A faculty member in trades at Camosun’s Interurban campus is concerned about how the recent cancellation of the Learning Skills Program (LSP) could affect his students.
According to Albert van Akker, program leader of the college’s architectural trades and carpentry program, the college’s targeting of the LSP in its 2012/2013 budget cuts could have long-lasting ramifications for students who used the services to learn how to study properly, manage their time, and strengthen academic weaknesses.
“This is a program that is vital for a lot of the students,” says van Akker, “and if they can’t get the type of service that the learning skills team has been providing, it is going to be the difference; they are simply not going to be able to succeed.”
Every year roughly 100 Interurban trades students attend the workshops that learning skills counsellor Zack Zajchowski holds. He also sees approximately 50 trades students for one-on-one appointments.
“You do have to have your theory underpinning your practice; students do have to do the paper-and-pen types of tests and so the Learning Skills becomes a piece that is needed,” says Zajchowski.
Camosun is trying to offset the college’s current debt of $2.5 million by making staff reductions and program cuts to the tune of $500,000. The college claims that the programs affected, such as the Applied Communication Program, were those with least student impact.
“The Learning Skills reduction contributed approximately $220,000 to the overall reduction target,” says Nicole Greengoe, director, student services and registrar. “All decisions regarding reductions within student services were exceedingly difficult to make and were made within the context of how many students would the reduction impact, what risks were associated with the reduction, and how would the targeted reductions influence our ability to conduct mission critical business for students and for the college?”
Van Akker stresses that students who previously used learning skills services are going to be at an academic disadvantage now because many don’t have proper study techniques, which can drastically affect grades and eventual wages.
“These people are potentially being marginalized to a lower income for a much longer portion of their career,” says van Akker, “or their entire career, because they can’t advance, get through the training, and get the certification that’s going to allow them to command a journeyman rate.”
It is unlikely that LSP would be reintroduced anytime soon, but according to Greengoe it may be considered if the budget ever permits.
“It goes without saying that we are very, very saddened by the reduction to Learning Skills and those employees who deliver this service, and we very much hope that we will be able to reintroduce learning skills services and courses should our budgets and/or strategic priorities allow,” she says.
According to Zajchowski, the learning skills program at Interurban is well known amongst similar programs across the country.
“We are a flagship of learning skills across Canada,” claims Zajchowski, “and even outside the country.”
The Learning Skills Program and Service benefited very few of the larger student body. Even when running full strength, the service was very limited – and there was essentially no service during the summer at all. Sure, it helped a few students in trades and nursing. And if it had been funded better, it could have helped many others. But let’s face it, the college is cutting anything that costs money – and since LSP tutoring was free, that’s a cost. Short-sighted thinking, yes. But that’s the way it seems to be. Unless the service was greatly INCREASED so that more students stayed with the college and succeeded in their courses, LSP is a cost with negligable benefits (or so the President apparently thinks).
Same goes for the writing centre, which is non-existant at Interurban, where I need it. And its only open a couple hours at Lansdowne anyways. Again, helping very few students. I expect that will be cut soon too.
So given that the college doesnt want to properly fund, or CANT properly fund fully staffed good serivce hours for these learning services … how about the TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM do a better job themselves? Why not integrate whatever the LSP methods were into normal daily classroom practise? Why not have teachers that actually post some tutoring office hours? most of my teachers dont bother to give any office hours, even though Im told they get paid to do it. A few will say “see me during breaks” or worse “show up 5 mntues early” and then they are never there early themselves.
Are not the TEACHERS supposed to be doing the teaching?
And if the teachers are doing a good job, and the students still arent able to keep up, maybe the students need higher entrance marks to start with, or more prep /upgrading courses (oh wait, they cut the free upgrading courses too).
I’d like more help. It would reduce my stress and increase my grades – I’ve no doubt about it. Some of my classmates are going to fail and drop out because they’re not doing well and there’s really no one who cares anymore. But if the online resources and in-class resources were better, then maybe no one would care about the LSP service cuts, because the service wouldnt be needed.
I am saddened by Camosun’s financial predicament, but have to say I wanted to attend some of those learning sessions… however, myself and several other business students couldn’t attend the times that were set. They were (back when I was there) once a week during Thursday’s lunch – which all of us that were full time had classes. Those I see the benefit of this learning program – it was under-funded/under-used/under-achieving to begin with.