Undergraduates look toward the front of a classroom as a faculty member leads a workshop.

Tutoring & Academic Excellence Workshops

AEWs

Academic Excellence Workshops (AEWs) are taken in conjunction with core major courses. AEWs are weekly one and two hour cooperative learning sessions. Designed to enhance student understanding, they feature peer-facilitated group work on problems at or above the level of course instruction.

Small group activities are directed by undergraduate peer educators called facilitators. The AEWs are based on research showing that cooperative methods (as opposed to an individual, competitive approach to learning) promote higher grades, greater persistence, deeper comprehension, more enjoyment in learning, and more positive attitudes toward academic work.

MESA Tutors

The MESA team of tutors and AEW facilitators train with Physics, Math, and Chemistry faculty weekly to center their peer-tutoring strategies on areas where students are having the most difficulty. Our AEW facilitators practice learner-centered pedagogy models.