10 Year Anniversary - University College

Structured Learning Assistance History

SLA

Innovators

Terrence Doyle

Judith Hooper

Coordinator

Julie Thatcher

Former Employees

Christina Hollenbeck

John Kowalczyk

Lonnie Wolgamott

1993 - Dr. Barry Mehler taught the first experimental section of SLA in History. SLA co-creator Judith Hooper facilitated.
1994 - SLA was awarded a 3-year Michigan Department of Education King-Chavez-Parks Initiative Select Student Support Services (4-S) Grant to trial SLA.
1996 - SLA was awarded a 3-year Michigan Department of Education King-Chavez-Parks Initiative Select Student Support Services (4-S) Grant to continue SLA.
1999 - SLA was awarded a 3-year Michigan Department of Education King-Chavez-Parks Initiative Select Student Support Services (4-S) Grant for SLA Basic Skills Competency Program (BSCP) in which SLA was implemented in developmental courses.
2000 - Structured Learning Assistance Program (SLA) was one of five undergraduate colleges/universities that won the prestigious Hesburgh Certificate of Excellence award.
2001 - Structured Learning Assistance program was awarded a three year FIPSE grant entitled "Modeling A Successful Student Retention & Faculty Development Program" to replicate the SLA program at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Benedictine University, Northern Kentucky University, and San Jacinto Community College-North.
2004 - An apprentice program was incorporated into SLA, which allowed mentor facilitators to coach and guide apprentice facilitators into the facilitator role.
2006 - SLA was awarded an FSU Exceptional Merit Grant to purchase a Classroom performance System (CPS). This enabled facilitators to utilize innovative�technology in workshop delivery thus increasing student engagement and participation.
2006 - Arlene Morton published "Improving NCLEX Scores with Structured Learning Assistance" in Nurse Educator crediting SLA with the dramatic improvement in students' NCLEX scores.
2007 - A summer conference was held on the FSU campus to train multiple institutions in implementing SLA at their home institutions.

Mission Statement

To give Ferris State University students a high-level of academic support while reducing course withdrawal/failure rates and increasing the number of students who pass some of the most challenging and highest risk-for-failure university courses.