Skip to main content

Report About Student Writing Center Reveals Positive Impacts On Student Grades, Retention

A recent empirical study conducted by the Office of Institutional Research and Reporting (IRR) at Salt Lake Community College found that students who used the SLCC Student Writing Center (SWC) earned higher grades in a variety of courses compared to students who did not. The study also found that students who used the SWC returned for the next semester at higher rates than students who did not.


The findings from the study are particularly relevant to the first goal in SLCC’s 2017-2023 Strategic Plan to increase student completion, especially for students enrolled in General Education Core Skills and Distribution Area courses such as Communications 1010, English 1010 & 2010, History 1700, Math 1030, and Psychology 1100. Students in these courses who worked with peer and faculty consultants in the SWC earned course grades averaging a half letter-grade higher than their peers and showed slightly higher enrollments in the subsequent semester. A half-letter grade difference can determine whether a student moves along in their program of study or not. For example, a “C-” in some courses would need to be repeated for transfer while a half-grade higher--a “C” or “C+”--allows students to move on to take other classes.

According to the IRR report, “Students in their second term or later who used the SWC received higher grades in the originating course compared to their peers who did not use the SWC, even after adjusting for differences due to gender, ethnicity, prior academic performance (GPA), accumulated credits, term and number of terms attended.” The report also states that “Students in their second term or later who used the SWC also returned for the next semester at higher rates compared to their peers in the matched data who did not use the SWC.”  

The IRR study also found positive impacts on new students who used the SWC’s tutoring services. While not able to be adjusted for prior academic performance, the findings about new students suggested “the effect of SWC use on grades and retention may well have been larger for new students than it was for returning students.”


The Student Writing Center is open to all SLCC students and offers one-to-one and small group writing tutoring. The SWC’s mission is to help SLCC students improve as writers and to succeed as studentsThe full report may be found by clicking here. 


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

SLCC Automotive Repairs

Click to enlarge. Attention: SLCC Students, staff and faculty! Many SLCC automotive programs need vehicles to work on in these areas: 30 point inspections Oil changes Tire rotation Engine repair Brake systems repair Automatic and transmission repairs Air conditioning repair Electrical troubleshooting & repair Suspension & steering system repair Auto-body repair and painting (on a very limited basis) Please be advised that any repairs are done at the discretion of the instructors due to the subject areas they are teaching.  Because we are using your vehicles for training purposes, we offer members of the College discounts on parts and labor. Parts are at our cost plus 15% and the service fee is $20 per hour based on industry time standards (if the industry assigns an hour for a repair, that's all you're charged for, regardless of how much time it takes the student). We can also offer these services to non-college personnel on a limited basis with...

SLCC All Access

Did you know you can access SLCC lab software for free from your own computing device?   Come learn how SLCC is supporting BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) with All Access. The goal of All Access is to provide any time, any place, and any device access to college computing and lab software SLCC students, faculty and staff.  All Access works on almost any device from a PC or Mac, to tablets and smart phones.  With All Access you can use programs like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, AutoCAD, MatLab, Mathematica, MyITLab, NetBeans, and online Library Databases.  We also provide you with online storage space so you can save your files in the cloud and have access to them wherever you are.  Anyone is welcome to this session where we will cover the basics of All Access, give you some tips and tricks for getting the most out the system, and we’ll also have some people there to help get your computer set up.  When and where: ...

SLCC Alumnus and U.S. Diplomat to Speak at 2025 Commencement

Salt Lake Community College’s 2025 Commencement speaker Branigan Knowlton will share his perspectives drawn from a 12-year career as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State. In serving his country, Knowlton has honed his foreign relations and diplomacy skills in Hong Kong, Mexico, Colombia and Italy. Knowlton is also a proud Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) alumnus (2002).     Knowlton currently serves at the U.S. Embassy in Rome. Before reporting to the embassy, he was detailed to the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport as part of the Transatlantic Diplomatic Fellowship program. In Bogotá, Knowlton worked for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, and in Hermosillo, Mexico, he worked for the Bureau of Consular Affairs. His first assignment abroad was in Hong Kong, where he worked for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.     "I've actively sought opportunities that push me into the unfamiliar, even when ...