�Incorporating Equitable Student-Led Study Groups into Your Learning Center�David Arendale, Univ. of MN-Twin Cities�� https://www.arendale.org/2023-equity

Thank You & Acknowledgement

• Peer study group leaders, www.palgroups.org
• Brian Fredrickson and Erik Tolsrud, UGTAs and Elsa Pan and Kari-Ann Ediger, GRAs

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• Reviewers of the CLA Guidelines and the new antiracism policies and practices for PAL
• Colleagues of Color for Social Justice, https://z.umn.edu/ccsjsite
• Colleagues in the field of learning assistance and DE
• Growing professional literature on DEI
• I am a first-generation college student

Recognize Expertise Here Today

Google Images, Creative Commons License

An “Original” Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs

• Programs we manage
• Academic access programs (TRIO, etc.)
• Developmental education-level courses
• Learning centers
• Peer learning programs
• Tutoring programs
• Students who we serve (little to no social capital)
• Academically-disadvantaged
• Economically-disadvantaged
• First-generation college
• Historically-underrepresented
• Marginalized
• However, we have much to learn and improve

renjith krishan image used by permission

Three Ways to Interact

• Deeper dive into the webinar website, https://www.arendale.org/2023-equity
• Ask questions during the webinar
• Afterward, call or email me

INTRODUCTION

What Have I Learned to Prepare Me to Share Today?

Colleagues of Color�for Social Justice

• https://z.umn.edu/ccsjsite
• Collaborating on writing and media projects involving classroom instruction and educational equity programs that intersect with race and social justice.

Key Antiracism Resources�All have been field tested

• Antiracist Activities and Policies for Student-led Study Groups
• Course-based Learning Assistance Guide
• Antiracism Glossary for Education & Life

renjith krishan image used by permission

Key Definitions

• Antiracism (verb): action of actively opposing racism by advocating for changes in political, economic, and social life.
• Climate: perceptions and experiences by individual members of organization environment.
• Microaggression: small daily insults and indignities perpetuated against marginalized or oppressed people
• Structural racism: ways history, culture, ideology, public policies, institutional practices, and personal behaviors and beliefs interact to maintain a hierarchy

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Highly Recommended Reading

Frye, R., Barone, M. C., Hammond, N., Eloi-Evans, S., Trenshaw, K., & Raucci, M. (2021). Incentives and barriers to participation in PLTL workshop spaces: An exploration of underrepresented students' experiences. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering. Available as a free download. https://doi.org/10.1615/JWomenMinorScienEng.2021029908

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One Relationship Can Make the Difference

• Strong predictor of student persistence is whether one person at the institution knows them by names and greets them.
• It does not matter what the role is of the person at the institution (advisor, instructor, maintenance person, food service, student)
• Helps explain positive impact of clubs, Greek life, athletic teams, jobs, band, and more
• Ruffalo Noel Levitz Centers for Student Success, https://www.ruffalonl.com/

Customer Service�“Moments of Truth”

• A specific event in time when customer comes into contact with some aspect of the organization and experiences its service.
• Every time customers evaluate whether price they paid (time or money) equals or exceeds the value of what they were promised and received.

Sense of “Belonging”

• See themselves as members of a community composed of other students, faculty, and staff who value their membership
• Daily interactions with others
• Campus climate
• Perceive college as welcome and a culture of inclusion
• Learning occurs in communities
• Curriculum is relevant to them individually

Tinto, V. (2019). Essay on how to improve student persistence and competition, insideHigherEd.com

https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2016/09/26/how-improve-student-persistence-and-completion-essay

renjith krishan image

used by permission

Greatest Threat to a Sense of Belonging is Racism & Marginalization

• Experienced as a single “Moment of Truth” or an accumulation of experiences over time from the same or multiple sources
• Peer learning sessions positioned as a place for an inclusive environment, more than just the absence of racism and marginalization

Why Add Peer Groups?

• Serve more students at the same time
• Serve more with the same cost as a tutor
• Many approaches for offering student-led study groups
• Training ground for new tutors

Five Brief Examples of Peer Programs�https://z.umn.edu/lcpeergroups�Web link provided to their learning center

• University of Memphis
• College of Coastal Georgia
• Princeton University
• University of Michigan
• University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Educational Support Program Learning Center, Tutoring@ESP

• Students in the same class gather at the same table
• Focus on homework, lectures, or upcoming exam
• Study group leader may be a tutor who previously completed the same course
• If student leader concurrently enrolled in the same course, they are called a StudyBuddy
• Prospective tutors or leaders complete 15 clock-hour training to be a certified tutor
• More details in the handout on the website

Academic Tutoring/Instruction Center

• All tutors and group leaders are CRLA certified
• Study groups are formed organically in the learning center. Students are welcome to drop by and listen in on a tutoring session.
• When two or more students join for group tutoring on the same subject, the tutor and other students move to a nearby room.
• Rooms equipped with whiteboards, electronic FLIP boards, and tables.
• More details on the handout.

