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The Learning Assistance Center will be celebrating its 25th anniversary on Sept. 16.
"We're celebrating the success of the students rather than the success of the center because the center is here for the students," Ramirez said.
The LAC offers tutoring in learning skills, tutoring, supplemental instruction and conversational labs for all students at Cal State Long Beach.
Study skills workshops are offered each semester by the center on topics such as learning how to read textbooks effectively, how to take good notes, time management, test preparations and how to prepare research paper, said Dr. Gen Ramirez, director of Learning Assistance Center.
"The workshops are an attempt to help a large number of students pick up some study strategies," Ramirez said. "The number of students who can benefit from this [workshop] is huge."
Each topic is done five times during a particular week with different hours each day to accommodate different schedule needs of students, Ramirez said.
The free workshops are usually an hour long and are open to all students in the university, Ramirez said. Students interested in attending are advised by the staff to call the center in advance for the time and location of the workshop. No appointment is necessary to attend the workshops.
Individual assessment of learning skills is available for students.
The assessments would help identify certain academic strengths and weaknesses of the student, Ramirez said.
"The assessment are largely done through interviewing or through a diagnostic software program, whichever is best for determining the student's needs," Ramirez said.
The staff would then recommend strategies tailored to the student's individual needs, Ramirez said.
"Most of the students we see aren't here because they're failing or having trouble," Ramirez said. "They're here, because they want to make sure that they're doing as well as they've always done and not only continue to do well but also take advantage of the services offered by the LAC."
The group tutorials usually meet twice a week on a fixed schedule.
Students taking a course that is supported by the group tutorial are welcome to participate. The group tutorials also incorporate learning skills with content materials covered, Ramirez said.
"The group tutorial is usually not tied to a particular class section, instead it is tied to the course," Ramirez said.
A minimum of eight student requests are required to start a group tutorial.
"The classes offered are largely determined by student demands," Ramirez said.
Some group tutorials are funded by grants received by the LAC.
"We annually apply for and receive some small grants from the Forty Niner Shops," Ramirez said. "We use that money to pay for a certain numbers of tutorials every semester, particularly the ones with the most demands from students."
Individual tutoring appointments are open to all students. The cost for five individual appointments is $65. Each appointment is an hour long.
Two students may share individual appointments, if they are in the same class and have compatible schedules, in order to reduce the cost, Ramirez said.
Disabled Student Services, Stephen Benson Learning Disability Program, Student Support Services Program, and sports, athletics and recreation provide free individual tutoring for their students funded by outside sources, according to Ramirez.
"Drop-in tutorials offer walk-in services for students who need assistance in a particular subject at assigned hours," Ramirez said. "It's first come, first serve."
Supplemental materials such as software programs, books, tapes and other resources are available for students to use independently at the LAC, Ramirez said. The materials cover study and learning skills and some curriculum areas.
In addition, the center also offers conversation labs for students in English as Second Language courses.
"It [the lab] provides conversation opportunity for students trying to become more proficient in English," Ramirez said. "The lab is very informal. It's basically up to the students to decide on what they would like to talk about."
Students should check with the center to find out the availability of tutors although no appointment is necessary.
The supplemental instruction program, offered in some courses that are historically known to be difficult, provides reinforcement and clarification for students, Ramirez said.
The program consists of sessions on review, strategies, questions and answers and practical application three hours a week.
Students must register for the supplemental instruction program just as they would for any other class, Ramirez said.
The students in the supplemental instruction program usually averages about a letter grade higher versus students who are not in the program, Ramirez said.
The Learning Assistance Center is located in Library East, Room 12.
The center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.
On Fridays, the center is only open to students with appointments.
For more information, students may contact the LAC at (562) 985-5350 or visit its website at http://www.csulb.edu/~csulblac.