Special Undergraduate Academic and Co-Curricular Programs
The Gervais Learning Center offers a wide range of services in support of academic life at Rockhurst. Located in Van Ackeren Hall, it provides a pleasant and convenient place to study between classes and has computers available to students.
Academic support is free of charge to Rockhurst students. Peer tutoring and Supplemental Instruction (SI) are two major services. Tutoring covers many courses, and SI is available for selected courses. Peer tutors and SI leaders are recommended by faculty members in the appropriate fields; they undergo continuing preparation in order to work with individuals or small groups. Tutoring and SI have a double benefit: they offer students assistance with difficult course work, and they offer the peer tutors and SI leaders the opportunity to deepen their understanding of their fields, sharpen valuable skills in communication and interpersonal relations, and enhance their leadership abilities.
The Gervais Learning Center also can help students develop study strategies and time management skills, such as textbook reading, note taking, and exam preparation. In addition to improving these skills, students can utilize practice tests available for a variety of graduate school and professional exams. The Gervais Learning Center also offers assistance through tutors in computer skills, such as Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
Both undergraduate and graduate students can take advantage of the Gervais Learning Center’s services. One service is communication assistance, which provides an inttegrated approach to the writing, oral communication, and electronic formats necessary for the exchange of ideas. Another service, writing, traditionally seen as the core of academic scholarship, is augmented by this broader approach to communication. Professional and peer staff members work with students to merge learning and expression in connection with any course project or written document. This assistance is available from the planning stage through the final editing and presentation.
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