Proposal for a Vision 2020 Grant. Kyle Schwieterman, Michael Darnel, Virginia Heidemann, Peter Goldstein, Nicholai Stuckwisch.

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1 Proposal for a Vision 2020 Grant Project Title Mathematical Sciences Tutoring Center Redesign for the Enhancement of Student Learning and Retention Team Kyle Schwieterman, Michael Darnel, Virginia Heidemann, Peter Goldstein, Nicholai Stuckwisch Abstract Currently on campus, the Mathematical Sciences Tutoring Center is located in 310 Northside. The center is free of charge to all registered IU South Bend students. The mission of the center is to provide a positive and courteous atmosphere in which skilled and friendly mathematics tutors help students succeed in any IU course that involves mathematics. However, this mission is not being fully realized due to the limited space and resources given to the tutoring center. The space issue is currently planned to be resolved during Spring Break 2015 by increasing the tutoring center s area by 50%, allowing more students to get the help they need to work through their courses here on campus. However, the resource issue currently has no plans in place. Presently in the tutoring center, the tutors are making use of broken down tables and chairs. These pieces of furniture are hand-me-downs from different departments who did not have any more use for them. Many of these pieces do not go together, leaving the center looking shabby and rundown. Two tables are broken to the point that they are leaning to one side, making them useless for students who want to put their writing utensils down while watching a tutor remediate. The office chairs are broken, making sitting in theme extremely uncomfortable. Finally, many of these chairs are of an inappropriate size for tutors/tutees of adult size and are not ADA compliant. The tutoring center is a great resource on campus that many people use to pass traditionally difficult courses on campus. Last semester alone (Fall 2014), M215, Calculus 1, and M119, Business Calculus, saw a combined total of 314 contacts. These classes are often seen as roadblocks when it comes to retaining students in their programs due to their difficulty and the overwhelming percentage of our student population that have some sort of math/test anxiety. These contacts helped the students coming to the center overcome these obstacles and kept these students on track to graduate. However, I believe we could help many more students if the center looked more inviting and valued by the university. This proposal is for the cost to purchase furniture for the Mathematical Sciences Tutoring Center that would encourage both students and faculty to utilize our services. The proposed purchases are for furniture that would allow students to work collaboratively, helping alleviate some of the stress and work for our fantastic tutors. The cost of this furniture is something that the Department of Mathematical Sciences does not have funding for. The proposed purchases would support the mission statement of the tutoring center to provide a positive and courteous atmosphere. This proposal includes the costs of two round tables and one long table that would be utilized for student collaboration for students who are enrolled in the same course to promote learning and study

The center is free of charge to all registered IU South Bend students.

2 groups. The proposal also includes the costs of twenty one chairs that would make the center look inviting, give the center a more professional look, and give appropriate seating for students who would not be able to use the chairs that we currently have in the center. Finally, the proposal includes the cost of two lounge chairs to give the tutors seating for when students are working without them or a place for people who are waiting for help to relax. Proposal Goals Create an environment that is both inviting and professional that would increase student use of the center Support students through traditionally difficult courses to keep their academic goals on track Promote a sense of community through study groups that will in turn increase student retention Meet all students needs with various body types and structures and make the center ADA compliant In a recent 2008 study done by Florida State University Libraries titled Studying the Florida State University Community: A FSU Libraries Endeavor to Understand & Engage our Users (2008), Rachel Besara, Kristen Kinsley, and Rebecca Bichel found that the three most important characteristics to a student in selecting a location to study are furniture, atmosphere and varying levels of noise and visual distractions. (p. 2) By using a uniform set of furniture we can make the atmosphere in the center one that is conducive for student studying. The researchers from Florida State went on to say that the most ubiquitous word when describing what students wanted in a study chair was comfy. (p.2) The lounge chairs will give the students this feeling of comfort and help students choose to use the Mathematical Sciences Tutoring Center as their area to study in. Additionally, in Can the Physical Environment have an Impact on the Learning Environment? (2010), researcher and architect Peter Lippman argues in favor of the responsive design approach for creating learning environments. Lippman states that the design (of an educational space) must begin with an understanding that learning is situated in a time and place. This approach should focus on the role of the social environment and how the physical environment may be structured to support learning. Lippman goes on suggesting that a person or group should observe a space to see where student traffic goes and making design decisions based off that. (p.4) After working as the ACE Math Lecturer for three years now, Kyle Schwieterman believes that the structure and form of the furniture in the space does not align with the way students are using the space. The new furniture would change this so that the space would agree with the students ideas of how the tutoring center should be utilized.

be able to use the chairs that we currently have in the center.

