Science Resource Center

1. Science Resource Center Sydney Richards, Jory Lusk, Tyler Green, Peter Iles, Ron Valcarce, Luther Giddings, Neil Bastian Salt Lake Community College 4600 South Redwood Rd. Salt Lake City Utah, 84130 • Conclusions and Future Work • The increase in available tutoring has led to a significant increase in the number of students receiving help from the SRC. • An increase in space will give us the capacity to offer more group study space and also quiet study space. A temporary working solution is to use an adjacent lab that is often unused. • Further funding, whether one-time or continual, will enable continued increased staffing levels and the continuation of the three-tiered tutor model. • Further funding will also make it possible to groom and advance student tutors as capable SRC managers. • The SRC will continue to accumulate useful teaching resources, including new engineering and math textbooks and solution manuals. • Regular updating of computing hardware and software is also planned and needed. • Given SLCC’s multiple campuses, SRCs at other campuses are under discussion. • Student suggestions and comments are noted and taken into consideration for continual accommodation of student needs. • Ways to better serve biology students are under consideration. • An on-going campaign to advertise the SRC and it’s services is being made through flyers and word of mouth. The use of online media is under discussion and may be potentially useful. • Results and Discussion • Our students come from a variety of ethnicities and backgrounds, and have various subject matter interests. As a result, each year the demand for help increases this necessitates a demand for increased space. • Due to student demand, additional tutors were needed. One time funding was obtained for the 2012-2013 academic year . A three-tiered tutor system was formalized. Volunteer peer tutors, paid peer tutors and tutors with higher degrees, who are also adjunct faculty in the division of Natural Sciences and Engineering participate in this system. • This one-time funding also permitted multiple tutors to work at the same time. • Increase in tutor availability led to the greatest number of student visits since May 2010 (see graph 2.). • The projected number of student visits for 2012-2013 is 6,140. • Student visits for math and engineering, subjects new to the SRC, accounted for 15% of the total student volume (see graph 1.). • The Job Corps has donated interns who act as assistant coordinators . They have enabled the extension of the operating hours from 7 to 10 hours each day. They also assist with data entry and SRC organization and management. The Science Resource Center at SLCC is administered by the Division of Natural Sciences and Engineering to meet the needs of students for tutoring and other essential resources. Data on the number of students served and the associated costs is reported. The developmental history of the center is reported, along with improvements in tutorial availability and quality. The history of various factors influencing the development, the funding, space issues, and its blending with other resources of the division and school of Science Math and Engineering are discussed. Abstract Introduction Salt Lake Community College is an accredited, multi-campus college providing services for more than 60,000 students each year. With 13 sites, it is the largest institution of higher education in Utah. With the increasing enrollment of students in the sciences each year, many students have expressed a need for help. The Science Resource Center (SRC) is a meeting place for students to have one-on-one interactions with adjunct professors and tutors. It also provides space for study groups, computing resources, various textbooks, and study guides. Every year between 2008-2012 incremental improvements have been made to the SRC. These include a larger study area, a 75% increase in available textbooks and study guides, improved computing resources, and an increase in the number and quality of tutors. These were made possible by periodic one-time funding.While the SRC had part-time coordinators from 2009 to 2012, in July 2012 a tutor was promoted to the position of part-time coordinator. With her previous tutoring experience her insights enabled her to more efficiently manage the SRC while remaining an active tutor. In Spring 2013, the SRC expanded to include engineering and math subjects.While the SRC has continually progressed, specific needs remain. These include more space for current operations, larger group study areas, and quiet study space. Image 1. Science Resource Center. • Acknowledgements • NASA • Peer Tutors • Job Corps Clearfield , Utah • SLCC Division Of Natural Science office and faculty • Clifton Sanders, Dean: School of Science, Math and Engineering Departments, SLCC • Dr. Mary Jane Keleher, Department Chair, Biology Department, SLCC • Adam Dastrup, Geosciences, SLCC • TrinaVanAusdal and Jonathan Barnes, Physics Department, SLCC • Dr. Holly Moore and Francis Afghan, Engineering Department, SLCC Graph 1. Percentage breakdown of subjects tutored in SRC for Spring 2013. Graph 2. SRC Student Visit Data from 2010-2013.