Center Mission

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The mission of Northwestern Michigan College's Center for Learning is to provide resources and support necessary for NMC's students, faculty, and staff to become successful lifelong learners. The mission includes the following goals:

• to foster increased student learning/critical thinking
• to increase retention
• to further open access
• to provide faculty and staff with options beyond the classroom to help students learn
• to provide faculty and staff with opportunities for professional development

Student Outcomes

Learners will increase their general and specialized competence in the context of work, personal, family, and community responsibilities in order to:

• Function in a diverse, dynamic, and complex environment
• Work independently and collaboratively
• Solve problems and make good decisions
• Find, analyze, and use information
• Communicate ideas effectively
• Utilize technology wisely
• Recognize, plan, and practice healthy lifestyles
• Create ideas and varied products
• Work productively in varied settings: community, workplace, etc.
• Manage their own continuous learning.

Center Guiding Principles

• Aligns with learning outcomes, vision, and mission
• Creates strong sense of learning community
• Personalized to the needs and prior experiences of the learner
• Provides multiple pathways to reach learning outcomes
• Managed by learner in consultation with learning staff
• Employs collaborative learning
• Engages learner in inquiry and knowledge construction
• Linked to global information networks
• Guided by experienced navigators
• Uses learning projects drawn from the needs of the community
• Results in learning products valued by the community
• Applies continuous assessment which is embedded in learning and linked to external standards.

Services

The Center for Learning is designed to support students' learning in a variety of ways. Center offerings will be phased in over the next few years. The following subsystems are planned:

• Success Strategies - Advising, counseling, career planning, employment services, learning-to-learn strategies, time management, test-taking workshops, writing workshops, math workshops, and other special seminars will be available.
• Learning Development - Offerings will include tutorial services; study groups; academic skill building through personalized instruction, small groups, and computer-based instruction. Direct support for regular college courses will also be provided.
• Career Skills - Services of the Career and Employment Services in career development, planning, employment preparation, interviews, resumes, etc, are available.

O.P.E.N. Learning

O.P.E.N. Learning courses are designed to accommodate students' varied scheduling needs. Students may enroll at any time, plan a learning schedule in collaboration with a faculty member, and progress at an individual pace. O.P.E.N. courses are ideal for students who either want to accelerate their progress or expand the time available to complete the course.

Center Vision

Northwestern Michigan College's Center for Learning is committed to providing the personnel, the technology, and the space needed to aid students at every level develop the necessary critical thinking and independent learning skills to ensure academic success.

To facilitate that vision the Center includes:

• easily accessible space in order to foster community, accommodate different learning styles, and create a climate of comfort and informality.
• the presence of competent, trained paraprofessionals, staff, and faculty, who by attitude and behavior communicate acceptance, friendliness, and optimism to those served by the Center for Learning.
• state-of-the-art technology to assist and enhance learning.