Centers aid in student successes
by KC Jones, reporter

    Many students want to make A’s in college but don’t know how.
    TCC students can learn skills to help improve their grades and much more at the learning centers on their campuses.

    The many different learning centers help students with subjects like foreign language, English as a second language, writing, study skills, math, science and even economics.

    The math lab manager, Jenelle Kinsfather, describes some of the learning centers at the SE Campus.

    “The computer learning center is huge; there must be about 50 computers. Students can work on their computer science studies there,” she said.

    “Our campus also has a science learning center with a lot of biology models of eyes and torsos. Our math learning center offers a lot of tutoring. We also have video tapes and computer software that works with the math books,” she said.

    SE Campus also has a reading and writing center, run by Charles Smith.

    The language acquisition center at the NE Campus has many tools to expose students to the languages they are studying. The center has international magazines, worksheets, videotapes, audiotapes and CD-ROM’s.

    Pam Kelsch, the NE foreign language lab assistant, had a special recommendation.

    “For students studying Spanish, there is a computer program that covers the entire Claro Que Si book. It is really helpful, but most students don’t take advantage of it. If students will bring in a floppy disk, we will copy the program for them like we do the audio tapes,” she said.

    The writing centers are prepared to help students become better writers. Several computers provide Internet connections for research, and the use of printers are free. The writing center staffs are available one on one to help critique essays and research papers. These professionals can look over the paper and find consistent mistakes or just help the student brainstorm writing ideas.

    Peggy Erving, NE skills center assistant, explains how she helps.     
    "Every student has his or her own writing style and usually makes the same mistakes over and over,” she said. “We can look at the paper and try to teach them from their mistakes. However, we can’t help them when they come in 10 minutes before their paper is due and ask us to proofread the paper.”

    The skills center helps with general English grammar, study skills and test taking. The area offers several packets for students to work through subjects like capitalization, essay writing and punctuation. The centers offer many pamphlets, books, videos and audiocassettes on varied subjects including effective listening, note taking, time management as well as stress management.

    A NE Campus student found the video Making A’s in College very helpful.

    “I had been out of school for over 10 years. Being a single mother, I didn’t know if I could juggle school and motherhood,” she explained.

    “The skills center and the video I watched gave me vital tips that help me use my time in and out of class most efficiently. I am proud to say I made all A’s last semester, and all the classes were required for my degree,” she said.

    The learning centers welcome questions, and staff members are there to help. The hours vary by location, but in general, the centers are open Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; closed weekends. Each campus has a different assortment of learning centers to focus on different subjects. For more information, call SE 817-515-3808, South 817-515-4165, NW 817-515-7715 or NE 817-515-6936.