July 18, 2023
Academic Achievement Center introduces new service to boost academic success
Submitted by Academic Achievement Center
The Academic Achievement Center will launch a new range of services starting this fall semester — success skills tutoring and body doubling hours — designed to help students develop crucial skills for success in college.
Success skills tutoring is a re-imagination of the peer coaching program that aligns with K-State's other peer-led services. Success skills tutoring is individualized support to develop key skills to be successful in college. Success skills tutors facilitate a process that helps students build capacity for success by focusing on the building blocks essential to academic achievement. In success skills tutoring sessions, a student will work with a tutor to learn a new skill like time management, test taking, note taking, effective planning, prioritization and other academic success tools.
Success skills tutors are trained to help walk students through different strategies and customizations that fit individualized preferences. Similar to working with a personal trainer who provides fitness strategies, the strategy itself does not produce the results; rather, it is following the strategy that leads to success.
Just like appointment tutoring, students will be able to sign up for a session via Navigate and meet with their tutor in Holtz Hall or virtually. Availability will be live in Navigate during the first week of the semester, and the first sessions will be available during the second week of the semester.
Body doubling hours have been developed to fill a gap seen across campus. "Body doubling" is language from occupational therapy and is used as a technique to help individuals who find it difficult to sustain focus on a task. The idea is that having someone else in the same physical space can help reduce distractions, increase motivation and improve productivity. In body doubling hours, students will be able to drop in to work in a productive environment led by a success skills tutor who can check in on their progress and will ensure the space stays productive.
"The Student Access Center is excited to have this resource for students with disabilities," said Jason Maseberg Tomlinson, director of the Student Access Center. "Many of our students benefit from a supported studying environment and have begun to ask for body doubling resources by name. This is a growing trend for college students, and I am excited that K-State will be offering our students this opportunity."
A schedule of when and where body doubling hours are happening will be available during the first week of the semester, and the first sessions will be available during the second week of the semester. Just like drop-in tutoring, students do not need to schedule in advance and can stay for as long as they'd prefer.
In addition to these new services, the Academic Achievement Center will continue to provide its staple services of academic coaching, success tools and tutoring for all K-State students as part of their free academic support package. For more information, visit k-state.edu/aac/.