How to Integrate Directed Learning Activities into Any Course Curriculum

From The Author Many students come into the college classroom with developing writing skills. In courses where writing is not emphasized and time cannot be spent on writing fundamentals, students are many times left to flounder. Sharing with students the various resources the Writing Center provides is one way to help students succeed in their courses. In addition to providing students with one-on-one tutoring and workshops, the Writing Center has developed over forty-five Directed Learning Activities (DLAs) to supplement and enhance a student’s writing abilities. In a climate where institutions demand quantifiable results, these activities deliver. Writing Centers and tutoring programs across the country observe marked improvement and higher student persistence as a result of students utilizing this resource. In fact, Mt. SAC English students have an average 15% success differential. DLAs demonstrate student success through fun, self-paced, contextualized learning activities. And just in case the student has any lingering questions, each DLA concludes with a brief tutoring session. We are creating many more DLA topics, and we welcome any recommendations for future DLA topics and look forward to any feedback you may provide. - Amy Azul