3 Alignment with the Blue Print for Student Attainment The furniture costs in this proposal are requested to facilitate the mission of the Mathematical Sciences Tutoring Center that support the following objectives. Strategic Initiative 2.3: Student Support for Success. To ensure that students achieve their degree and career objectives, it is essential we provide them with purposeful pathways and proper support, beginning with their transition from high school to college and continuing throughout their college careers : Develop and enhance existing programs that provide mentoring for students making the transition into higher education by pairing them with faculty, staff, more senior students, or alumni : Offer targeted student support services, such as supplemental instruction or tutoring, that extend throughout the entire undergraduate experience and facilitate degree completion through increased student engagement : Encourage students to remain on campus by increasing available study spaces, spaces for computer and technology work, attractive and comfortable spaces where students can gather informally, and student housing where appropriate. Assessment Students who attend the Mathematical Sciences Tutoring Center are tracked throughout the semester and their grades are compared to the overall student achievement of each course represented in the center. A control survey about the tutoring center s current environment and how it meets the students needs will be passed out to both tutors and students alike before the proposed furniture purchases. A follow-up survey will be conducted during the fall semester of 2015 to see how the new furniture has made any improvements on the environment and how it affects the students work in the center. Budget for Proposed Items Round 42 Diameter Terrace Café Tables $234 2 $ Rectangle 60 x30 Terrace Café Table $484 1 $ Hardwood Terrace Café Seats $95 21 $ Candelia Lounge Loveseat $499 1 $ Candelia Lounge Club Chair $374 1 $ Total Expenditures $ Project Budget Fiscal Sustainability This will be a onetime expense as the proposed furniture purchases should last the center for years to come.

To ensure that students achieve their degree and career objectives, it is essential we provide them with purposeful pathways and proper support, beginning with their transition from high school to

4 Timeline Time March 14 th -22 nd 2015 April 2015 May 2015 Summer 2015 Fall 2015 Activity Planning Stage Tutoring Center area expanded Student/Tutor surveys collected as a control group Furniture ordered through K Log Tutoring Center is furnished for the upcoming fall semester Student/Tutor surveys collected to compare to control group survey Team Contact Information Room Phone Kyle Schwieterman kschwiet@iusb.edu NS Math Lecturer/ Math Tutoring Center Administrator Michael Darnel mdarnel@iusb.edu NS Department Chair, Mathematical Sciences Virginia Heidemann vmheidem@iusb.edu AI 117C Director, Academic Centers for Excellence Peter Goldstein pejagold@indiana.edu SAC 202A Student, Mathematical Sciences Tutor, Treasurer of the Student Government Association Nicholai Stuckwisch nstuckwi@indiana.edu NS Student, Mathematical Sciences Tutor Routing Karen White kwhite@iusb.edu AI Associate Vice Chancellor, Student Services Elizabeth Dunn elizdunn@iusb.edu DW 3300C Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Schwieterman kschwiet@iusb.edu NS 345 574-520-4665 Math Lecturer/ Math Tutoring Center Administrator Michael Darnel mdarnel@iusb.

5 Appendix Current Furniture and Concerns Uneven table that s unfixable by adjusting the legs Writing Utensils fall off the table The right side of the table is unusable due to its awkward height Mismatched chairs in the center Many are scuffed up and uneven Smaller chairs (the ones in the pictures) cannot support the weight of our larger students

to its awkward height Mismatched chairs in the center Many are scuffed up and uneven

6 Another office chair for tutors Seat is stained and uncleanable Back support is broken and sways right to left Office chair for tutors has broken arms that do not stay in one place Seat stained and uncleanable One wheel is broken so the chair does not move properly

tutors has broken arms that do not stay in one place Seat stained

7 Uneven table that rocks forward and backward when a student applies pressure to write Bent chair caused by a bigger student sitting on it. The chair is now unstable and many students do not trust it to support them

Program Area: Tutoring

Program Area: Tutoring Program Philosophy The Las Positas College Tutorial Program is dedicated to students educational success. We provide quality learning support for the diverse student population that