The Study Adds 100 Seats to Peer Tutoring Area

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 3, 2012)--Through its ongoing commitment to extend student services, Academic Enhancement at the University of Kentucky is expanding its outreach. 

The Peer Tutoring Program, Academic Enhancement's most popular service, offers free peer tutoring in more than 50 courses and is located in The Study. The program will add 100 seats to the more than 175 seats already available in the peer tutoring area, and it will offer tutoring for additional subjects like psychology, genetics, anatomy and statistics. Academic Enhancement will announce the expansion at a grand opening event at The Study on Tuesday, Feb. 7.

Throughout Fall 2011, the Peer Tutoring Program provided more than 11,000 tutoring sessions. Increased student traffic required more space for these sessions to occur.

"Student traffic exceeded our existent tutoring area, forcing us to expand to meet student needs," said Blake Dickens, a student program coordinator.

The program will add four large tables in the larger tutoring area in addition to 12 small tables in the promenade area. New signage, posted on the pillars in the promenade area and the tables in the general tutoring area, will direct students throughout the new space. The program will also create a second desk area located in the promenade, which will be staffed by a desk worker during tutoring hours.

"I think that the expansion will be extremely helpful to our operations," said another student program coordinator, Austin Wilson. "We will be able to facilitate more people, which ultimately means we will help more people."

The expansion is supported through UK Student Government funding.

"Student Government is committed to supporting programs that benefit  and empower students to be successful," said Student Government Vice President Nikki Hurt. "The study is a perfect example of a program that utilizes student talent to promote academic achievement, and we are glad it's expanding."

Academic Enhancement offers multiple programs to support students academically.

One of these programs is individual academic consultations. Learning specialists are available to discuss topics related to learning and academic success, such as critical reading skills, time management skills, exam preparation plans, stress management, general study skills and organizational skills. To sign up for an appointment, log in to myUK, click on "My Info," click on "My Appointments," Select "The Study" and choose the date, time and type of consultation.

For students pursuing graduate education options, Academic Enhancement also offers prep courses for both the verbal and math sections of the GRE. Each course includes two full-length practice exams and additional study materials. In this course, participants will learn the exam structure and test-taking strategies, as well as completing practice questions.

For more information on the services that Academic Enhancement offers, visit this website: www.uky.edu/AE.

MEDIA CONTACT: Sarah Geegan, (859) 257-5365; sarah.geegan@uky.edu