Exceptional students are drawn to Rensselaer in part by our rigorous education standards. ALAC offers many services to help you meet your academic goals effectively:
- Tutoring services cover course-specific material in interactive group sessions for many undergraduate core courses, with an emphasis on first-year and second-year classes.
- Learning support includes individual academic coaching by professional staff on organizational skills, time management, learning strategies, and similar topics critical to academic success.
- Language and Culture Support includes workshops, conversation programs, and more for international students adjusting to American academic culture and, often, the English language.
ALAC’s full range of learning assistance helps students start well, stay focused, and succeed in their academic adventure. Contact us at 518.276.6269 for more details about services. We are here to help.
Tutoring Services
Tutoring services cover course-specific material in interactive group sessions for many undergraduate core courses, with an emphasis on first-year and second-year classes in the schools of science and engineering.
Drop-in tutoring provides opportunities for undergraduates to review class material with graduate and undergraduate tutors proficient in the course topics. The goal is to help students become independent learners by having tutors guide them through solving practice problems while demonstrating strategies for exploring a topic. Their role is not to provide answers, but rather to help students understand questions and identify methods for solving them.
During the fall and spring semesters Drop-in tutoring sessions are offered for selected courses in the schools of science and engineering. During the summer semesters all tutoring is scheduled on an Indivual or Small Group basis.
If you need assistance with a 1000-level or 2000-level course you may stop by our office to complete a TUTOR REQUEST FORM - we are located in Academy Hall Suite 4226.
If you need assistance with a 4000-level course we will try our best to locate a tutor however, there is no guarantee that one will be found. In such cases we highly recommend you seek additional assistance from your professor or TA.
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FALL DROP IN TUTORING SCHEDULE
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Drop-in tutoring sessions are supervised by graduate Teaching & Learning Assistants (TLAs). TLAs also hold open office hours, lead extra review sessions before major tests in core courses, and coordinate workshops on academic-related topics (such as MatLab software and file version control) and professional development (such as tips for preparing for GRE exams and applying for graduate school). The TLAs act as an outreach arm of ALAC, and interact closely with faculty to provide feedback on areas of concern for students. Each TLA is an outstanding student referred to ALAC by their respective department chair, then approved and funded by the Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Education.
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TLA STAFF - FALL 2019
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Learning Support
The Rensselaer academic experience brings many new and exciting challenges to some of the finest young minds in the world. For such students, high school work may have been easy, with no need to study or to think about how to study. The more challenging college curriculum, though, may require learning new skills to adapt to the new circumstances. Academic support is also available for students referred by Rensselaer’s Office of Disability Services.
Learning support includes individual academic coaching by professional staff on organizational skills, time management, learning strategies, and similar topics critical to academic success. Students may find it helpful to have occasional or regular sessions with ALAC's professional staff to identify academic challenges and develop strategies for success. To arrange a session with a Learning Skills Specialist, contact ALAC.
Undergraduate Learning Assistants (LAs), trained and supervised by ALAC staff, live in first-year residences to provide informal support, workshops, and early intervention. Learning Assistants help first-year students become active, independent and successful learners. LAs are assigned to a specific first-year residence hall where they live and assume responsibility for interacting frequently with the residents of that hall while providing academically-related programs, information and assistance. The LA serves as a liaison between their undergraduates and the Advising and Learning Assistance Center. They are Rensselaer juniors, seniors, or co-terminal undergraduates hired, trained, and supervised by ALAC.
In 2017, ALAC added an "international LA" to consult with the residence LAs and help students from other countries adapt to American language and culture.
Language and Culture Support
Services to help international students and those who work with them, formerly provided through ALAC, are now coordinated through the Center for Global Communication+Design.
- Downloadable files with "Tips on Language & Culture" on a variety of topics are available at box.rpi.edu/v/tlc.
- For details on workshops, conversation groups, language assesment for international teaching assistants, the Summer Academic Program for Rensselaer International Students (SAPRIS), other related resources, and more, see https://www.commd.rpi.edu/language-culture-support/.
- You are also welcome to contact Brea Barthel, Comm+D Language & Culture Support Specialist, at barthb2@rpi.edu.