Professional Development & Awards

First on the learning assistance professional's list of resources is Martha Maxwell's Improving Student Learning Skills, A New Edition. Although published in 1997, this book remains relevant decades later. This is a seminal work that should be in every professional's personal library.

A few of the more recent books relevant to learning centers and learning assistance that we recommend are

• Everything you ever wanted to know about learning centers (and then some…) by Penny Turrentine,
• Learning Centers in the 21st Century: A Modern Guide for Learning Assistance Professionals in Higher Education from the National College Learning Center Association and edited by Laura Sanders, David Reedy, and Michael Frizell,
• The Profession and Practice of Learning Assistance and Developmental Education: Essays in Memory of Dr. Martha Maxwell from the Council of Learning Assistance and Developmental Education Associations and edited by Jeanne Higbee,
• Handbook for Training Peer Tutors and Mentors from the College Reading and Learning Association and edited by Karen Agee and Russ Hodges,
• Handbook of College Reading and Study Strategy Research (3rd ed.) edited by Rona Flippo and Thomas Bean.

To assist professionals in maintaining currency in the field, several professional organizations publish peer-reviewed journals.

• The Learning Assistance Review published by the National College Learning Center Association
• Journal of College Reading and Learning published by the College Reading and Learning Association
• Journal of Developmental Education, the journal of the National Organization for Student Success and published by the National Center for Developmental Education.

Other publications from the CLADEA member organizations are available on LSCHE's Publications page, and journals of related associations that may have articles of interest are listed on LSCHE's Associations page.

More complete lists of journal articles and books for the learning assistance professional can be found on the LSCHE at Articles, Books, Presentations, & Reviews.

A good place to start is right here on LSCHE! Review LSCHE's resources for areas that seem most appealing or address a current need.

See what other learning centers are doing by browsing LSCHE's extensive listing of learning center websites and clicking on some of the links there. This can also be used to help guide in-person visits to centers of interest either locally or when traveling.

Subscribe to LRNASST, the primary Listserv for learning assistance professionals. Read current postings, browse the LRNASST archives (from 1995 - present), ask questions, and join the discussions. In addition to LRNASST, some of the professional organizations maintain their own listserv or active mailing list.

Visit the websites of important organizations in the field especially those that are part of the Council of Learning Assistance and Developmental Education Associations.

• ACTLA: Association of Colleges for Tutoring and Learning Assistance
• ACTP: Association for the Coaching & Tutoring Profession
• CRLA: College Reading & Learning Association
• NCDE: National Center for Developmental Education
• NCLCA: National College Learning Center Association

We recommend joining at least one of the member organizations of the Council of Learning Assistance and Developmental Education Associations (CLADEA). Because of the overlapping nature of these organizations and spring/fall timing of their conferences, many learning center administrators belong to more than one.

• ACTLA: Association of Colleges for Tutoring and Learning Assistance (particularly helpful for those in California public institutions)
• ACTP: Association for the Coaching & Tutoring Profession (focuses on two key services of many learning centers—academic coaching and tutoring)
• CRLA: College Reading & Learning Association (many learning centers historically originated from collegiate reading programs, hence, the name; also has a focus on learning assistance and developmental education)
• NCLCA: National College Learning Center Association (primary focus is learning centers and learning center administrators)

We also recommend joining one of the state or regional associations. Many are affiliates of the CLADEA member organizations. Each of the CLADEA member organizations lists its affiliates (if any) on its website. Most of these local organizations hold annual conferences or training sessions, and some even publish a journal. A few of the many local organizations are the New York College Learning Skills Association (NYCLSA), the Heartland CRLA Chapter (IA, NE, MO, KS, OK), the Georgia Tutoring Association (GaTA), the Louisiana College Learning Skills Association, the Northwest CRLA Chapter (WA, OR, ID, MT), and College Academic Support Programs (CASP) (TX). Your state probably has (at least) one such organization. If not, start one! Your CLADEA member organization will work with you to accomplish this.

In addition, some of these organizations have SIGs (Special Interest Groups) that focus on particular aspects of the work done in the learning assistance field. Join one or more that interest you. CRLA, for example, has twelve SIGs

Learning assistance professionals with specialized programs and services may also benefit from participating in relevant organizations such as the International Center for Supplemental Instruction, Peer-Led Team Learning International Society, or the National Organization for Student Success.

