Many pandemic-era high schoolers have found the transition to college to be a challenge. Concordia’s Academic Resource Center is working extra hard to help them make up for lost progress.
In a Nov. 29 article titled, “Wisconsin’s pandemic-era high school students are now in college. Some need more help,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Kelly Meyerhofer explores the trend of more college students than usual who are struggling in college due to academic laxness they experienced while in high school because of the pandemic. In general, Meyerhofer found that Wisconsin colleges are seeing students who are less engaged in the classroom or not scoring as high on tests as previous classes.
Meyerhofer visited Concordia University to speak with Academic Resource Center Director Jan Chapman about the differences the ARC is experiencing this year compared to others. The ARC recorded:
- Roughly 1,600 ARC visits in 2018-19
- That jumped to 5,550 visits in 2021-22
- About 2,825 visits recorded for this semester alone (through mid-November)
RELATED: 6 practical strategies if you’re a high schooler with the ‘lowest ACT score in three decades’
To accommodate the increased demand, Concordia has hired more student tutors and increased the number of classes in which support is offered. The school expanded hours for the writing center and peer tutoring to include Sundays, which students requested in a survey earlier this semester. Concordia has also refined its peer academic coaching to better serve students unaccustomed to the rigor of college classes.
The efforts are paying off, writes Meyerhofer. Last spring, about 200 students were on academic probation, meaning they had a GPA of 2.0 or lower. The list has since shrunk to fewer than 40 students.
Click here or below to access the full story via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s website.
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The Academic Resource Center (ARC) provides free services, programs, and support for all CUW students so they can grow into independent learners and adjust to life as a college student.