Normalizing and Promoting Academic Success Support

Students taking advantage of academic support like tutoring can be an important proactive step toward mastery; however, many students often associate help-seeking with feelings of inadequacy or an admission of failure (Karabenick & Knapp, 1991; Winograd & Rust, 2014). Faculty encouragement is essential to normalizing these resources. When faculty actively encourage students to use available resources—including office hours, ASC tutoring and SI, or Academic Coaching—students engage at higher rates, helping increase overall student retention and performance (Dawson et al., 2014). Furthermore, connecting students with aligned support also helps them adopt effective learning strategies they can use across courses, semesters, and contexts, contributing to their overall success and persistence (Usdansky et al., 2024).  

Use destigmatizing language to normalize support early

When support services are presented primarily as an intervention for failing grades, students naturally perceive seeking help as an admission of inadequacy. To lower this psychological barrier, frame both content support and skill support as standard habits for mastering complex material and refining executive strategies.

• Shift the framing: Move from deficit-based warnings ("If you are struggling, go to tutoring") and instead choose strategy-focused habits ("Successful students use coaching/tutoring/SI to refine their approach to study and content mastery") (Moore, 2019).
• Highlight academic coaching for everyone: Academic Coaching is available to both students needing support with time management, note-taking, or other study strategies in addition to students who want to enhance efficiency or take their skills to the next level. 
• Include information about support in the syllabus: Include tailored ASC messaging on Moodle or in your syllabus using our Sample Faculty Moodle Statements and CETL’s Syllabus Template.

Connect students with Academic Success services

Faculty are uniquely positioned to recognize when and how a student is struggling and to guide them toward the right kind of support. 

• Align support with students’ needs: Recommend Academic Coaching to any student who needs help adjusting to college-level workload demands and recommend tutoring, supplemental instruction (SI), or study groups (when available) for students who need more time and practice with the material to achieve mastery. 

• Invite someone from the ASC to visit your class: Request a representative from the ASC visit your class and share an overview of services after students receive feedback on their first exam or major assignment. Students are most receptive to adjusting their strategies when they have real performance feedback to react to.
• Send students personalized emails recommending relevant support: If a student is struggling in a specific way, email them directly the options you’d most recommend or suggest they make an appointment with an Academic Coach who can help them find the right resource.

Build a culture of peer leadership

Normalizing academic support also means helping future leaders find a place on the ASC student staff team. Faculty recommendations are our most powerful tool for recruiting tutors and SI Leaders. High-performing students often don't realize they have what it takes to guide others, but you can encourage top students to apply while simultaneously reinforcing the ASC as a campus hub for academic excellence and peer collaboration. You can recommend students directly to our team at any time or send us an email at asc@oakland.edu.

Quick Resources

We warmly welcome your feedback and suggestions as we all work together to support our students. You can find us at our new location in 1100 East Wilson Hall. 

• ASC Website
• Tutoring schedule
• Supplemental Instruction 
• Academic Coaching
• Learning Resources for Students
• Request a visit to your classroom
• Recommend a future tutor/SI Leader

References

Dawson, P., van der Meer, J., Skalicky, J., & Cowley, K. (2014). On the effectiveness of Supplemental Instruction: A systematic review of Supplemental Instruction and peer-assisted study sessions literature between 2001 and 2010. Review of Educational Research, 84(4), 609–639. 

Karabenick, S. A., & Knapp, J. R. (1991). Relationship of academic help seeking to the use of learning strategies and other instrumental achievement behavior in college students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 83(2), 221–230. 

Moore, C. (2019, September 19). Asking for help shows strength, not weakness. CETL Teaching Tips blog. Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Oakland University.

Reinheimer, D, & McKenzie, K. (2011). The impact of tutoring on the academic success of undeclared students. Journal of College Reading and Learning, 41(2), 22–36. 

Usdansky, M., McDaniel, M., Razza, R., Lopoo, L., Tillotson, J., & Granato, R. (2024). Coaching to Learn: Motivating Students to Adopt and Adapt Effective Learning Strategies. The Learning Assistance Review. 

Winograd, & Rust, J. P. (2014). Stigma, awareness of support services, and academic help-seeking among historically underrepresented first-year college students. The Learning Assistance Review, 19(2), 17.

Timely updates made by Jessica Harrell, PhD, Director of the Academic Success Center at OU. Jessica leads an incredible team of coordinators who keep tutoring, academic coaching, SI, and other student success initiatives running. 

This tip was adapted from Mariana Allushuski’s 2022 teaching tip. Others may share and adapt under Creative Commons License CC BY-NC.