Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary

Academic Resources > Academic Support Center > Online Writing Lab

Report of Survey of Academic Support Programs
in ATS Seminaries

Abstracted from " Grant Report for Grant Titled Survey of Academic Support Services in Theological Schools in the United States and Canada" submitted to the Wabash Center for Theology and Learning in Theology and Religion July 1, 2003

117 seminaries responded to this survey
Not all participants responded to every question. Consequently all percentages are calculated on the number of total responders for that question.

Section I-Personal Information

A1-A5--The first five questions of the survey ask for the name and position of the person completing the questionnaire, the school, the address, and the email address.

A6. Level of education

A7. Work Experience/educational degree

A8. Does your institution have any programs, formal or informal that provides students academic support?

Yes-89%
No-11%

A9. What percentage of your job time is spent on academic support services?

Section II-Program Information

General Data

B1. If you have a formal program of support services, how long has it been in existence?

Formal program-52%
Length of program-average 8 years ranging from one
semester to "decades."
63 schools responding

B2. If your program has its own physical space, where is it located? (e.g. library, admin. building)

52% no space
own space--3 schools
admin bldg-9 schools
library-4 schools
classroom-11 schools
Student Center --4 schools
Borders Learning Center
service for undergraduate and graduate students
classroom in community center
director's office in main classroom bldg
engineering bldg, education bldg
ESL-3 offices and a large classroom;
another building on campus with the College of Arts and Sciences
It Center
Kessinger Learning Center on Campus
Leonard Building
multiple spaces
my office
office in academic building (faculty office space)
office space
physical space is all limited to our one building
Pretheology classrooms and meeting rooms across the university
professor's office
same bldg as School of Theo.
use classroom/schedule in offices for conversation
various locations on campus

B3.Where do you meet with students? (check all that apply)

In your program's own space-47%
Library-2%
Dorms
Another building on campus-2%
Off campus
Other (where) -38%

B4. Types of services offered (check all that apply)

B5. Rate the library's role in providing support services (1 being very involved to 5 being not involved) .

Students
C1. Total number of students enrolled in your institution in AY 2001-2002.
Schools reported student enrollment in a variety of ways: many considered all enrolled students(both part and full time); others responded with the FTE; while still others counted on-campus undergraduate Bible colleges in their numbers. Because of this confusion, the FTE reported on the ATS website was used.

C2. Number of individual students who used your services in AY 2001-02.

C3. Do you keep tract of "student contacts?" If you keep tract of "student contacts," what is the total number during AY 2001-02? (student contact: one student, in person, using services. Once student could come to you ten times resulting in 10 "student contacts")

C4. In your estimation, what percentage of students who use your services do so more than once?

C5. Reasons for initial student contacts (check all that apply)

C6. Do you give pretests to incoming students with the purpose of gauging academic rediness?

C7. If your institution thinks that a student might have academic difficulties, is the student

Encouraged-51% Expected-29% Required-34%
to seek your services or take a specific class?
89 schools responding

C8. Please estimate, in descending order, what types of students use your services (1 being the most frequent group of users, to 5 being never or very infrequently)

Tutors/Consultants
(for purposes of this survey, we will refer to the personnel as tutor/consultants)

One third of the participants checked that the questions in this part of the survey were not applicable to their situation.

D1. Number of tutors/consultants in the program who work directly with students (please include everyone who works directly with students).

D2. Tutors/consultants are (indicate all that apply)

D3. Compensation for tutors

D4. Total number of hours per week tutors/consultants are available to work with students (not including administrator's time)

D5. Number of hours per week that the administrator is available to work with students.

Hours ranging from 1 to 55 per week
48 schools responded positively

Faculty
Each of these questions was answered 1-5 with 1 being the highest

E1. Has the faculty been instrumental in the development and advocacy of an academic support and readiness program?

2.53 mean

E2. If you offer faculty seminars, how responsive have the faculty been?

Excluded because 61% non responders

E3. Have faculty made any curriculum changes as a result of your program (adaptations of syllabi, assignments, and/or tests)?

2.53 mean

E4. How often do faculty refer students to your services?

