Equitable, Student Focused Academic Supports in the College Classroom

Change initiatives in higher education have become more common in the face of changing learner needs and higher education funding (Kang et al., 2020; Bok, 2015). Change is embraced in higher education when based on a clearly established needs case rather than the anticipation of comparative advantages, net benefits, or any justification other than genuine need (Buller, 2015). The vision for equitable, student focused academic supports was presented to Sheridan's ancillary fees committee and board of governors in late 2020. A dramatic increase in fees for student academic supports was unanimously approved and implemented in 2022. Join us to learn about this experience and how the vision has since come to fruition through a variety of equitable, diverse and inclusive supports that Sheridan is trialing in its language and literacy classrooms. For example, learn of the Well Series, a collaborative pan-institutional initiative that provides students with flexible options for learning the necessary skills to support them in each step of their academic journey. We have also introduced Program-level Tutors to offer virtual, one-on-one or group appointments, helping students with their course work, study skills like time management or studying for tests and exams. We will also speak to the new role of faculty librarian for academic initiatives, who will target high attrition rate, first-year courses as well as work with other faculty members to embed academic skills and writing supports into their classrooms.