Chemistry Success Center, Grand Valley State University
Every few months MICLCA features one Michigan learning center, told by someone who works there. This spotlight is by Sarah Clark, the center's director.
A tutor works through a problem with a student at a table in the Chemistry Success Center.
Two students laughing over an open binder of chemistry practice problems.
A tutor points at a screen, helping a student with data analysis software.
A group of students working together with laptops and whiteboards in the center.
The Chemistry Success Center is one of ten drop-in tutoring centers at Grand Valley State University. Drop-in centers offer subject-specific support and stay closely linked to the departments they serve. I direct the CSC and am also an affiliate faculty member in the chemistry department, where I teach introductory chemistry each semester.
The CSC and the other drop-in centers are part of the Knowledge Market, GVSU's central hub for peer-mediated academic support, alongside the Library Research Center, the Writing Center, the Digital Creator Lab, and the Speech Lab. As a drop-in center director I get the best of both worlds. My chemistry colleagues keep us current on content, and my academic support colleagues keep me thinking about tutor training, hiring, assessment, and practice.
About a third of students enrolled in 100- and 200-level chemistry courses engage with the CSC, and we see around 7,000 student visits each academic year. Some arrive with a specific question. Others use the center as a comfortable place to study or to meet classmates. Students work at their own pace and engage with tutors and faculty as much or as little as they want. One student told us, "I can't explain how helpful this place is and how comfortable I feel. I love it."
Both student tutors and faculty staff the center. Over 90% of chemistry faculty teaching at the 100- and 200-levels hold weekly office hours in the CSC, and those hours turn out to be a good introduction to academic support: many students walk in for the first time to see their professor. In a typical semester, 25 upper-level undergraduates tutor here. The team is small enough that people know each other, and tutors tell us the work builds their confidence and their sense of belonging at GVSU. We honor graduating tutors with paper plate awards and they organize their own pickleball tournaments.
Being close to the department opens up collaborations. Our organic lab coordinator built a mini research project into the curriculum, and students have to analyze real, messy data using technical software, which is new and hard for most of them. The CSC partnered with the organic labs to host extra help lab hours for exactly that.
Our biggest current challenge is first-year students. We have seen a significant drop in students seeking help for 100-level chemistry courses, including several with high DFW rates, while demand for upper-level support climbs every year. I am glad to be part of MICLCA so we can have conversations about problems like this one. I am looking forward to learning with and from you.
Sarah Clark
Director, Chemistry Success Center, Grand Valley State University
MICLCA Treasurer
More about the center: GVSU Chemistry Success Center GVSU in the MICLCA directory
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