LEARNING STRATEGIES

The Learning Strategies Center (LSC) is the center of academic assistance for the college. The LSC provides students with opportunities to practice and enhance their academic skills and some hands-on skills, as well as develop study strategies necessary for success in the CIA's degree programs. Assistance with academic areas may take the form of peer tutoring, supplemental practice materials, academic advising, content workshops, and study strategies. Additionally, the college has three tutoring centers on campus where students may work with faculty or peer tutors to improve their skills in academic content areas. The LSC also assists students with basic hands-on skills such as kinife cuts, piping, hollandaise or mayonnaise producation, and produce or meat identification. Students can request hands-on skill assistance through the LSC coordinator, located in Roth Hall S217.

The Learning Strategies Center also houses the Office for Disability Services. We believe that students with disabling conditions improve the diversity and vitality of our student body. As such, the LSC is dedicated to ensuring that disabled students have queal access to all programs and curricula, and to educating the campus community about the needs of disabled students, thereby creating a campus-wide support network To learn more about available support services, please see "Disability Services" listed below or contact the disability support specialists in Roth Hall S217.

In addition, the LSC administers the Faculty and Alumni Mentor Program. which provides students with the opportunities to work one-on-one with a member of the CIA faculty or with a CIA graduate. The programs allows students to gain another perspective on their classes and the industry, develop metworking skills, and have a role model to talk with and help them achieve their goals. For more information about the Faculty and Alumni Mentor Program, please see "Faculty and Alumni Mentor  Program" listed below.

Tutoring services, disabled student services, and the Faculty and Alumni Mentor Program are the major components of service that the Learning Strategies Center provides to students. The LSC also helps students by providing:

• one-on-one academic advisement with a professional staff member
• studey skill strategies and time management tips
• student advocacy and self-advocacy development
• a liaison between student and faculty or staff member
• a listing of off-campus support services such as the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation

All services provided by the LSC are free to CIA students.

Tutoring

Tutoring services are open to all CIA students. The college has three tutoring labs in which students can work with a peer tutor or a faculty member. In the main Tutoring Center, located in Roth Hall S212, the LSC provides peer tutoring in all subjects. In addition to this one-on one tutoring, a number of workshops are held in the main Tutoring Center that are targeted to help support students in some of the more challenging classes such as Wines and Spirits and Accounting. The LSC provides tutors for the Writing Center, housed in Room 103 of the Education Annex (McCann), which offers peer tutoring and instructor assistance with content and grammar as well as workshops on the Second Semester Writing  Examination and MLA (Modern Language Association) documentation guidelines. Students are also invited to visit the Math Lab on Tuesdays and Thursdays for peer tutoring or instructor assistance int he CIA's various math courses. The Math Lab is located in the Education Annex (McCann), also in Room 103.

The three tutoring centers are not only good places  to learn how to study or practice skills needed for courses, they're also ideal places to study with peers tutors who can answer questions and help students learn the material for a particular class.

Students who have special qualities in helping others and are maintaining a 3.0 or better grade point average can apply to be a peer tutor. This is a rewarding position that also helps students reinforce the knowledge they have gained in their classes. To find out more about this opportunity, please stop by the Learning Strategies Center, Room S217 in Roth Hall.

Disability Services

The Learning Strategies Center (LSC) offers support services to students with disabilities, The LSC will assist qualified students in attaining reasonable accommodations and support services.

Our disability support specialists are available to discuss students' specific needs in the classroom, kitchen, and residence hall, Reasonable accommodations may include readers, note-takers, priority seating, enlargement of notes, tape recording a lecture, books on tape, interpreters, testing accommodations, assistance with lifting, or individualized schedules, depending on the student's documentation and specific functional limitations. After reviewing the documantation and interviewing the student, a disability support specialist will determine and recommend approprate accommodations for each student's course of studey. Our disability support specialists serve as liaisons between students and faculty, staff, and any outside agancies that support disabled student enrollment. Students with disabilities who need remedial academic assistance or further academic skill development will need to work with individual faculty members or the learning specialist.