2.85 mean

E5. To what extent have faculty feedback indicated increased student success?

2.71 mean

E6. As a result of your services, do you believe that faculty have become more aware of learning styles and alternative approaches to course development and teaching that might be more effective to a broader range of students?

2.85 mean

Section III-Implications of the Program

F1. What constraints hamper the success of your program? (rank in chronological order with 1 being the highest)

F2. If you do not have a program why do you think this is the case?

We are currently investigating our legal obligations and financial abilities to offer any services. It has not been a great need in the past although at one time we hired someone for a semester to aid our international students with writing papers. We have raised our requirements for the TOEFL and no longer accept students who need a great amount of assistance

Lack of financial resources to support it and lack of dedicated staff

I believe a lack of effective use of institutional effectiveness data produced by in-house tools has delayed our development of such programs. Budget issues generally prohibit the further discussion or implementation of many ideas. Ironically, this week our curriculum committee has discussed improving our tutoring program. Questions of how to compensate tutors are the main concern. Over the past 2 years, the use of our many evaluation tools has led to the creation of courses in research. I believe a lack of effective use of institutional effectiveness

Human resources

Haven't gone there yet in our thinking or budgeting

Brite Divinity School, as an affiliated school of Texas Christian University, uses the an academic support resources of TCU, including: Mary Couts Burnett Library, Center for Instructional Services

Our program is entirely by need. We are such a small school that the need is
unpredictable and sporadic. That makes it difficult to organize anything regular. We are also part of a consortium (the Graduate Theological Union) that offers a course in academic English as a consortium. I have not answered the questions for the whole GTU.

school is small enough for informal monitoring and mentoring to take place

budget

Up to this time, we have had an informal, more individualized "program".. students ask for specific services (tutoring, editing, accommodations for taking tests, etc).And then I contact someone who is qualified to provide the service. I also work with faculty members to help arrange the help a student needs (a proctor so that the student has more time to complete an exam etc.). We plan to make the system a little more structured by asking students who provide services to fill out an application and to keep record of services provided. Student providers will be offered some remuneration. We hope to provide computer classes and writing workshops spring semester taught by qualified staff. The academic dean has provided a seminar for faculty on learning styles this fall. He plans to offer more seminars of this nature in the future

The major reason for not having a more formal and extensive program is related to budget. Secondarily, some of the faculty would suggest that it is not the seminary's job to prepare students for basic writing; although the faculty do have a high sense of wanting to help students integrate and reflect through their writing.

We are part of a University that has many adult learning programs. These students do not use these services as traditional services.

Graduate schools have typically not seemed to need them. With more international students and students with disabilities, this is changing.

Budget and staffing time.

Small enrollment, limited resources, little need for such a program.

Money for people to do this. Also we are a small institution; some of this is done in an informal way

size and budgetary constraints

We do not have a program because McGill University provides these services.

Two reasons: 1. Admissions standards require a bachelor's degree and other demonstrated abilities and thus no student is admitted who has deficiencies in the area listed in this survey. 2. We have few students from abroad and those we have either have the language and other skills needed or can take language work at International House nearby

no sense of really needing one

Budget and lack of faculty awareness of the importance of such a program. The traditional faculty view has been that students who can't succeed academically don't belong here.

Budget constraints and institution not large enough to provide a full range of student support

This is a stand alone school of theology. Some seminarians get help with a seminary tutor or other assistance.

There hasn't been a great need expressed for more than we currently offer. The 1 exception might be teaching ESL With the large number of international students at (2% of our students) ability to work in Eng. is sometimes a problem (even if they did well in TOEFL)

We are in the process of developing such a program.

There has traditionally been some hesitation upon the part of the administration and faculty to offer such support because of the expected level (graduate) of students in the program. However, recent trends indicate the need for some formal support in the areas of writing and study skills. Yet we are in a budget crunch and must find the funding to get started.

Given the small (app. 25) size of our resident student population(seminarians preparing for ordination to the priesthood) and the fact that most of the learning challenges have surfaced in that population, it's seemed best for us to address those challenges on an "ad hoc" kind of basis. Yet, as we become more and more aware of the extent of the challenges students are facing in this area. we are considering the establishment of a formal program.

