for students needing help after hours or from off-campus. In the most recent academic year, more than 430 students used the online service.

“The TIC-TAC-TOE program significantly extends the AEC’s reach beyond the walls of the center,” Jernigan said. “The program is distinctive to GGC and fits perfectly with the college’s focus on active student engagement and holistic student success.”

TIC-TAC-TOE was initially made possible by multiple grants from three private funders, each funding one or more pilot phases. Collectively, they contributed $219,850 to help launch this award-winning program in support of student success at GGC.

Joseph Hoffman, a GGC writing tutor, assists nursing major Rebecca Llewlyn, ’17, with a specialized writing format required for some of her coursework. Through the TAC program, Hoffman provides tutoring services in campus common areas, like the Building B atrium as shown.

Academic Enhancement Center

Serves all students at all academic levels • Located in Building C • Open 64 hours/week • Topic-specific workshops by faculty request 30 full- and part-time tutors 10 peer tutors 12 student assistants 55 faculty volunteer tutors 50 interactive workshops per semester