Advising and Learning Assistance Center

The mission of the Advising and Learning Assistance Center is to provide a unified approach to supporting students and faculty in the learning and advising processes. It is a place where students can get “one stop” academic support in the form of services and programs designed to help them achieve their goals by becoming more effective and efficient learners.

Members of the professional staff are available to consult with students, individually and in groups, on such topics as academic performance, exam anxieties, stress management, time management, note taking, textbook reading, and the general improvement of learning skills. The center works with students who have been diagnosed as learning disabled, helping them to make their educational experiences at Rensselaer more productive.

Tutoring Programs
The center provides course-specific tutoring in all undergraduate courses offered at Rensselaer, subject only to availability of tutors. Tutoring is not a way for students to avoid their responsibilities in the learning process (or to get their homework done by others) but an interactive, nonthreatening method of helping students improve their learning skills, increase understanding of the subject matter and, where appropriate, improve grades.

Tutoring is available to all undergraduates presently registered for, and taking, a course at Rensselaer who feel that, with a little help, they could improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their learning in the course. As many as 1,000 students use this service each year.

Learning Assistants (LAs)
The center has students who have received extensive training and are living in various first-year residence halls. LAs are available for counseling, give workshops on various learning-related topics, and act as a liaison with the center. This program is jointly run with the Office of Residence Life.

English as a Second Language (ESL)
The center is responsible for screening international graduate teaching assistants on their ability to understand and speak American English, running ESL classes for those who do not meet Rensselaer’s requirements, and assisting international students interested in improving their English skills.

Learn more about the Advising and Learning Assistance Center.