<p>I think that there have been other suggestions/comments here that are very valid. Let me address some of them.</p>
<p>Q. What are the statistics about Covel? How many people use the service and how often, and what other options are available?</p>
<p>Math/science:
Covel enrolls about 6,000 students annually in the math-science 10-week programs (that’s non-unique- for instance if a student enrolls in multiple courses, they are counted twice. But that’s not very common).
Writing/composition/ESL:
About 2,000 students annually in one-on-one writing help sessions.
Athletics:
About 2,400 enrolled annually.</p>
<p>AAP( minority students) consists of about 6,000 students; these students have separate AAP tutoring.</p>
<p>Total undergraduate enrollment is about 24,000. When you consider that we are focusing on the introductory classes (say, 1st and 2nd years), and that student-athletes and AAP students are not part of the available pool, Covel reaches a startling percentage of students annually. Roughly, let’s say of the 8,000 students we meet, 4,000 of those are non-unique repeats- we still enroll 4,000 of 16,000 undergrads, and of those if half of those are 1st and 2nd years, that brings it to closer to 4,000 of 8,000 undergrads.</p>
<p>Covel offers weekly sessions in these courses (so 10 sessions per quarter, 1/week):
Chemistry 14A, 14B, 14C, 14D, 20A, 20B, 30A, 30B, 153A
Life Sciences 1, 2, 3, 4
Mathematics 1, 3A, 3B, 3C, 31A, 31B, 32A
Physics 6A, 6B, 1A, 1B
Attendance is mandatory once you sign up after the 3rd week (to prevent people from abusing the system, and to ensure maximum benefit). </p>
<p>Other options: Office hours (which have those problems I’ve talked about earlier), private tutoring. There’s a student math center, which sounds better than it is- it’s basically a large office hour. There’s the Writing Success Program- which consists of 6 people and is nowhere near big enough to meet demand (in 2008-2009, the Composition portion of Covel was cut, and there was a 2-week waiting list to meet with anyone for the Writing Success Program- not really doable on the quarter system). Independent study groups are probably the best option, and not everyone can do that (what if you commute? what if you are an incoming freshman and don’t know anyone?)</p>
<p>Q. My child doesn’t need tutoring, why does yours?
A. I don’t think I ever told my father about enrolling in tutoring sessions. Like I said, it’s not necessarily a remedial service, although in some cases it can be. It’s entirely possible your child enrolled and didn’t mention it, or that your student didn’t enroll at all. In either case, having the option open for better understanding a subject remains valid. In the case where Covel is remedial, then the need for a free service is more obvious.</p>
<p>Q. Why don’t students pay for it?
A. We haven’t been offered the option. Some schools do use student fees to pay for it, but UCLA students were not given the option to vote on it, etc. Even more, the administration did not inform Covel Peer Learning staff or student employees that the program was closing until March- at a point where we were already beginning the hiring/recruitment process for the next year. This seriously limits the options in terms of debate or discussion- we haven’t been allowed to come to the table.</p>
<p>Q. Why don’t you just start study groups instead?
A. I suspect many people will do that. But keep in mind the maximal benefit of peer learning is in the first few quarters of UCLA, before most students have had a chance to form networks or meet other students. The quarter system operates fast- usually there’s an exam in the 3rd or 4th week of school, fall quarter freshman year! But peer learning offers more advantages in that student leaders have taken the class beforehand and often have facilitated that course several times before- they’re more familiar and comfortable with the material than a student taking the class, and they’re also more approachable and available than a TA or professor. Also, Covel offers a place for study groups to form- people meet other people in session and form groups outside session to review. It also provides a space for that kind of outside study. Class lectures and discussions are pretty big- most people don’t meet other study partners there.</p>
<p>Q. My CC doesn’t have this program. Why does UCLA need it?
A. CC’s do not have a research emphasis in science and math faculty, whereas UCLA does. Often many teaching professors are placed under the additional pressure of research and grant application deadlines, conferences in different countries, etc. In my core science classes, I had about 6-8 full-time research professors, and a few of them had limited interest in working with undergraduates.</p>
<p>Q. Why not open a private tutoring program to fill the gap?
A. Most student tutors don’t work only for the money, although it certainly is how we can afford to spend so much time prepping for sessions. In my case, it’s irrelevant- I’m graduating and moving to the other side of the country. But I do feel very strongly that there’s a group of students who are not being served here who need it, especially because this is a public and not a private school. Private tutoring usually costs about 20$/session at minimum. Do most students have 200$ extra to spend per quarter? And of course, this of course will disproportionately affect those who cannot afford private tutoring- other people will have the service and they will not.</p>