McGraw Center for Teaching & Learning

• TigerStudy is an online system for matching up students for their study groups for the same class.
• Students initiate contact and collaboration. They will set their own schedule for the study sessions.
• Materials are provided to the student members on how to run their sessions effectively.
• It is the choice of students whether the groups meet online or in person.
• Upon request, the center provides guidance and help.
• More details in the handout.

Science Learning Center

• Highly structured student study groups
• All study group leaders are extensively trained.
• Each term 200 student facilitators for 250 groups.
• Student “Course Leaders” serve as point persons among the faculty, the learning center, and the facilitators for the course they support. They assist with training, session content creation, and alignment.
• Students must register for the sessions; missing more than three weekly sessions results in dismissal.
• More details in the handout.

Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) Groups

• Based on best practices of SI-PASS, PLTL, and others
• Focus on historically-difficult courses
• Partnership with the course instructor and department
• Facilitator paid to plan for & conduct weekly sessions
• Sessions occur in the SMART Learning Commons spaces and classrooms
• Extensive training, mentoring, and evaluation
• More details in the handout and web links to several online training manuals created by staff and students.

renjith krishan image used by permission

Old Sayings

• You never get a second chance for a first impression.
• There may never be a second chance if the first impression goes bad or does not connect with the student

Campus Culture is Built Daily Through�“Moments of Truth”

• A specific event in time when the student comes into contact with some aspect of the college experience.
• Every time students evaluate whether the price they have paid (time or money) equals or exceeds the value of what they were promised.

Albrecht, K., & Zemke, R. (1990). Service America in the new economy. New York, NY: Grand Central Publishing.

One Relationship Can Make the Difference

• Strong predictor of student persistence is whether one person at the institution knows them by name and greets them.
• It does not matter what the role is of the person (advisor, instructor, maintenance person, food service, student)
• Helps explain the positive impact of clubs, Greek life, athletic teams, jobs, band, and more
• Ruffalo Noel Levitz Centers for Student Success, https://www.ruffalonl.com/

Closely Examine Your�First Impressions

• Website and social media
• Outside building signage
• Inside building directional signage
• Location of the LC on campus
• Images/text on the LC walls
• LC facility and furniture
• Interaction with student staff
• Talk with LC advisory committee

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renjith krishan image used by permission

Froshay Learning Center

Oral Roberts University�Center for Academic Advisement and Tutoring

The TRIO Learning Center honors diversity. We all work together to create a safe environment where everyone is treated with respect and dignity. All people are welcome here!

Skyline College (CA) Learning Center�https://skylinecollege.edu/learningcenter/

LC Website

Thank You for Visiting�Please Come Again Soon

How Stage the Image Even Better?

Academic Support Center�https://minneapolis.edu/student-services/academic-success-center

Typical Bank Lobby

Capital One Café Bank�Whether you bank with us or not, everyone is welcome to come relax and recharge at our Cafés. They’re truly a community space and here to support your everyday well-being.

What Is Already Known About Campus Culture?

Elements of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement

• Short “headline” title
• Contains vision statement
• Some specific benchmarks
• Short in length and short on jargon

We Are Better Together

• Our mission is to help students excel in learning. Embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is a necessary part of our culture. The collective sum of our individual differences make us stronger through eliminating barriers and implementing evidence-based best learning practices.
• It is an ongoing process to enact a culture of DEI within our learning center that identifies barriers based on bias, racism, and organizational structures that support the same. We foster a learning environment that celebrates social justice and inclusive learning which lead to higher student achievement and personal success.

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What kind of diversity, equity, inclusion (or more) statement is on your website, wall of your learning center, course syllabus, bookmarks, of other items you display or give to students?

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Who should be involved in writing and revising the DEI statement?

SUNY at Plattsburg �Karin Killough

• At the start of our monthly staff meetings, we have added a slide to our PowerPoint that includes a welcome and expresses a commitment to DEI and anti-racist work.

SUNY at Plattsburg �Karin Killough

• For our first staff meeting of the semester, we asked students to share with us how they greet or welcome people here in our Learning Center or in their lives, and we created a graduation cap word cloud with the different expressions, in different languages. We know that we will need to continually address our own blind spots and our respective privilege, but we are "all in" as the saying goes.

LC Equipment, Space, and Furnishings�https://www.lsche.net/furnishings/

• Recognize you have limitations
• Funds
• Location for your learning center
• Encourage you to visit other LC websites, social media, and locations, LSCHE provides links to 1500+ websites with award winners, https://www.lsche.net/lsc_websites/
• Build a case for change and needed resources

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Questions about First Impressions

• Is diversity displayed in images on the LC website, social media, brochures, etc.?
• Is signage to the center clear and large in size?
• Are there Images and text on the center walls?
• Center check-in/welcome desk location. Is it the first place students walk into or is it at the back?
• Greeting displayed by the desk staff member. Who talks first, staff member or the student? Is customer service training provided for all students and staff?
• Is there comfortable furniture and worktables?
• Is the LC in the campus student traffic flow?
• How do you outreach with student groups?

Mission and Goals

• Diversity of students served and staff and student leaders equals/exceeds institution diversity.
• Staff meet periodically with students of various identity backgrounds to listen to their issues, concerns, ideas, and solutions.
• Staff and facilitators have active professional development program throughout their careers which includes continued discussions of race issues, gender identity, sexual identity, first-generation college student, recent immigrants and others.

