Walking through the bustling rooms in the Cardinal Learning Commons (CLC), it’s clear that the groups of students working collaboratively around the whiteboards and gathered around tables are growing academically as well as personally. From the coffee and snacks offered in the entryway to the professional tutors intentionally approaching new students, the CLC is meant to be a welcoming space for students to receive academic assistance and resources, get connected to a community of their peers, and to engage meaningfully in their collegiate journey.
Director of Cardinal Learning Commons, Holly Edwards, is excited about this holistic approach to student academic learning. She illustrates that there are a variety of needs that need to be met for students to effectively pursue their academics, and NIC provides a wealth of resources to facilitate that. “We moved from a centralized model to a decentralized model,” Holly says, explaining that one hub of tutoring resources became several locations around campus—all autonomously run by subject matter experts and addressing a variety of needs.
These independent student hubs include places and programs like First Year Experience, Academic Coaching, Center for New Directions, the Writing Center, and the Meyer Tutoring Center, each offering an array of impactful services that students can utilize at any point on their educational journey at NIC.
As an example, one program located within the dynamic CLC space is the Math Education Center (MEC), which offers free tutoring, access to study space and computers, and the opportunity to meet with faculty and staff outside of regular classroom instruction time.
Sarah Adams is the Coordinator at the MEC and an adjunct faculty member in the Mathematics Department. Over time, Sarah noticed that it was difficult to maintain the momentum of student engagement at the MEC between cohorts graduating and new students enrolling. She, along with other dedicated math consultants, student tutors, and faculty, worked diligently to create the right environment that would encourage peer-to-peer learning.
She describes the network of components that go into creating their current level of success within the MEC. “In order to get that core group of students, that self-sustaining ‘critical mass’, you need faculty buy-in, tutoring for any given subject that aligns with student schedules, and a welcoming environment.”
To that end, Jason Droesch, a Mathematics Professor at NIC, began to host “Calculus Power Hour” at the MEC outside of his normal instruction time. This intentional time filled a niche for students—an opportunity to increase their success in the subject and build meaningful relationships among their peers. This grassroots effort has grown in popularity and initiated a tradition of peer-to-peer learning throughout the week. “The MEC is a place to gather and get help,” Jason says. “We’re not just teaching them; we’re teaching them how to learn.”
The tables that are now filled throughout the week each have placards with course numbers printed on them that encourage students looking for help in the same subject area to gather and work together.
Staff members like Brenda Paustian, a lead math consultant at the MEC, recognize that helping students achieve their goals is at the center of NIC, and that building relationships is a key component of that. She explains that, in addition to the academic resources that students use to achieve success in their specific subject, “The MEC is so valuable – it helps students find community in their educational journey.”
As a result of the many resources that have been developed over the last several years, students at NIC enter an enriched academic environment where they are empowered to pursue their passions and achieve their academic goals. The commitment of faculty and staff to student success and educational excellence remains strong and creates an optimistic outlook for continued growth and improvement of all that NIC has to offer students for generations to come.
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