We don't have a systematic program. We offer some of these services at the beginning of the year. It is not offered through out the year. If there is a specific need we schedule them. We are a small school.

Program exists on an ad hoc basis only. When a need is identified, it is dealt with.

The programs I have described are primarily English language and composition skills related, not academic skills related, per se. We have an ESL program for those with minimum incoming skills, and a WC for the more advanced student who still needs assistance. We have two courses, Theological Writing for those who fail an assessment instrument and Theological Research Methods, required for all students. Faculty are generally available, however, to assist any student who comes to see them with questions on assignments, or how to approach project/course research The reason we do not have an academic support program, per se, is that program admission GPAs generally provide us with students who are able to succeed academically. Those who don't must take initiative to obtain assistance, because we have no formalized program (although again, faculty are available to advise/assist).

Students not seeing need

Budget restrictions; lack of personnel to oversee a program. Our institutional restructuring envisions a full depart. of enrollment management that would include academic support issues.

Financial resources

We are a very small college and student support is build right into all of our activities; a weekly core group where students bring their issues/problems/ideas, individual and faculty advisors, orientation and entry colloquium to give students information about resources. In effect the faculty are the support system. Being located on the campus of a larger university we also have access (through affiliation) to a wide range of student support services with the students are free to use. But by and large they [avail them]selves of the support services offered by our small college.

St. Charles provides a lot of individual attention to our seminarians via the Academic Deans, Deans of Men and their individual formation advisors (who many times act as a support staff for academic matters). We also provide an ESL program for our students and at times provide educational testing and counseling for students with LD consideration is being made for writing skills program on campus. At present much of this type of support is provided by faculty.

the program is still viable and students indicate help received

Writing quality improving some, not as much as we desire.

Faculty report increased writing and composition skills plus better use of library services

Improved and intentional use of evaluation data gathered
from course, mid-program, and graduation evaluations.

Student's improvement

Student performance and student satisfaction

Student performance on language exams ESL, reading and writing skills based on papers for class

only # of students seeking help & their response to assistance.

Feedback from faculty; reports on students from tutor; GPA in writing intensive courses; self-assessment of students

A few faculty are working closely with the writing Center and coordinating writing assignments. This is a success because in the past there was no coordination. Success is evident in the students who would not have sought writing help were it not required by course faculty. These students consistently see dramatic improvement in their grades for written work

Every year I get feedback from students who say they have become better writers because of the work we've done together. Often these students have come to me only because they have been required to do so based on their writing test scores but also he way they have discovered that they really can benefit from my services. I have been able to give first year students some direction in their paper writing and some confidence in their skills that they might not otherwise have gotten. I am familiar with the first year writing
assignments and am available to offer feedback on their work and help them see which way they need to go during a time when everything they relearning is new and different from what they've experienced before I other academic work. They respond well to coaching and encouraging.

Improved grades; increased comfort level in courses

evaluations of group presentation programs, informal feedback from participants, feedback from tutors, faculty feedback

student testimonials, faculty comments, repeat clients

Faculty and student feedback

Students lacking in basic writing, computer skills are equipped o meet the minimum standard at least

growing success of students

Improvement in student scores, students transfer from special admissions status to regular degree programs

Improvement in academic and practice of ministry performance. Increased student self-confidence

Student enrollment in these programs

Students improving and getting globally better marks or students getting better in writing in French, better in methodology

Continued, steady stream of students making use of the program. Students performing with greater success (grades) in their classes.

Number of students referred to and helped by program, as indicated by evaluations.

Few. . .too busy to measure but we are working on outcomes measurements currently

retention, rise in GPAs, and graduation of students with
disabilities or for whom Eng. Is a sec. Lang

Report of faculty on improved writing skills of students who have been referred.

Students use it. Improved work.

Faculty and student feedback

for the most part the LRWC one of a variety of aspects is central to the McCormick educational experience. We have not had out budget cut.

