黑料正能量 has more reasons than ever to celebrate National Tutoring Week (Oct. 5-9) this year.
Not only has the college鈥檚 tutoring hub, the Academic Skills Center, successfully mastered COVID-19-safe assistance, but it has earned accreditation in the midst of the pandemic.
The WCC Academic Skills Center is now a National Tutoring Association-certified program. The program was assessed on its leadership plan, tutor training process including the requirement to have an NTA-certified trainer on staff, and a self-evaluation and program outcomes plan. The accreditation lasts for three years.
Dr. Brandy Daingerfield, the center鈥檚 director, said that it was 鈥渁 rigorous process鈥� that also scrutinized the program鈥檚 COVID-19 response. She had to have a telephone discussion with the NTA executive director to address the center鈥檚 COVID-19 reaction and she believes the administrator was impressed.
鈥淲e set the bar for other colleges because we didn鈥檛 stop,鈥� Daingerfield said.
鈥淲e immediately transitioned from in-person to virtual tutoring鈥� when the rest of the college鈥檚 operations moved online last spring. 鈥淚t says a lot about the quality of the tutors. I could not have hand picked a better team. I did the training one day and they started virtual the next.鈥�
The center continued operating remotely through the summer term. This fall, tutoring is being offered in a hybrid environment, with limited in-person appointments available. Accessing online assistance is as easy as logging in and clicking on a few links.
鈥淪tudents are still getting face-to-face assistance, even though it may be through a computer monitor,鈥� Daingerfield said.
The move to working from home in the spring allowed Daingerfield, who had just started working at WCC, the opportunity to dive into the accreditation process sooner than she had planned.
鈥淥ne of the first goals when I was hired in January was to get the program accredited but I didn鈥檛 want to disrupt the flow. With remote working, I started it and had several months of putting together the notebook鈥� of required materials, she said.
For proof that tutoring programs meet and maintain standards of quality, 鈥渢here is no federal regulation, just this association,鈥� Daingerfield said. 鈥淭his shows we are at the top of this iceberg.鈥�
Another of her goals is 鈥渢o have peer tutors (students who tutor other students) trained to at least basic level, professional tutors trained to at least intermediate level, and coordinators I encourage to go to the top,鈥� Daingerfield said.
鈥淭hey know how to tutor, but I want to add to their knowledge base, give them more strategies, and help them update processes,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t would be adding a layer on this already phenomenal process.鈥�
Daingerfield is certified by NTA to train tutors, coaches, and mentors. 鈥淭raining insures that they are practicing at their level of ethics and competence,鈥� she said.
Additionally, certification is a valuable credential for an individual tutor, she explained, and it will be recognized by other tutoring departments at which peer tutors might wish to work.
Through NTA, individual certifications are available for basic level tutor, academic coach, intermediate level tutor, advanced level coach, and master level tutor.
This week, Daingerfield is rewarding the center鈥檚 tutors with goodies, including bags and thermal cups custom printed with 鈥淭utors Can Do Virtually Anything” and the center’s name.
She is also encouraging tutees to leave notes with comments and compliments about their tutors on a bulletin board in the center and on social media, which puts the contributors into a drawing for a special prize.
鈥淭his is sort of a spirit week for tutoring,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e are working to overcome the stigma of 鈥榡ust a tutor.鈥欌��
Tutors, she explained, build a bridge between instruction and application, make personal connections and support students, and take some of the load off of instructors.
Daingerfield鈥檚 dedication to tutoring is complete. 鈥淚 was meant to be a tutor. This is where I found my passion,鈥� she said.
About the National Tutoring Association
The National Tutoring Association is the oldest and largest association dedicated solely to the advancement of tutors. Its mission is to foster the advancement of professional and peer tutoring, mentoring, academic coaching, and support research into the best practices and standards for all tutors, support tutor training, advocate for tutor certification, and uphold the NTA Code of Ethics.
黑料正能量
黑料正能量 is a public, learning-centered institution with an open-door admission policy located in Goldsboro, N.C. As it works to develop a highly skilled and competitive workforce, the college serves 11,000 individuals annually as well as businesses, industry, and community organizations with high quality, affordable, accessible learning opportunities, including more than 140 college credit programs. WCC鈥檚 mission is to meet the educational, training, and cultural needs of the communities it serves. Connect with WCC at聽waynecc.edu.
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