The MCLA Trailblazer Tutor Center has been awarded certification as a Level I certified tutor training program by the internationally recognized College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA).
The Trailblazer Peer Tutor Center has worked hard to develop a tutor training program that meets CRLA’s rigorous standards and has successfully completed the International Tutor Training Program Certification (ITTPC) peer review process. The certification means that peer tutors achieved CRLA’s high standards for tutor selection, training, direct service, and evaluation as an integral part of their overall tutoring program.
The certification results in an extensive six-month application process that lasts three years.
Academic Support Coordinator Cassie Rochelo said she’s striving for higher levels of certification as the program is already meeting some of the requirements.
“I hope to continue to grow and advance certification,” she said. “I hope that tutoring and utilizing academic support is an opportunity that each and every student here is entitled to take advantage of to enhance their learning experience.”
When Rochelo started her position in 2020, she developed a new training program to mirror CRLA’s training. She said the program has been beneficial to the point where one of her tutors received a job offer from another company.
“The certification validates their skills and the training they’ve had,” she said. “The CRLA certification brings increased value to the hard and important work that students do as peer tutors here on campus.”
Grace Krzanik ‘23, who majors in sociology with three concentrations – Spanish, social work, and social justice studies – has been a peer tutor since the spring of 2022. She has worked with students on topics related to those of her concentrations, astronomy, general study habits, and time management skills.
“I want people to know that tutoring is very much for every student and not just for people who are struggling academically,” she said. “It’s always good to enhance your skills to better understand a subject or address clarifying questions.”
She said the new training process is more organized and will provide support to both the tutors and students benefitting from the program.
“With the new certification, I think it’s going to be more structured and allow us to implement the information into our daily sessions and outside of the center so that we can help students feel more equipped for success,” she said.
Roughly 16 peer tutors work or volunteer at the Trailblazer Tutor Center and maintain a grade point average of 2.5 or higher. They are required to meet 10 hours of training through a canvas course with additional monthly meetings to receive certification.
Another peer tutor, Viral Shah ‘24, helps students with chemistry, mathematics & accounting, business, and computer science. He started volunteering at the tutor center in the fall 2022 semester.
“I have been in all the certification trainings. We’re taught how to engage with the students, what methods to use, and how to teach them,” he said.
A common theme the tutors resonate with is how much they learn about themselves while assisting their peers.
“I have taken away a lot from this experience,” he said. “The first thing is communication, understanding, and having empathy because you need to be on the students' side. If you have the empathy and coordination to work together and learn, then that can impact them.”
As a transfer student, Shah can see how the Trailblazer Tutor Center influences students. “At my former college, I needed a tutor and there weren’t any. I don’t want students to face that here,” he said.
The Trailblazer Tutor Center is located in Mark Hopkins room 108 part of Academic
Advising and Support.
Learn more about the peer tutors or book an appointment online: https://bit.ly/40BfH3x