Feedback from students and increase in student grade point averages

1.The increased use of the Information Technology Center. 2. The increased use of Library Services. 3. Training record from services provided by the Information Tech. Center for faculty, staff, and students.

We are able to monitor students' development through their performance in courses and an annual review of students' academic progress conducted by the faculty.

Direct feedback from students

Ability of grads of the ESL program to perform adequately in seminary. Success of students due to tutoring.

We have seen an increase both in the students grades and faculty publications. We have also seen students increase their workload (credits taken per semester.) as a direct result of their engaging study skills in writing, reading, and thinking critically.

1. We are a small institution with no walls of our own for a number of years. 2. We have been housed on the campus of the University of Tulsa and have been able to refer students to their academic services, but I have no way of knowing how many of our students have taken advantage of them. 3. We are aware that some of our students, for a variety of reasons, are not prepared to do some of the work that a graduate theological program requires. Our theological librarian has worked with one Intro. to Old Testament class by reading papers and helping those with difficulties. This was a rather awkward approach and didn't work well. 4. We have block scheduling and if a student takes 9-10 hours and is only on campus one day a week, the time to avail her/himself of this kind of services is almost non-existent. Many of our students commute over an hour to classes. 5. We will move into our own facility in May, 2003 and I'm sure we will revisit this issue once we are settled

Our program is aimed specifically at international students who often need help in learning how to do research and write papers. In addition, when a student has been placed on probation they are strongly encouraged to seek this help. In some cases they are required to attend these sessions before they are readmitted as students. Most student grades improve with the taking of these classes In addition, their level of anxiety about
coursework usually decreases

Continued monitoring of grades of the students. Self evaluation reporting.

Faculty and student reports TOEFL scores

Students grades improve

We offer workshops for writing and reading as part of the orientation program for all incoming students. We also administer a writing sample test to all incoming students and offer each student feedback with encouragement for students to either take courses or hire tutors on their own. We have had some student with learning disabilities who we have referred to professionals and we try to offer students financial support to assist them in payment. Student have responded quite favorably to the workshops and have requested further opportunities. Students who have been referred have benefited both academically and socially.

Though we do not have a formal program, feedback from faculty members and from students who have been assisted seems to indicate moderate success.

Improved writing skills as revealed through papers and presentation

I work with the students with disabilities for their whole time here. I get plenty of feed back from them. Professors have been open to our program and cooperative. Our Written Comm. Class has helped many students brush up on grammar, etc.

People have benefited by the services we have offered. People's fears about reentering the academic arena after a long absence need some assistance. After these training sessions and workshops they get comfortable with the process of graduate study. They tend to do better.

Improvement of the students in their regular course work is a sign of success of our academic support service. Students reporting on an increased comfort with acad. studies, improvement in writing skills and intelligent conversation on academic matters are also indicators of success of the individual student. If these indicators are not present after a semester or two we look to out-sourcing our support

Students seem to have a better comfort level in studying theology and knowing the writing skills format that they need for research.

Students successful completion of courses. International students ability to preach a good articulate homily in Eng. Some have shown marked improvement in reading reading and writing skills. and at times faculty expressions of appreciation for the improvement students have made.

We are a mainly a graduate institution - most students coming here already possess a bachelor's degree. There has been no need for special support services up to this point

student performance - scores on tests and examinations

Some International students have shown great improvement in their spoken English. Many students have shown a dramatic change in their writing skills.

Students who have taken advantage of the program have greatly increased the quality of their work. Those who haven't continue to struggle.

Grades and a student portfolio for each student that tracks learning progress

Not sure how to reply, other than to state that a very low percentage of students are academically dismissed. Of course this data doesn't reflect those who simply withdraw from school.

Word of mouth. Student personal testimonials.

Positive student feedback. Greater academic success.

Performance in subsequent classes. This indicator shows there is still work to do.

Student satisfaction word of mouth

Students' readiness to engage the learning.

Student feedback has consistently been the strongest indicator of the success of the program. Faculty at WJST have also commended the WRITE Program for its work with international students, and in particular with those writing theses. Attendance at WRITE Program workshops and courses has been growing steadily, especially among WJST students, and that bodes well for the program.

