Advancing Equity in Education by Supporting All Learners
LRC MISSION STATEMENT:
The mission of the Learning Resource Center is to foster the necessary academic skills, mindsets, and behaviors to meet short- and long-term academic goals, support lifelong learning, and facilitate equitable outcomes for all CSUCI students, faculty, and staff.
The LRC accomplishes this mission by using a social justice framework in our approach to peer education and subject-based tutoring. We offer a welcoming and inclusive environment in which we meet our visitors at their personal starting point and celebrate their diverse abilities, perspectives, and ways of creating knowledge. We provide the structure, knowledge, and strategies for each individual to reach their academic potential. The LRC supports the mission of the university by creating a student-centered place of developing interdisciplinary scholarship, a home away from home, and a community of peer educators to guide visitors on their academic journey. We promote active and engaged learning through our peer-education model that can be summed up in three simple words: students empowering students.
LRC Policies and Procedures for Inclusive Scholarship
The LRC maintains an environment of respect, inclusivity, and welcome in all our environments, both in person and virtually. We are committed to supporting the academic success and well-being of all CSUCI students, staff, and faculty. As such, tutors and visitors to the LRC are expected to uphold professional and collegial standards of behavior. The following policies ensure a mutually supportive environment for scholastic pursuits:
- The LRC upholds the University guidelines for the Student Code of Conduct
- All students must be signed in and out by a Welcome Desk Host for both in-person and virtual Center visits.
- Tutors and Center visitors will keep all language friendly, respectful, and professional. Profanity will not be tolerated within the center.
- No inappropriate behavior will be tolerated within the center (offensive speech, unwelcome romantic advances, provocative language/gestures).
- No alcoholic beverages, smoking, vaping, or drugs are permitted at any time while in the physical and/or virtual center.
- Eating and drinking is permitted in moderation during sessions.
- Please come prepared to work on specific material.
- Tutors are not here to complete your assignments for you, but can help you structure your work and reinforce your conceptual understanding in order to better complete your assignment.
- When in virtual sessions, use of the microphone is strongly encouraged, as communications through the zoom chat have a higher likelihood of misinterpretation.
- When sharing screens during virtual sessions, please be sure that all visible content is suitable for work and academic engagement.
- Peer Educators will always have their webcams on during virtual tutoring sessions.
- Students are encouraged to have their cameras on during virtual sessions.
- The LRC offers laptops, textbooks, scientific and graphing calculators, office supplies, whiteboard markers/erasers, and other materials for in-Center use. Students who wish to borrow any of the supplies should ask for assistance from an LRC employee. Items must remain in the LRC at all times.
- Please remember that tutors are students too! Tutors work specific hours in the Center and must carefully balance their academic workload during their off-hours. We ask that students, therefore, respect tutors’ time outside of their Center hours and restrict their questions to tutoring sessions in the Center or during designated work hours.
Academic Integrity Policies at the LRC
- LRC Tutors are here to support students’ development of independent learning skills and conceptual mastery. They are not here to provide answers directly, but rather to facilitate deep comprehension and strengthen content knowledge with their tutees.
- Tutors may not provide help with exam, test, or quiz questions without written consent of their professor.
- Students must present their own work during sessions (no Chegg, Slader, Yahoo answers, etc.).
- Tutors may request verification of source documents at any time.
- By enrolling at CSUCI, you are responsible for upholding the University’s policies and the Student Conduct Code. Academic integrity and scholarship are values of the institution that ensure respect for the academic reputation of the University, students, faculty, and staff. Cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration with another student are all considered violations of the Student Conduct Code. If a student is found committing an act of academic dishonesty in the Center, the student may receive academic penalties including a disciplinary referral to both their professor and the Dean of Students office.
The LRC partners closely with many campus departments, including CI’s Disability Accommodations and Support Services (DASS). The purpose of DASS is to ensure that the CSUCI educational experience is accessible to all students. The LRC supports the efforts of DASS by offering tutoring accommodations for students with disabilities. For more information, please visit the DASS website.
Tutoring Sessions
- Drop-in tutoring sessions are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Drop-in tutoring sessions will last no longer than 2 hours (and only if the tutor has such availability).
- If a student is working with a tutor for longer than 30 minutes, they may be asked to work on their own for 15 minutes each hour to promote independent learning.
- If a tutor has multiple students requesting their help, they may restrict each working session to increments of 20 minutes per student, cycling between students every 20 minutes.
- Please bring all relevant materials to the session (notes/textbooks/lecture videos, etc.).
- Tutors are trained to guide students, help them understand concepts, and promote good study habits; as such, they may not provide answers or teach new concepts beyond which the professor has taught.
- A tutoring session is not a substitute for missed lectures or missed coursework.
- Tutors must take a 10 minute break for every 60 minutes that they are working.
Tutoring Appointments
- Tutoring appointments are available through our Appointment Request Form
- Tutoring appointments last 30 minutes for each session.
- Appointment requests must be submitted at least two business days in advance; same-day and next-day appointments are not available.
- Each student is limited to two 30-minute appointments per course, per week.
- Appointments are subject to tutor availability; requests for dates more than four weeks from the date of request will not be accepted due to schedule variance.
- Individual and group appointments are available.
- Drop-in tutoring may be used once appointment maximum has been reached.
Technology Requirements for Online Tutoring
The following will be needed in order to access online tutoring:
- Zoom app
- Personal computer, laptop, or tablet/smartphone with internet access
- A microphone
- A webcam (optional but highly recommended)