About Us

The Learning Support Services are here to support you on your Kean University journey. Whether you are a student, a member of faculty, or staff, we have developed a range of services to assist you in your personal, professional, and academic growth. We engage with the Kean community through one-on-one tutoring, group sessions, and workshops. We are ready to assist you both in-person as well as online: through synchronous or asynchronous modes. 

Our programming is designed and assessed annually to ensure that we are delivering relevant, culturally responsive (Ladson-Billings, 1995) and needed workshops. We also create a wide range of resources in support of our programming including slide presentations, YouTube videos, podcasts, and self-study materials. You can find our materials under the service center that best matches your needs. If you have an idea for a program, or if you would like to arrange a workshop for your class, student club, or academic unit, please fill out THIS FORM.

Works Consulted:

Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). Toward a theory of culturally relevant pedagogy. American educational research journal, 32(3), 465-491.

Our Philosophy 

We believe that tutoring is transformative for both the tutor (DeFeo & Caparas, 2014) as well as the learner (Cooper, 2010). But to make the process of tutoring work, we believe that beginning with trust and rapport is necessary. That is why we recruit, mentor, and train tutors from across the disciplines, and with varying levels of expertise (Maxwell, 1994). Our approach to tutoring is simple: we are here to facilitate learning and to make sure that we foster independence and self reliance in learners (Hock et al., 1995). To accomplish these goals, we practice a range of approaches: from minimalist (Jaeger, 2016)  to directive (Carino, 2003). We respond to each learner’s needs and adjust our techniques to best suit not only the learner, but also the task at hand (Berghmans, 2014). 

Our tutors are prepared through an ongoing training model that has been certified by the College Reading and Learning Association (https://www.crla.net). The training prepares our tutors to meet each learner's needs without judgment or expectation. We are here to support learning at any stage of the process, or at any step of an assignment. We train to be culturally sensitive (Ladson-Billings, 1995) as well as able to help neurodiverse persons (Coghill, 2020)  and anyone with varying physical abilities (Newman, 2020). Additionally, we work with a wide range of assistive tools and technologies to ensure that every learner receives the best assistance possible. 

References

Berghmans, I., Michiels, L., Salmon, S., Dochy, F., & Struyven, K. (2014). Directive versus facilitative peer tutoring? A view on students’    appraisal, reported learning gains and experiences within two differently-tutored learning environments. Learning Environments Research, 17(3), 437-459.

Carino, P. (2003). Power and authority in peer tutoring. The center will hold: Critical perspectives on writing center scholarship, 96-113.

Coghill, E. M., & Coghill, J. G. (2020). Supporting neurodiverse college student success: A guide for librarians, student support services, and academic learning environments. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Cooper, E. (2010). Tutoring center effectiveness: The effect of drop-in tutoring. Journal of College reading and Learning, 40(2), 21-34.

DeFeo, D. J., & Caparas, F. (2014). Tutoring as transformative work: A phenomenological case study of tutors’ experiences. Journal of College Reading and learning, 44(2), 141-163.

Hock, M. F., Schumaker, J. B., & Deshler, D. D. (1995). Training strategic tutors to enhance learner independence. Journal of Developmental Education, 19(1), 18-26.
Jaeger, G. (2016). (Re) examining the socratic method: A lesson in tutoring. Praxis: A Writing Center Journal.

Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). Toward a theory of culturally relevant pedagogy. American educational research journal, 32(3), 465-491.

Maxwell, M. (1994). When tutor meets student. University of Michigan Press, PO Box 1104, Ann Arbor, MI 48106.

Newman, L. A., Madaus, J. W., Lalor, A. R., & Javitz, H. S. (2020). Effect of accessing supports on higher education persistence of students with disabilities. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education.