What is Academic Embedding?
Academic Embedding means instructors include the Academic Support Center in their course curriculum. It incorporates tailored and timely support through a variety of methods. Information about our models of Academic Embedding is outlined below.
Academic Embedding Models
For project-based courses, consider attaching academic support to an assignment or project. Select one assignment (or project) that students have struggled with the most in the past. Students will meet with a tutor before submitting their final products for grading.
For content-heavy courses, consider including support for a specific chapter or topic. If students struggle with the same topic every semester, a Structured Study Group may help. Several students in your class can work together with a tutor to further their mastery. Students will also be welcome to attend tutoring sessions throughout the semester.
We can also offer an embedded tutor. This means the tutor will visit your classroom and work with you and your students. The tutor can have as much or as little presence in your class as you would like. In the past, tutors have been embedded in writing classrooms during peer review sessions. This enabled struggling students to have extra support as they worked through their drafts.
You could also incorporate mandatory tutoring hours into the course grade, where students are required to meet with a tutor a specified number of times throughout the semester as part of their final grade.
Benefits of Academic Embedding
Including Academic Embedding means spending more time on content, meeting learning objectives more easily, and having an ally who supports instruction.
Success Stories/Instructor Feedback
"All of the students who participated earned a C or better." -Anonymous Survey Response, January 2017
"The students in the class that received this service scored 5 points higher on the Final Exam than the students who did not receive this service." -Anonymous Survey Response, January 2017
"I think it made a world of difference for some of the students last semester." -Danielle Morganti, January 2016
"23.5% of the students who took the quiz participated [in Academic Support Center activities]. The 3 highest grades on the quiz [overall] participated, and 3 students [who participated] had their highest quiz grade ever. So, I'd say it did help." -Henry Ryder, April 2016
"After grading the second tests, I compared the results between the two tests for the students (3) who attended at least one tutoring session. All three students did significantly better on the second test. Two students' scores improved by over 20%. I will definitely continue using this program in the future." -Emily Maddox, April 2016
A Note about Student Usage
After several semesters of experimenting with the various models and options, we've found that voluntary participation yields no results. Extra credit opportunities lead to few participants. Whereas, mandatory participation means 60-85% student involvement. Based on the data, we recommend mandatory participation.
Contact Information
If you would like to try Academic Embedding in your classes, please contact Nicholas Shepherd, Director, Academic Support Center, [email protected]; 415-2248.
We're looking forward to working with you!
