Fresno State’s Learning Center tutoring program received the Gold Excellence Award by NASPA, the national organization for Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.

The center received the award for its “innovative” tutor training which uses project-based learning to impact student success, according to a university news release.

The center’s tutoring program focuses on “creating a positive learning environment that is inclusive for all Fresno State students,” said Mai Kou Vang, interim director of the Fresno State Learning Center.

The tutoring program uses project-based learning to better train its tutors. Tutors are given tasks to apply while they work, as well as researching the outcome of their process through their training.

According to the news release, the impact of the tutoring program was:

• 89 percent of tutors felt they gained information that would help them better approach tutoring sessions;
• 100 percent felt they would be more helpful to students and felt more self-confident in their tutoring abilities;
• 79 percent felt training would increase their critical thinking skills in tutoring sessions

Academic support coordinator William Hardaway and academic support specialist Anthony Losongco lead the tutoring program, which is located on the bottom floor of the Henry Madden Library.