NCLCA is a professional organization that addresses the development and concerns of learning centers and learning center professionals. The Learning Center Leadership Certification program was implemented as a way to promote excellence in learning center leadership. The most recent NCLCA program to support learning centers and promote excellence is the Center of Excellence program. This session will describe the development of the program, including the role of Learning Center Best Practices (Frank Christ), Council on Advancement of Standards(CAS) in Higher Education, and John Gardner's Institution of Excellence in the First College Year in the process. The discussion will also include an overview of the program components and why your center should strive for this designation

1. Developing a Center of Excellence
Program for Learning Centers
LISA D’ADAMO WEINSTEIN
M. ELAINE RICHARDSON
LAURA SANDERS

2. Learning Center of Excellence
● The LCE program was developed by NCLCA to:
○ Promote professional standards of excellence for learning
centers
○ Recognize the need for flexibility and inclusiveness in meeting
the standards
○ Encourage centers to develop, maintain and assess quality
programs and services to enhance student learning
○ Honor the history of established and unique centers
○ Celebrate the outstanding achievements of centers that meet
and exceed these standards

3. NCLCA Definition for a “Learning Center”
● Provides interactive academic spaces
● Reinforces and extends student learning
● Effectively uses physical and/or virtual environments
● Provides a variety of comprehensive support services and
programs
● Enhances student academic success, retention, and
graduation
● Aligns with best practices of student learning theory and
addressing student-learning needs
● Fosters critical thinking, metacognitive development,
and academic and personal success

4. Developing the
Learning Centers Of Excellence Program
Inspired by the works of Frank Christ, Council on
Advancement of Standards in Higher Education, and John
Gardner, NCLCA has developed seven major categories
and subsets of those categories by which centers will be
evaluated.
● Christ, F. L. (2009). Best and Promising Practices for Learning Support Centers:
A Handout for Workshop at NCLCA Conference in Golden, CO on October 3,
2009.
● Council on Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) website to
review and purchase the standards - http://www.cas.edu/index.php/standards
● Model for the Centers of Excellence was Institutions of Excellence in the First
College Year - http://www.jngi.org/institute/past-initiatives/institutions-of-excellence-
in-the-first-college-year/

5. LCE Timeline
● Reno conference, September 2012 – the idea to develop a program to recognize
learning centers is presented
● (Date?) Formation of committee to explore and develop a program
● (Date range?) Virtual committee meetings to develop program
● Charleston conference, September 2013 – meeting to focus on program
components
● January 2014 – August 2014 – virtual meetings of full committee and core
committee
● September 2014 – proposal presented to NCLCA Board for approval
● Albuquerque conference, October 2014- LCE program presented to NCLCA
membership
● October 6, 2014 – LCE program goes live and applications are available

6. Learning Centers of Excellence
CommitteeElaine Richardson, Clemson University, Chair
● Core Committee
○ Lisa D’Adamo-Weinstein, SUNY Empire State College
○ Elaine Richardson – Clemson University
○ Laura Sanders – Valparaiso University
● Full Committee
○ Jonnie Dvorak, University of Wisconsin-Madison
○ Michael Frizell, Missouri State University
○ Doris Greenwood, Turtle Mountain Community College
○ Michael Greer, Texas Wesleyan University
○ Martin Golson, Austin Peay State University
○ Tacy Holliday, Montgomery College
○ Rae Maslana, College of DuPage
○ Nicole Meismer, University of Illinois-Springfield
○ Jack Truschel, East Stroudsburgh University

7. What are “best practices”?
● “A Best Practice is comprised of policies, principles, standards,
guidelines, and procedures that contribute to the highest, most
resource-effective performance of a discipline. Best Practices are
based upon a broad range of experience, knowledge, and extensive
work with industry leading clients.”
- Ciber White Papers, A Best Practices Assessment,
● “Best practices are defined as elements and activities that the
institution perceives as congruent with its mission and the
concomitant mission of its academic support center aka learning
support center.”
- F. L. Christ. 2005
Source: http://www.lsche.net/?page_id=1055

8. Frank’s Promising Practices
● An LSC has a mission congruent with its division and institutional mission
● An LSC has the support of central administration
● An LSC has an adequate budget to support its mission, goals, and objectives
● An LSC has developed and follows a systematic plan based on feedback and program monitoring
● An LSC has developed a Three or Five Year Plan that is shared with administration
● An LSC has an Advisory Board
● An LSC has a centrally located facility with adequate space for its programs and services
● An LSC has adequate equipment and furnishings to implement its programs and services
● An LSC facility is visible through campus signage
● An LSC is listed and/or described in institutional publications such as its catalog, web site, and
recruitment literature
● An LSC has a virtual presence through its web
SOURCE: Some Promising Practices for Learning Support Centers [F. L. Christ/NCLCA, 2005 ] - http://www.lsche.net/resources/res_stand_bestpract.htm

