STC online tutoring services earns national recertification

The Centers for Learning Excellence (CLE) at South Texas College is celebrating its first Association of Colleges for Tutoring and Learning Assistance (ACTLA) recertification for its online tutoring programs, a milestone achieved through an extensive year-long process.

First certified in 2023, STC is the only college in Texas and only ninth in the nation, to boast this certification.

ACTLA is a national organization focused on improving tutorial programs and related services by advancing excellence with discipline and practice. Through professional development, certification and dialogue, it fosters and promotes racial and socioeconomic equity in student achievement.

“I am particularly proud of this certification because of its prestige,” said STC CLE Director Lynell Williams. “This is a testament to the quality of our online programs and the work of our CLE staff. The ACTLA organization recognizes the critical role of tutoring and learning assistance programs, and at STC, we want to empower our students through our services.”

Spearheading the recertification were CLE Assistant Director Rosario Vasquez and Learning Excellence Specialist for Online Services Jessica Torres.

They described the recertification process as extensive. It took nearly one year to get all documentation and applications complete.

“We took a holistic approach on this project, including hardware, software, professional development and bundled it with STC’s mission and core value of caring,” said Torres. “The application process requires reflection and evaluation of what we offer and how it impacts our college community.”

Additionally, Torres and Vasquez also said they had to recalibrate around some of the topics touching on diversity, equity and inclusion to comply with new Texas laws that govern what can and cannot be required of the tutors, while still maintaining the integrity of the certification.

“We spent a lot of time not just working together but also remaining in communication with ACTLA representatives to make sure that we complied with everyone’s standards,” said Vasquez. “At the same time, we’ve made sure to still focus on caring and empathy, institutional values we still hold true.”

The CLE offers postsecondary 24/7 online tutoring programs, endorsed by the Council of Learning Assistance and Developmental Education Associations (CLADEA), which provide tutor training certification programs to deliver recognition and positive reinforcement and set standards of skill and training for tutors and peer educators, and augment program credibility for administrators and institutions.

Additionally, it provides in-person tutoring, academic coaching, supplemental instruction, embedded class tutoring, computer labs, a writing center, student workshops, independent study rooms and Texas Success Initiative (TSI) testing preparation.

“Rosario and Jessica have shown and dedicated countless hours to encompass everything we offer and provide our staff and students for this recertification,” said Williams. “We don’t only meet ACTLA’s minimum requirements, we exceed them. This recertification means that our students can depend on high-caliber service when it comes to online tutoring and that we have a benchmark and a credential that is recognized nationally. We always ensure that our students have an excellent experience with excellent tutors.”

For more information on the services offered at STC’s Centers for Learning Excellence, visit southtexascollege.edu/cle/about.html.