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Why should I visit the Learning Center?

You should visit if you'd like to learn more about and improve your communication. Come if you're tossing ideas around for an assignment or if you'd like suggestions about a draft. You may be doing well in your classes but want to know how your writing will affect a reader or how you can read with more insight. If you'd like to rehearse a presentation or write a resume for a job application, you should visit the Learning Center. A professor, advisor, or labor supervisor might ask you to make one or more visits.

At what point in an assignment can the Learning Center help?

We can assist anywhere from start to finish. We can help you:

• brainstorm to find a topic
• organize a rough draft
• proofread your own work to find errors and use more effective words
• start reading a new text or write about a text you have read several times
• plan and practice an oral presentation
• organize your study time for an exam

The earlier in an assignment you come to talk, the better we will be able to help you do your best.

Can I drop off a paper to be edited?

No, you must come in with your paper. You and your ideas are needed to ensure you get the most out of learning. We can help you do your work but we can't do your work for you. Working with a consultant, you can learn proofreading and editing strategies.

How long can I expect to be there?

Appointments generally are scheduled on the hour for a fifty-minute session. You may make as many follow-up appointments as you like. Several appointments are often best for working through an assignment.

What should I do to prepare for a visit?

Gather guidelines and tools for your assignment, and bring the assignment, texts, notes, drafts, questions, and a willingness to learn. Be sure you allow enough time to work with the consultant and to return if you want more feedback.

What exactly will happen when I visit?

After you register and meet your consultant, you'll sit together at a small table. The consultant will ask you questions about whatever you want to work on.

As you discuss the assignment and identify areas that need attention, the consultant will ask you what strategies you have already tried and will suggest other strategies that may help you improve your work.

At the end of your visit, we'll write a short report about what you worked on and how you plan to follow up. We'll also ask you to complete a brief evaluation of our services.

Will my professor find out about my visit?

Generally, yes. The session report includes a copy for you and one for your professor. Most professors are glad to know that you have invested extra effort in your learning.

Should I come to the Learning Center regularly or just when I need help on a particular assignment?

We’ll be glad to work with you on a particular assignment. But many students do set up regular appointments. That way you can work on a variety of assignments, discuss your approaches to learning, or get information about reading strategies, time management, or study skills.

If I visit the Learning Center, can you guarantee that I'll get a good grade?

Since grades are determined by professors in various ways, we can't predict grades. No person can guarantee that another person will learn, since we are each responsible for our own learning. We do know that people who are motivated and willing to work usually do make progress.

What materials do you have that might help me?

Tipsheets on a variety of topics, such as thesis statement, annotated bibliographies, and conflict management, are available for you to use and take with you. We keep copies of St. Martin's Handbook, MLA and APA style manuals, and various dictionaries for you to use at the Learning Center.

Videotapes on effective listening and studying as well as demonstrations of oral presentations and interviews are available for use at the Learning Center. Tipsheets and suggestions for effective communication and learning are also available at the Learning Center's website: http://community.berea.edu/learningcenter

What is the Learning Center?

The Learning Center is:

• a place where people think and talk together about ways to write, read, speak, listen, learn, and learn effectively.
• staffed by students, including consultants (sophomores, juniors, and seniors) from different majors-- certified in communication and consulting.
• a resource center with a library, handbooks, computers, and a video camera and other audio-visual materials to help in learning.
• open six days a week to serve individuals and groups, appointments or walk-ins (appointments served first).

At what times is the Learning Center open?

During the day, we are open from Monday - Friday at times: 9:00am - 5:00pm; with the exception of Thursdays, when the Center closes at 3:00pm.

At night, we are open from Monday - Thursday at times: 5:00am - 8:00pm; the Center closes on Thursdays for scheduled evening convocations.