9. Frank’s Promising Practices
● An LSC has an adequate professional staff to support its mission
● An LSC has an adequate clerical staff to support its mission
● An LSC uses volunteers to support its mission
● An LSC is centrally located and is accessible at convenient times
● An LSC chief administrator has recognized status as a program coordinator
● The LSC staff is recognized by administration and faculty for its academic publications, research,
consulting, and leadership
● The LSC staff is represented on relevant campus committees and task forces such as retention, distance
education, faculty development, and TLTRT
● An LSC serves the total campus community: students, faculty, administration, staff, alumni
● An LSC has learning materials for student use that allows for learning style choices
● An LSC serves academic departments and their faculty through orientations to the center’s programs
and services, faculty invited course presentations and/or workshops, student referrals and feedback
● An LSC partners with academic departments that have high risk courses to develop and manage
Supplemental Instruction

10. Frank’s Promising Practices
● An LSC’s tutorial training program is accredited by CRLA
● LSC Tutors are certified by ATP
● An LSC is involved in the institutional student orientation program
● An LSC is involved in the institutional new faculty orientation program
● An LSC is involved in supporting the learning needs of online students
● An LSC offers or partners online tutoring with academic departments
● An LSC partners with the campus bookstore to display learning and study skills materials used in the
center’s programs and services.
● An LSC has program descriptive bookmarks that it disseminates to faculty, students,
● An LSC has received campus, district, and/or national recognition

11. Council on Advancement of Standards (CAS)
in Higher Education
● Six domains of student learning and development
outcomes
○ Knowledge acquisition, construction, integration
and application
○ Cognitive complexity
○ Intrapersonal development
○ Interpersonal competence
○ Humanitarianism and civic engagement
○ Practical competence

12. CAS Standards and Guidelines
CAS standards and guidelines are organized into twelve components.
● Part 1. Mission
● Part 2. Program
● Part 3. Organization and Leadership
● Part 4. Human Resources
● Part 5. Ethics
● Part 6. Law, Policy, and Governance
● Part 7. Diversity, Equity, and Access
● Part 8. Institutional and External Relations
● Part 9. Financial Resources
● Part 10. Technology
● Part 11. Facilities and Equipment
● Part 12. Assessment and Evaluation

13. John Gardner’s Institution of Excellence
in the First College Year
● “Foundations of Excellence is a comprehensive,
externally guided self-study and improvement process
for the First Year”
● What is excellence?
● What are the elements of greatest importance in
achieving excellence?
● What would an institution have to do to have excellent
programs (learning center)
● Use of quantitative and qualitative forms of evidence
● Critical examination of policies and procedures

14. Overview of Center of Excellence program
● Seven major categories for evaluation
○ Programs and Services
○ Organizational Framework
○ Academic Integrity and Learning Environment
○ Funding, Resources and Design
○ Staff and Professional Development
○ Promotion and Public Relations
○ Assessment and Evaluation

15. Benchmarking
● “A benchmark is a standard of excellence or achievement used to
compare and measure similar things. It is a new technique for
identifying measurable successes of others and applying then to your
own organization. The benchmarking process compares an
organizations practices, processes and outcomes to standards of
excellence in a systematic way. It is a process that can also be used to
design a new system or model. The best practice indicators are
standards of excellence to help you identify and plan your own program
possibilities and enable you to identify what exemplary sites in our
study you would like to match or exceed. Benchmarking challenges you
to see what made it work for others ‘their secrets to success’ and how
you can develop a unique approach that will meet the needs of all your
stakeholders. It is not a means for duplicating but a way of defining the
best and moving beyond that standard to create your own exemplary
system.” - North Harris Montgomery CC District, What is
Benchmarking? Retrieved September 26, 2014 from
http://www.lsche.net/?page_id=1055

16. The LCE Designation
● A plaque to be displayed in the learning center
● A .jpeg to be included on center digital materials
● A letter to the college/university
president/chancellor
● A press release sample to share with institution
publications/marketing departments
● A listing on the NCLCA website

17. Deadlines, Fee Structure and Designation Timeline
● Deadlines for submission to be reviewed
○ January 15th, with notification by April 15
○ July 15th, with notification by October 15
● Fees and designation duration
○ Initial designation for 3 years $500
○ Renewal for 5 years $250
Program Live – www.nclca.org – October 6th!