The Student Academic Resource Center at UCF last month earned three national awards, including a highly regarded honor for higher education learning centers.
SARC was awarded the Frank L. Christ Outstanding Learning Center Award, the Innovative Use of Technology Award and the Website Excellence Award from the National College Learning Center Association at its annual conference. NCLCA works to recognize institutions with learning centers that exemplify the highest standards of the association, with an emphasis on the use of technology and being a model for other institutions.
The Frank L. Christ Award is a highly regarded national honor for excellence as a learning center in higher education. Each year, a two-year and four-year institution of higher learning is presented with the award.
The Innovative Use of Technology Award recognizes learning centers that use innovative technology solutions to improve student learning, resource usage, student engagement, and work to enhance learning strategies. SARC’s online services for students include Online Peer Assisted Learning, learning skills materials, videos, a YouTube channel and live-streaming of final exam review sessions offered during Study Union. In 2016-17, more than 43,000 students used SARC’s online services.
SARC also tied for first place for the Website Excellence Award, which recognizes excellence of a learning center’s website in the areas of content, structure, navigation, visual design, functionality, interactivity and overall experience. This award is co-sponsored by the Learning Support Centers in Higher Education and NCLCA.
SARC is a unit in UCF’s Division of Student Development and Enrollment Services and is led by Rebecca Piety, who also serves as the director the University Testing Center, and is the president of the Florida College Learning Center Association. SARC assisted students 119,000 times in 2016-17.
“The Student Academic Resource Center is committed to transforming students’ lives through innovative learning support services,” said DeLaine Priest, associate vice president for Student Development and Enrollment Services. “We are honored that NCLCA has recognized SARC with three national awards.”