Here is language you can cut and paste into syllabi, Canvas, or other communications with students.
Short version:
We have a learning center just for students in the College of Professional Studies & Fine Arts (PSFA) and Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). It’s called the PSFA Academic Resource Center (PARC).
Make appointments for free tutoring sessions in art, communication, criminal justice, journalism, and music. Or come to drop-in tutoring for which appointments are not required.
And make appointments for free learning coaching, where we focus on the same areas you might with a sports coach: strength, flexibility, agility, and endurance--only, instead of working out your quads or biceps, in learning coaching you work out your brain! Develop strategies for reading, writing, note taking, studying and test taking; personalized organization skills; and more. Sessions are 1-hour long and can be virtual or face-to-face.
The PARC also has 2 study and recharge locations: North PARC (in PSFA 200) and South PARC (in Adams-Humanities 4231), and a Virtual Learning Center on Discord to log into from anywhere.
We have a learning center just for students in the College of Professional Studies & Fine Arts (PSFA) and Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC)! It’s called the PSFA Academic Resource Center (PARC).
Make appointments for free tutoring sessions with trained PARC tutors, who are friendly, trained students. Sign up for 1-hour virtual or face-to-face sessions in any of the following subjects:
Art
Communication
Criminal Justice
Journalism
Music
Or come to drop-in tutoring for which appointments are not required.
And make appointments for free learning coaching, where we focus on the same areas you might with a sports coach: strength, flexibility, agility, and endurance--only, instead of working out your quads or biceps, in learning coaching you work out your brain! Develop strategies for reading, writing, note taking, studying and test taking; personalized organization skills; and more. Sessions are 1-hour long and can be virtual or face-to-face.
The PARC also has 2 study and recharge locations where you can spend time, grab free snacks/groceries and school supplies, use the kitchenette (e.g. refrigerator, microwave, and hot pot), and charge your devices: North PARC (in PSFA 200) and South PARC (in Adams-Humanities 4231), and a Virtual Learning Center on Discord to log into from anywhere.
If you would like members of our team to come your class to make a very brief announcement about the PARC, please fill out this super short Google form.
In-Class Workshops
Invite PARC tutors or coaches into your face-to-face or virtual classes to lead interactive workshops to teach your students metacognitive thinking (i.e., how to learn)!
Metacognitive learning strategies are associated with higher course grades, GPAs, and other markers of student success (McGuire, 2015; Perry, et al., 2018; van der Stel &Veenman, 2013). In AY 2022-23, course grades of students in the PARC’s embedded tutoring program, in which faculty and tutors team up to teach metacognitive learning strategies, were 0.3 points higher than their peers’ (p<0.05). Students are more likely to participate in academic support activities like tutoring when these activities are well-promoted and normalized (Bornschlegel &Caltabiano, 2022); and, students are more likely to ask questions when they perceive questions as being welcomed in the classroom (Micari & Calkins, 2019).
Our work is grounded in constructivist learning theory (Mcleod, 2024). People often think of learning as the passive transmission of knowledge from teacher to student. In contrast, constructivists see learning as an active process in which knowledge is formed by an individual or co-constructed with others, including the instructor, by bringing prior knowledge to bear on new experiences.
Incentives for Students to Attend PARC Sessions or Workshops
If you would like to offer an incentive, such as extra credit or a small assignment, we suggest you have them choose from attending a workshop, or one tutoring, or learning coaching session, not just seeing the study spaces. If you do this, we recommend that they be required to write a reflection that can be shared with the PARC team, which helps us as part of our feedback and assessment. Sample language for such an assignment is linked here.
Become a PARC Partner
We LOVE faculty PARC-ners and there are a variety of ways you can collaborate with us–including some you’ve likely thought of that we haven’t yet! If you'd like to join us in offering a workshop for students to succeed in your discipline or class, help us develop learning handouts for your class, etc., or have your office hours in the PARC, for example, please fill out this form.
Metacognitive Strategies to Use in the Classroom
Some of you asked for simple things you can do in your teaching to assist in helping students with metacognition and learning how to learn.
A simple thing that takes no training and can have good results in student success is to use transparency when teaching, particularly about assignments, tasks, and readings. Essentially, this strategy entails explaining why you are asking students to do what you are asking and then showing or explaining effective or suggested ways to complete the reading or assignment.
Here's a list of metacognitive strategies you can utilize in your classroom. To get started, we recommend choosing one to try this semester.
We also have a virtual learning center on Discord that SDSU community members are welcome to join! On our Discord, students can hangout, get help making tutoring or coaching appointments from our welcome desk staff, and to ask quick questions of our tutors and learning coaches.
