1 Encourage Collaboration among Academic Support Services and Streamline Student Communication Management

The creation of the Learning Commons has been pivotal in providing students with a holistic academic resource, attending to diverse needs for study support. However, similar to existing resources, it currently lacks a defined mechanism for collaboration with other academic resources. This decentralization deprives various resources of knowledge of best practices, changing policies, and more.

The committee recommends that Kirkwood implement a framework based on “The Hub and Spoke Model.”  This framework is designed to achieve a uniformly high level of services across campus by enhancing two-way communication between academic services. The hub and spoke model is designed to break down silos and coordinate efforts among departments. An added benefit is the flexibility with which it can be applied. For example, in UCLA’s recent implementation of this model, they state that the essential feature is a reporting relationship of some kind between the head of a particular function in a school and a point of contact center (“hub”), which supplements and does not replace the preexisting responsibilities of each unit. 

For example, as the “hub,” The Learning Commons could offer academic support such as tutoring that broadly supports all students regardless of their program area. As a “spoke,” Career Services may offer extended  support for specific program areas with an emphasis on experiential learning opportunities connected to guided pathways.

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Case Study: As demonstrated by The University of Texas Austin, this model “facilitates a comprehensive and connected network of academic support services that advance career-engaged learning, belonging, wellbeing, and academic success university-wide.” The university introduced a student center which is part of the Academic Success District, intending to raise awareness of UTSA’s student support programs and connect the dots between a college’s resources and university-wide initiatives using a hub-and-spoke model.

For example, as the “hub,” the division of Student Success offers academic support such as tutoring and student success coaching that broadly supports all students regardless of their major. As a “spoke,” the college success center may offer academic support for major-specific courses and experiential learning opportunities connected to fields of study and career pathways.

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