SUNY Ulster County Community College

• We incorporated in our center's mission statement: Offer academic support to students with diverse needs and challenges.

Assessment and Evaluation

• Evaluate participation levels by different categories including gender identity and race. Include the staff facilitators’ demographics for gender identity and race as well.
• Evaluate the immediate student outcomes regarding final grades within the target course of participants and nonparticipants and periodically also by other identity groups: gender identity, race, first-generation college, and more.

Questions About Evaluation

• How are you measuring the diversity of students served?
• Who sees this diversity report? Who should see it?

renjith krishan image used by permission

Greatest Threat to a Sense of Belonging is Racism & Marginalization

• Experienced as a single “Moment of Truth” or an accumulation of experiences over time from the same or multiple sources
• Classes, tutoring sessions, small study groups, and learning centers are positioned as a place for an inclusive environment, more than just the absence of racism and marginalization
• We are the frontlines of establishing a positive and inviting campus culture

Facilitator Disclosure Choices

• Leaders avoid words and behaviors that demonstrate their own academic prowess and social capital.
• Leaders are careful not to send the message that the issues, readings, or materials are easy or disrupts that message if shared by others.
• Leaders display humility during their sessions. They share their specific challenges as students, their struggles with course material, messy processes they use to solve problems.

Niagara University, Sharon Green (ret.)

I added articles to my integrated reading/writing course that are by authors of color and that prompt thoughtful student discussion on issues of race and class.

Avoid Competitive Activities

• Avoid competitive activities. These activities can provoke anxiety among students who need more time to complete the activity and generate a false perception of winners and losers.

Dive Deeper and Slower

• Dive deeper into a smaller number of problems by understanding the steps and practicing them to solve rather than racing through many questions to identify the right answer.
• Avoid the race to be right and accidentally leave others behind.

Be Sure Everyone Understands

• Leaders move the group forward after all successfully solving the problem. Waiting requires the leader to read students' verbal/nonverbal behaviors to avoid embarrassing the student holding the group up.

Regulate Conversation Flow

• Leader does not permit one or a small group of students to dominate the conversation or answer most questions.
• Students who speak more are often perceived as more knowledgeable and having higher intellectual ability than those who do not.
• This can lead to some students creating self-stigma. This can lead students with passing grades to drop out of college.

SUNY Genesee Community College, Chelsea O’Brien

• We focus a good amount on diversity in our space because campus as a whole doesn't have the same focus. We look at diversity of thought, neurodivergence, disability, race, dialects, gender, age, and socioeconomic status.

What are specific actions taken while planning a session and taken during the session to combat racism and marginalization?

SUNY at Plattsburg �Karin Killough

• As a staff, we are trying to participate in as many DEI trainings as time and budgets permit. It is our hope to then infuse what we learn into our peer tutor program--from training our peer tutors to the messaging that we use to promote our services to our BIPOC students.

Prof. Development of Leaders

• Increase antiracism and cultural competence skills with analysis of videos.
• In-service programs enhance awareness of student diversity (examples: race, ethnicity, first-generation college, home language, home educational background, religion, gender identity, sexual identity, socioeconomic group, age, and differing abilities.)

Intentional Reflections

• Facilitator intentionally reflects on their work experience at least every two weeks.
• Topics for this reflection could be a summary of memorable session events or prompted by the program administrator
• Examples: leadership skills, communication skills, gender and racial awareness and new behaviors displayed, content knowledge, and career choice)

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SUNY Genesee Community College, Chelsea O’Brien

• During training, tutors learn about power dynamics in tutoring sessions.

Applicant Pool

• Faculty member of the target course forward the names of potential facilitators. These students are added to those already gathered by the program administrator through aggressive job posting advertisements and direct contact with multicultural organizations to solicit applicants.
• The program administrator makes the final hiring decision.
• The facilitator and faculty member need to be clear that the program administrator is their employer.

Too Often Faculty Criteria

• Earned an A or A+ in their course
• Sat on the front row in the classroom
• Frequently talked with the instructor before, during, after, outside class, and during instructor office hours
• Often share the same demographics

Desirable Facilitator Traits

Facilitator profile share common traits: (a) successfully struggled with course material to achieve a final course grade of B or an A and can help others to do the same; (b) understands the challenges with course material and has patience to help all students succeed; (c) possesses good organization and communication skills; (d) possesses a teachable-attitude to learn how to be an effective facilitator of the group and not emulate teacher behaviors; (e) displays cultural competence to work with a diverse group of participants; and (f) joins a team of facilitators that reflect or exceed the demographics of the student body….

What are the desirable traits you look for when hiring a new study group facilitator or tutor?

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

Webinar Take-a-Ways

renjith krishan image used by permission

What are two changes that you will implement as a result of today’s session?

For More Information

• David R. Arendale, Ph.D., arendale@umn.edu and 612-812-0032
• Webinar-related materials: https://www.arendale.org/2023-equity
• Personal website, https://arendale.org
• Peer learning resources, https://www.arendale.org/peer-learning-resources