Academic Learning Center

About Academic Learning Center Certification:

The Academic Learning Center (ALC) received the International Tutor Program Certification (ITPC) for Level I from the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA). Over 1,000 college and university tutorial programs in the United States and Canada have received tutor training certification through CRLA's International Tutor Program Certification (ITPC). The purpose of this program is twofold. First, it provides recognition and positive reinforcement for tutors' successful work from an international organization, CRLA. Second, its certification process sets a standard of skills and training for tutors. This may promote greater student and faculty confidence and respect for our tutorial staff and program. CRLA certifies programs, not individual tutors. In other words, CRLA certifies that a particular tutor training program is qualified to issue CRLA certificates to individual tutors at certain levels.

Currently, ALC tutors are eligible for CRLA Certification since they met the required certification criteria for tutor training and experience last semester. Tutor training workshops are offered and required each semester. The tutoring workshops teach strategies and provide hands-on practice to empower tutors with the ability to help students. Tutor training focuses on the following areas:

• Basic Tutoring Guidelines: Compliance With The Ethics and Philosophy of the Tutor Program
• Study Skills and Learning Styles
• Strategies for Tutoring Writing - Will the Real Author Please Stand Up: Who’s Writing the Paper?
• Tutoring ESL and International Students
• Tutoring Learning Skills
• Working with Students with Learning Disabilities
• Topic Specific Tutoring:
  • Strategies for using the APA Handbook
  • Guidelines for Critiquing an Article
  • Organizing a Literature Review
  • Proper Paraphrasing and Citation

 ALC tutors will be encouraged to add CRLA Tutor Certification to their resumes and to talk about their training and experience in job interviews. After tutoring for one year, most of our tutors have been selected and offered a Teaching Assistant (TA) position by professors. Well trained certified tutors benefit the university, faculty, students, and help to provide academic opportunities for tutors.