Network with colleagues at national and regional conferences, training sessions, professional institutes, and on LRNASST to gain valuable insight to ways of improving your center and achieving excellence.

The CLADEA member learning assistance organizations have annual conferences. NCLCA and CRLA have their conferences in the fall, while ACTP and ACTLA hold theirs in the spring. Many of the regional associations also sponsor annual conferences or training sessions that are distributed throughout the year.

In addition to annual conferences, some learning assistance organizations conduct institutes during the summer with limited attendance to delve more deeply into particular topics. The NCLCA Institute, the CRLA Train-the-Trainer Summer Institute, and the NCDE Kellogg Institute are prime examples.

Other organizations that are of interest to learning center professionals such as the International Center for Supplemental Instruction, the Peer-Led Team Learning International Society, the National Organization for Student Success, the Foundation for Critical Thinking, and the UNM Mentoring Institute hold annual or biennial conferences.

All of these and more are listed in the LSCHE conference calendar.

Also watch for notices of upcoming special events in an organization's journal and on LRNASST.

In addition to the opportunities to discover more about learning assistance available at professional conferences, institutes, and training sessions and on the LRNASST listserv, several institutions provide formal learning opportunities.

Several universities offer certificates, master's programs, educational specialist degrees, and doctoral (Ph.D. and Ed.D.) programs. For more information see Degree Programs here in LSCHE.

Present sessions at local, regional, national, or international conferences as one way of increasing knowledge and improving practice in learning assistance. This also helps you gain credibility within your institution.

Presentation Tips from DO-IT https://www.washington.edu/doit/presentation-tips-0

Presentation Magazine https://www.presentationmagazine.com

Harvard Business Review How to Give a Killer Presentation

Time How to Give a Memorable Presentation

Getting an article published in a professional journal, especially a juried journal, is one way to improve your status on campus as well as publicize to your colleagues and administration that learning support centers and their programs and services are academically relevant. Here are some references and tips to help you publish.

Writing for publication is both an opportunity and a challenge. Some of these challenges are identified in Kenneth Henson’s interesting list of “Six Myths that Haunt Writers,” which focuses specifically on academic writing: (1) I’m not sure I have what it takes; (2) I don’t have time to write; (3) I don’t have anything worth writing about; (4) The editors will reject my manuscript because my name isn’t familiar to them; (5) My vocabulary and writing skills are too limited; and, (6) In my field there are few opportunities to publish. Reverse these myths and write to publish.

Writing for publication, according to Frank Christ, a longtime learning support center professional, is a learning assistance professionalism mandate. Christ has given two keynote presentations in which he exhorts all learning assistance professionals to publish so that learning assistance does not perish. The first keynote was at an ACTLA conference; the second keynote, at an NCLCA conference. Both may inspire you to begin your journey as a researcher, presenter, and author.

Some Tips for Successful Publication

Begin by reading 6-10 past issues of a journal that you think may be interested in what you want to write about.

Read carefully the specific submission directions for manuscripts that are published in most journals.

Before sending off your article, have one or more colleagues review and critique it.

Also consider writing for association newsletters. Although newsletters are edited and not juried, you will get your name on a citation, and you will gain experience and confidence in professional writing. Remember that most professional associations have both a general newsletter and chapter or state newsletters that will accept short articles for publication.

Writing for Publication References.

To help you get published, here are some web sites and articles that relate to acceptable research and writing.

Good Practice in Educational Research Writing offers advice from a British perspective.

How to Win Acceptances by Psychology Journals: 21 Tips for Better Writing by R. J. Sternberg, R. J. (1993). APS OBSERVER (newsletter of the American Psychological Society).

How to Get Published: Guidance from Emerging and Senior Scholars. AERA on Publishing Educational Research:

Writing for Publication: Rationale, Process and Pitfalls by Peter Witt.

Earn awards, scholarships, grants, and recognition for your work and your learning center from the professional associations serving the field of learning assistance. Awards that you, your learning center, or staff receive can provide excellent publicity to increase a learning assistance program's recognition on campus.

Note: For International Tutor Appreciation Week information, see the Celebrate! tab on the LSCHE page Learning Support Center Management.