Accommodations for students with disabilities are based on individual needs and functional limitations. It is the student's responsibility to initiate a request for services and remain involved as a committed learner who has taken charge of his/her own needs. Due to confidentiality laws governing institutions or higher education, students must disclose their disability and request accommodations from each instructor and/or other staff members and departments themselves. Students with disabling conditions need to request accommodations for every class, quiz, midterm, or final exam as well as for procatical exams and externship.

To obtain services, students are required to provide the LSC with recent professional documentation of their disability. This information will be kept confidential and must be received at least one month prior to their start date. Should students decide to disclose their disability once on campus, they have two months to submit current professional documentation to the LSC. Learning disability documentation or ADHD documentation shoudl not be older than three years, except where appropriate documentation is provided bu a professional indicating that new testing would not be required, given the individual circumstances. For additional information, stop by Roth Hall S217 to speak with any of the LSC staff.

A qualified student with a disability is one who:

• Self-identifies himself or herself to the LSC office in a timely manner.
• Provides the college with comprehensive, current, professional documentation of a disability.
• Provides documentation which clearly indicates the student's functional limitations and the need for academic adjustments, auxiliary aids, or services.
• Can meet the academic and technical standards set out by the CIA.

Age of documentation requirements:

• Learning Disabilities or ADD/ADHD—documantation must be less than three years old from the date the student requests services from the CIA. Additionally, the psychoeducational evaluation must be based on an adult test format such as the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and the Woodcock-Johnson Achievement Test.
• Psychiatric Disabilities—documentation must be less than a year old from the date the student requests services from the CIA. This documentation must be updated annually.
• Rehabilitated Drug Addiction/Alcoholism—documentation must be less than a year old from the date the student requests services from the CIA.
• Hearing Impairments—an audiogram by a licensed audiologist and any additional medical documentation must be less than three years old from the date the student requests services from the CIA. Information regarding the functional limitations should be included.
• Medical and/or Physical Disabilities—documentation must be provided as to the nature of the disability, diagnosis, resulting functional limitations, physician recommendations for appropriate accommodations, and be less than a year old from the date the student requests services from the CIA.
• Visual Impairments—documentation must be less than a year old from the date the student requests services from the CIA and should be provided by an optometrist or ophthalmologist. This documentation must be updated annually.
• Temporary Disability Due to Illness or Injury—documentation verifying the nature of the condition, stating the expected duration of the condition, and describing the accommodation is necessary. The verification of temporary disability must be no older than 60 days.

Our disability support specialists are available at 845-451-1219 or 845-451-1288 and can assist you in determining if your documentation is appropriate and current or can answer any additional questions.

The Faculty and Alumni Mentor Program

The Learning Strategies Center coordinates the Faculty and Alumni Mentor Program. Enrolled students have an opportunity to participate in an exciting program where they are paired with either a faculty member on campus or a CIA graduate who has been in the industry for 10 or more years. The program provides students with additional guidance and structure as they pursue their culinary or baking or pastry career. The mentor acts as a role model to demonstrate the positive result of pride, professionalism, and hard work, and can help a student determine which area of the industry he or she is best suited for or most interested in pursuing. Mentors can also help introduce students to the wide network of CIA alumni and other professionals in the field. The Faculty and Alumni Mentor Program is a voluntary program designed for the benefit of students who want to enhance their educational experience to the fullest. To learn more, please contact the Learning Strategies Center coordinator at 845-451-1283.

The Writing Center

The Writing Center, located in the Education Annex (McCann), Room 103, is the hub of writing activity on campus. Here, students meet with peer tutors and writing faculty to work on issues in content, organization, style, grammar, and mechanics. Workshops tailored to specific writing concerns, including the correct use of outside source material, proper MLA (Modern language Association) documentation, and preparation for the CIA's writing comprehensive exam, are regularly offered. The Writing Center also hosts a book group where students meet to discuss readings from tests used in writing classes. Students can visit the Writing Center Monday–Thursday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. and Friday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

We look forward to assisting you in your goal to become a successful graduate of The Culinary Institute of America!