This fall, Trinity University Writing Center tutors reached Level One Certification by the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA). The CRLA helps ensure that university tutoring programs adhere to the best practices, as established by the profession, by providing an internationally-recognized set of criteria for tutor training.
Breaking this down, CRLA training emphasizes collaborative and active learning, encouraging tutors to not simply tell students the information, but involve their peers in critical thinking. To achieve the Level One Certification, Writing Center tutors completed 10 hours of training, passed multiple observations and evaluations, and tutored for a minimum of 25 hours. Jennifer Rowe, director for Tutoring Programs at Trinity, explains that “by participating in this program, we hope to better equip our tutors to help students master class concepts as well as increase the likelihood that these students will engage in help-seeking behaviors.”
The CRLA certification represents completion of the first major stage of peer-tutor training at Trinity. The Writing Center is now pursuing Level Two Advanced Certification, and Quantitative Reasoning and Skills tutors and course-embedded tutors are now applying for Level One Certification. Rowe is excited by the progress tutors across campus are making, explaining “this is the first time that Trinity has undergone such an effort to improve and standardize tutoring practices on a campus-wide level.”
Rowe adds that the certification not only benefits students seeking help in their classes, but tutors as well: “These students are doing demanding, para-professional work; the certification recognizes the quality of that work and gives them a powerful resume item to take with them after they've graduated.”
One Writing Center tutor, Ariana Fletcher-Bai ’20, feels that this certification is a “huge acknowledgement of the work we’ve done and the work we're doing.” It also makes it known that “Tiger tutors are intentional about providing a truly helpful and well-informed resource for students.”
Congratulations to Fletcher-Bai, Robin Bissett ’20, Hannah Friedrich ’19, Tiffany Nguyen ’20, and Ariel DelVecchio ’20 for receiving CRLA certification.
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