Academic Assistance is a term used to describe any type of help or guidance students might need during their college career. This can be anything from tutoring to extra credit opportunities. It is important that students take advantage of the academic assistance offered by their school or professors. It can help them pass their classes and even get a job after graduation.
Academic advising is one of the most popular forms of academic support. This is a service that helps students develop an individualized plan of study, making decisions regarding major selection and course registration and guiding them in their academic pursuits. While it is closely aligned with the academic mission of the institution, it is not directly tied to any formal curriculum and differs from core Academic Affairs services such as tutoring, which is curriculum-specific.
Another form of academic support is student-centered learning, which involves helping students become more independent in their studies and developing critical thinking skills. This can be provided by peer tutoring, group study sessions, or other activities that help students gain a greater understanding of their academic courses. It is also possible for students to receive academic support from their faculty advisors and/or teaching assistants.
There are many different types of academic assistance, and it is essential that students know what is available to them. Many times these services will come into the classroom and give presentations on what they offer, but they are also easily found on a university’s website.
Some schools are required to provide academic support for certain groups of students, such as disabled or non-English speaking students, while others voluntarily create academic support programs to address specific student performance outcomes or trends (e.g., high dropout rates or low grade point averages). Some academic support is needs-based and provides supplemental instruction, practice, and guidance to students who require it in order to succeed in their courses.
Students are often hesitant to seek academic support, but there is a growing body of research that indicates that doing so can significantly improve their grades and overall college experience. A recent study examined the determinants of students’ intentions to use university-based academic support services. It found that participants’ perceptions of social norms, specifically the beliefs that their referents approve of the behavior and that they are likely to engage in it themselves, are important predictors of their intention to use academic support services.
The findings from this study suggest that colleges should develop information campaigns emphasizing social norms in support of their academic support efforts, particularly among the most influential social referents, such as family members, friends, and peers. Moreover, they should emphasize the positive effects of academic support, such as improving student grades and their ability to think critically. This can be done by promoting the availability of these services and/or using persuasive strategies, such as messages that highlight how common it is for people to seek help when they need it.