Resource center critical to UMO
By From staff reports
Published in News on February 8, 2015 1:50 AM
Dr. Regina Stone-Hernandez, assistant professor of education, is on a mission to help University of Mount Olive students.
She wants students to take responsibility for their own education, and she is offering the tools to allow them to do so through the Academic Resource Center.
During the past few semesters, she has developed numerous programs and clinics for students to utilize in order to learn effectively at the university.
Ms. Stone-Hernandez said that she hopes that with the continual aid available through the ARC, students can confidently receive a college degree and ultimately career opportunities.
The ARC originated through the help of the university's education department. Dr. Tommy Benson, chair of the education department, works hand-in-hand with Ms. Stone-Hernandez to promote higher education at the university.
"Several years ago I realized that we needed to provide support for our learners outside of the regular classroom, but I hadn't done anything with that thought," Benson said. "Then along came Regina that gave arms, feet, legs, arms, tooth and nail to the idea.
"She has taken and developed the ARC into a resource much grander than I had ever imagined. We owe the thanks to her."
There's no doubt that the ARC has grown tremendously and has become a pivotal part of the education process at the university.
Currently, the ARC provides supplemental instruction, crisis support, reading groups, learning accountability program, guided collaborative learning, and clinics to engage students in collaborative and group oriented learning spaces.
One-on-one tutoring is also available at the ARC if the student needs an individualized approach. The different programs are geared toward students who need help in challenging courses and for students who are at-risk learners.
"We've talked to so many kids today, and so many of them don't know what it means to learn," Ms. Stone-Hernandez said. "They never have been conditioned or challenged. The classroom settings have not been environments for learning.
"They have been in classroom environments for replicating, and they replicate the answer that the teacher gives to you. The idea of 21st century instruction gives us the goal of having lifelong learners, and that's what I am promoting with the help of my tutors, peer leaders, and the education department."
Recently, the ARC has been holding math clinics to aid the students in algebra courses. The clinics are held on Tuesday from 7 to 11 p.m. with one skilled, trained math tutor. The tutor is there to answer critical content questions, but the students are encouraged to assist one another in comprehending the course material.
"We are scaffolding the instruction down at the ARC, particularly in the math department," Ms. Stone-Hernandez said. "This way, students have six ways of learning. They have the textbook, HAWKS homework, the classroom experience, SI (supplemental instruction), the math clinic and specialized one-on-one tutoring.
"UMO has opened up this kind of investment to its finances and time to promote student success. Not a lot of universities are make sure that students have a variety of ways to learn."