The Center for Academic Success and Achievement is rolling out a new style of success seminars with hopes of connecting students with each other and BW faculty. The weekly seminars can be attended at Ritter Library or online.
The seminars include topics on time management, note-taking and other faculty-led programs.
During the success seminars, students and faculty are connected through interactive group workshops. These groups will be focused on advancing and improving academic skills.
Maddie Butcher, a learning specialist, program coordinator for CASA and BW alumni, is the planner of success seminars this year and says they will be evolving from what they focused on in the past.
“One of my big moves, at least for this semester, is to not only have our programming, but have specialty programming that is more focused on what the students want, but also incorporating faculty advice and input,” Butcher said.
Upcoming seminars include Using Psychology to Enhance your College-Level Learning with Jen Perry, professor of Psychology. Butcher collaborated with Perry to focus on the idea of learning “for the long term” with Perry pulling in psychological research.
Marcus Alonso, a sophomore music theatre major, was required to attend the success seminars as a part of his first-year experience class last year. The topics covered time management, procrastination, and planning for midterms.
Alonso said that even though these could not always be applied to his classes, Butcher helped him to see how the seminars could help him.
“We were able to figure out what was distracting me from doing what I really needed to do and how I could also use those distractions as rewards. It was really helpful and it’s stuff I still apply today,” Alonso said.
Through these seminars, Butcher says she hopes students can take away that success doesn’t come from one source.
Butcher said: “Both to model to students that they should be taking in information from multiple sources, but then also, don’t tackle these problems on your own, work together.”
While some seminars are run by the CASA staff, the integration of BW faculty and departments aims to teach students the skills and benefits of learning from experts.
Butcher said she would love to collaborate in the coming semesters with different departments like Chemistry and Biology. Working with the Conservatory to reach students like Alonso is also Butcher’s hope. Another possible collaboration would be working with student groups like Stem Scholars and Student Athletes, to give all students the resources and support they need.
