University Tutoring Programs Certified by Prestigious International Professional Association  

Chemistry student Mark Girgues is being tutored by his ARC tutor, Nikhil Kota, at SHU Tutopia.

Tutoring programs throughout the university have been awarded Level I International Tutor Training Program Certification (ITTPC), by the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA), founded in 1966 and considered one of the foremost international professional organizations certifying universities and colleges in academic support programs.

In providing the certification, CRLA’s ITTPC Team wrote: “Your program has a robust training calendar that should allow your tutors to plan ahead. Your interview process is well-structured and allows your full-time staff members to develop some of their soft skills and have input in the hiring process. Also, by incorporating role-playing scenarios, you are giving your potential tutors an opportunity to show their skills and how they would handle some scenarios before they get trained.”

Once Seton Hall tutors complete 10 hours of tutor training and 50 contact hours, they are then able to become Level 1 certified. The time spent in training allows the Centers to enhance the competency of its staff and the professionalism of the Centers.

“Congratulations to the Academic Resource Center for obtaining program and tutor certification through the College Reading Learning Association, considered the national gold standard in academic support programs," said Monica Burnette, Ph.D., Vice President of Student Services. “I want to celebrate this with our 108 peer tutors who make our tutoring centers so exceptional. I am especially grateful to Nicole Paternoster, ARC Director, for her diligence and commitment to overseeing this entire process, which she initiated early this year for all our university tutoring centers and through the announcement of our certification on December 12."

The ARC offers free tutoring to all students in more than 40 subjects. Peer tutors are undergraduate students who have taken and excelled in courses they are tutoring. ARC serves as an “umbrella” in overseeing the certification for all the centers on campus, including for Student Athletes, EOP, Resilience, Integrity, Scholarship, and Excellence (RISE) Program, Mathematics Learning Lab, Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental, and The Writing Center.

“The importance of this certification is that it allows us another means to provide recognition to our tutors for all the work they put into the success of their peers. All tutors attend mandatory training throughout the academic year to enhance their skills. The topics of the sessions include beginning and ending a tutoring session, time management, communication styles, diverse learners, and campus resources,” explained Paternoster, Ed.D., ARC Director.

“We work with the best interests of the students in mind and have twice a year training and monthly meetings, so we can help students grow and develop in an amazing learning environment,” said Nicholas Giaquinto, ARC Peer Tutor Coordinator, a senior, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Finance.

The importance of tutor training is significant, explained ARC Peer Tutor Coordinator Venise Jan Castillon, a senior, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Physics.

She said, “Having the tutor training adds a layer of security. It helps us tutors better understand our roles and responsibilities. With the help of tutor training, we are able to understand how to cater to students' needs, how to personalize tutoring, and most importantly promote collaboration with other departments for student success. The best part of it is that, because we are trained, our students feel at ease because they know they could trust us with anything both academically and personally.”

The next tutor training is an all-staff training from five to eight hours and is scheduled for Jan. 17. For those who want to learn more, interested students can reach out to ARC for more details.

Categories: Campus Life