Student Learning Services
The Student Learning Services program is designed to support the academic and learning development of all student-athletes at the University of South Florida. Our goal is to equip students with the academic skills and learning strategies they need to excel in their classes and throughout their academic career at USF. With graduating in mind, we want students to become masters at their own learning style and commit to being lifelong learners.
The program also provides individual support for student-athletes who have various learning challenges and/or disabilities and struggle academically. Learning Specialists and/or Assistant Learning specialists work with students who have learning challenges one-on-one and in small group settings to provide them with the strategic learning tools they need to enhance their academic strengths and improve their academic weaknesses.
Assessment Program
The Assessment Program involves three distinct phases of assessment designed to progressively evaluate students’ academic strengths and weaknesses. The various assessment phases provide the SLS staff with information that identifies and explains students’ skills and abilities in different learning and academic areas:
- Student History Questionnaire & Learning Assessment:
The Student History Questionnaire & Learning Assessment is completed by all incoming students including freshmen, transfers, and graduate student-athletes. The assessment provides students with an opportunity to self-disclose information about their educational, learning, and general history. It also involves students completing a writing prompt, reading probe, and learning styles inventory.
- Academic Screening:
The Academic Screening is designed to identify students’ specific academic strengths and weaknesses within the areas or reading, writing, and math. Select students participate in this phase of assessment as deemed appropriate based on student history, admissions status, and previous phases of assessment.
- Psychoeducational Evaluation:
A Psychoeducational Evaluation is a comprehensive set of measures designed to strategically identify and explain student cognitive, behavioral, and learning strengths, challenges, and/or disabilities. The results of this evaluation may provide students with the documentation needed to receive individual support and appropriate accommodations for their classes.
Learning Specialist/Assistant Learning Specialists
Learning Specialists work with students who have various learning challenges and/or disabilities as well as students who need additional learning support or academic skill development. Their sessions with students are in one-on-one and group settings. Assistant Learning Specialists also work with individual students who struggle academically and provide administrative support to the Student Learning Services program.
Bulls LEARN Academic Skills Curriculum & Workshops
The Bulls
LEARN Academic Skills Curriculum is designed to equip student-athletes with the fundamental academic and learning skills necessary to achieve individual student success throughout their collegiate career. Through structured workshops and targeted application exercises, the curriculum focuses on reading, writing, note-taking, study/test-taking, and time-management/organization skills. Students can also request to meet with a Learning Specialist or Assistant Learning Specialist for student specific skill building.
Students with Disability Services
The Student Learning Services program works closely with the USF Student with Disabilities Services department to ensure that students with learning and/or behavioral disabilities receive the appropriate support and accommodations they need to excel in their classes. Student-athletes attending USF who have any learning documentation or have had any learning evaluations prior to attending the school are encouraged to send that documentation to Student Learning Services at the Fishman Family Student-Athlete Enrichment Center.
Student Learning Services Staff
Kydani Dover
Asst. Director-Learning Specialist
Alison Harlan-Smith
Assistant Learning Specialist
Michael Lozano
Assistant Learning Specialist