Student's progress in their educational performance.

We do not have a formal program -- so my answers may have limited value. We do help through a Research and Design class that is encouraged to all new students, we help by providing editors and people who help with English on a paid hourly basis (this is especially for students doing thesis

It is primarily structured in two phases: 1) an ESL program for international students 2) a writing/study skills lab that is voluntary The disability services unit of the University deals with students who report a learning disability. The theology school makes accommodations according to the unit's recommendations

All support services are done through the university. Perhaps the best person to contact would be the Dean of Students.

The best part of our program is close work with the faculty. This takes place in several ways. For an introductory theology course, the Writing Center tutor gives a 15 min. presentation on how to write the paper for the course at the beginning of each 3 hr. class meeting. Small writing exercises which account for 5% of the course grade are required for each week. Because this is part of the course grade, students are motivated to do the assignments. For another course, the students must turn in their first papers to the writing center, which must approve them before they are passed on to the professor for grading. Others merely require students to get Writing Center help to rewrite poorly written papers.

We do not have a pretest per se, but instead every incoming student submits a duplicate copy of one of the initial short papers for assessment during the first month of school. We hire a special group of Ph.D. students to read the papers and meet for 30 min. with each student. Students receive feedback specific to their strengths and weaknesses and are provided with resources specific to their needs (written materials, dates and times of lectures on writing, contact information for tutors, etc.

In addition to tutors for international (i.e. ESL) students, we actually have courses for M.Div and M.T.S. students. This means that students have more than a passing interaction with support services for their academic pursuits. They receive ongoing intentional instruction and feedback over the course of a semester (in the case of M.Div students) and a year (for M.T.S. students). We keep the cost of the classes to $100 so that it doesn't become a financial burden. International students have access to tutors through our library. U.S. students for whom English is their first language and who wish to work on their writing/research skills may pay a tutor, or else participate in a class.

My answers to the survey may be a bit strange because it was not clear to me whether the questions at the top were related only to "formal" programs or whether they were also for those of us who try to do a little. Our program is incredibly informal, although we have a person we pay to assist with basic writing skills for about 5 hours per week for this semester. Each semester I have to re-think the possibilities for this.

It is very informal at this stage

We have a very active computer lab. We also provide TAs for classes to assist students. We use three adjuncts from the community to assist in tutoring and an ESL teacher. We also alert students in PhD program to learning disability and performance issues to assist in their own preparation for teaching.

I have filled out this questionnaire as a School within the University.

Our graduate program is tied to a Religious Studies Department within a larger university. The student support services are under the University's office of Student Academic Services, not the department. Although geared to an undergraduate population, graduate students can participate in the programs.

Even if we publicize the service, we find that not enough students are using it because it's on a voluntary base. Those who need it don't always come to their appoint.

Course: Intro to Graduate Studies, offered since 1960. Course meets 15 times; no services beyond that.

The program is not exclusively for the Divinity School. It is a program that is shared with our other professional/graduate schools in the University. The five schools contribute financially to create a budget out of which we work. We contract with a neuropsychological and a learning specialist to do the majority of the work with students. They keep track of contact hours. There is not feedback to faculty. Students may be referred to work with others, from time to time.

A difficult task. Our Seminary is part of a larger University college which in turn is part of a much larger affiliate University. The larger University provides almost all major student services of which our students pay a fee and have access to them.

There was never a school mandate to create a program per se. Rather, as
International Student advisor and school ADA officer, I simple started requesting budget for support services and tutors and the money was granted. Then I started to work on Library facilities and technology. We now have a Kurzweil reader, assistive software and workshops on basic computer skills. As student advisor for students on probation and conditional admission, I was able to convince the Admissions committee to marginal students to take a writing skills course when first admitted. And since I also schedule adjunct faculty and courses, I also make sure there is a writing skills class offered each
fall. It's been an ad hoc development, but that works in a small school such as ours.

As noted above, we are a small school with limited resources. At the same time, we are planning on adding some of these resources, in particular a test which will help us gauge academic success for students before they enter, as well as indicating what students would need assistance. We would then provide this assistance. This is still in the planning stages.

