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view . spring 2012
the Economics Help Centre, the Human Kinetics mentoring
program, and the Faculty of Education’s Curriculum
Resource Centre.
With such a wide range of initiatives in place, it is important
to ensure they are being offered efficiently, with little or no
overlap, says Brooke White.
“We have some excellent programs already in place on
campus, but there are some gaps.”
To help identify these, she helped author a successful SPF
proposal to establish a learning support skills co-ordinator. The
purpose is to evaluate what services are being offered through
the University’s faculties and determine how to provide those
services in the most effective, efficient way possible.
“We want to work with faculties to see how these valuable
initiatives can be optimized, as well as how can we make sure
our students are aware of them,” says White.
“One of the things we are looking at is identifying students
who do well in courses where others typically struggle,
and having them offer ‘office hours’ during which they can
provide help. They would also attend the lectures and
provide feedback.”
The goal of Skills to Enhance Personal Success (STEPS),
offered by the Office of Student Development and Support,
is to get first-year students off on the right foot. It offers
essential workshops in study skills, test-taking, improving
grades and more.
Dayna Ouellette, a student in the concurrent French and
education program, took advantage of the opportunity to learn
practical methods of improving learning and study skills from
STEPS while she was in first year.
“STEPS gave me confidence when I wrote my first exam
and paper,” says Ouellette. “I walked in with skills given to me
by students who had already had success. I feel that it definitely
gave me an advantage, especially in first year.”
Today, Ouellette finds herself on the other side of the
STEPS podium as the assistant co-ordinator of the
Student Development and Support’s learning and study
strategies program.
“I thought it would be a great opportunity to share the
things that I’ve learned and to give back to other students.”
There’s no doubt UWindsor programs such as these
make a critical difference in a student’s ability to make that
transition from high school to university, and encourages them
to persevere and earn their degree. But the programs do more
than that, adds White.
“This is about helping our students through that transition
– but it’s also about making a connection with them. It’s about
helping them to develop a sense of campus and community,
and helping them realize that we care about their success.”
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