The extent of our program is 1 bibliographic instruction course, plus a remedial writing course to which faculty refer students or which student may choose to take as a refresher. There is occasional tutoring for students with special needs like ESL, but nothing formal is in place. The chief block to further services is budgetary constraints. We hope you will have suggestions for ATS schools as to how to create and fund such programs.

Seminarians whose first language is not Eng. Are provided with a tutor during their first semester to assist them with their essays. We currently have 4 students taking advantage of this service.

Our school requires entering students to participate in a non-credit class, "Developing your Research Skills." Students may "place out" of this class by meeting with the instructor and providing evidence of proficiency in formal composition and the use of library technology. Most students take the course.

For our Dallas campus students, academic support is offered through SMU's offices, including the Learning Enhancement Center and Services for Students with Disabilities. The Bridwell Library, the library of the theological school, provides programs and resources on research-related matters, both on-campus and in extension programs. Students in our three extension programs receive support either through the institution that houses the program or through a contractual arrangement with an individual whose background is in English and who has experience with tutoring and meeting academic needs of students. Because we have both extensive resources available through the
University and because we contract with local individuals in our extension programs, I only broker the academic support. Therefore, I am unable to address a number of your questions and there is no one person on our staff who can do so.

The main indicator we use is students' performance in their academic courses. We rarely see students taking the Academic Writing course, for example, a second time.

We are in an odd situation since as an ATS school we are federated college with the Univ. of Toronto. The services--fully available to our students--are superb. The Univ. deserves the credit for this, and while faculty are fully supportive of such services and aware of the need for them, the development of these services have been at the instigation of the Univ. in response to the needs of its 60,000 students. We have benefited from it.

Better performance and growth in student confidence in course work

We are currently doing a feasibility study to operate a 20 hour writing lab for the entire student body. Our major hindrance is budget.

We have one writing tutor, funded by a Lilly Grant, so the program is temporary for the duration of the grant. We would love to have more but cannot afford more and cannot fund the program once the grant runs out.

What we offer is very modest. Whatever services we provide will have to happen during week nights or weekends. Our student body consists primarily of part-time commuter students who have full time jobs. Majority age-group is 45 - 55. One has to be flexible and responsive to adult learning styles and habits and needs. We also benefit from some of the services provided by the Ambrose Swasey library as we are renters on the Colgate Rochester Crozer Div. school. But that will change next year, as we will move into our new facility in the fall of 2003. We offer a nominal honorarium for some of the tutors. The library staff offer it as part of their job.

Our 1st year MDiv students are required to take this course (7-seminar sessions, 2 hrs) during the 1st semester Each department sends one faculty ;member to present the criteria for writing and research in their specific field. Librarian attends each session and provided list of resources for students for explore and become familiar with.

We share a campus with an undergraduate college and can refer students to the Study Center for help with study habits, reading, etc.

Our academic support programs are ESL for students from other countries who will be working in Chicago or other USA locales, a workshop in theological writing (conducted by the Head Librarian), and ad hoc recording and other support for dyslexic students (one in the last four years).

It is small scale but very important for those who use it.

We have moved a component of "How to Succeed in Graduate School" into a required course that students take in their first year. A writing guide is distributed, reading/study skills are discussed, learning styles are explored, etc. We also have occasional faculty workshops on these themes But we don't have a formal center or designated specialists; that's why I'm not sure how to fit our circumstances neatly into your questions.

The Acad. Dean does not generally have responsibility for student affairs; this responsibility is with the Registrar and the faculty ( we only have 5 full time faculty)

Both EDS and WJST are schools that pride themselves in their high academic standards, and the majority of the students who are accepted are "above average" in their writing skills. Therefore the idea of an "academic support center" has been limited to international students, for the most part. Thus the WRITE Program does not provide as broad a basis of academic support as other schools may provide, but it is committed to working with students at whatever level of competency they are on writing and research skills, and the course stresses writing in a theological context.

In addition to our program there is a program on learning disabilities for the whole University. We draw heavily on them for evaluation and for recommendations for flexible course arrangements.

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