Berkeley City College's Learning Resource Center: A Hub for Academic Growth and Success
Berkeley City College’s Learning Resource Center (LRC) serves as a space for tutoring and academic support for students, as well as a study space and group work. This inclusive and collaborative work environment is fostered by coordinators John Saenz and Camille Verbara and their team of tutors.
Ethan Lee is one of those tutors and specializes in Math and Computer Information Systems. Ethan will be graduating this semester and is in line to earn an impressive 8 associates degrees in STEM subjects earned from BCC and Laney College. They plan to transfer to either UC Berkeley or UC Davis and major in either computer science and engineering or electrical engineering and computer science.
Early on in their studies, Ethan found themselves helping a lot of students in their classes and decided to become a tutor to earn compensation and experience for the work they were doing. "I love teaching.” said Ethan. “There's nothing more rewarding than achieving something except seeing someone you've taught achieve it themselves."
The LRC offers a variety of services, including one-on-one tutoring, group tutoring, study rooms, and online and in-person resources. These services are designed to help students become independent learners, succeed in their courses, and confidently navigate their academic journeys. During the 2022-2023 academic year, the center supported 2,523 students. This number rose significantly to 3,319 students in 2023-2024 and has already provided tutoring to 1,264 students so far this academic year. The top 3 tutoring subjects at the LRC for Fall 2024 were:
- CIS 6 (Intro to Computer Programming) - 175 appointments
- Math 3A (Calculus I) - 153 appointments
- Spanish - 123 appointments
Often the biggest challenge for students to get the tutoring they need is to first acknowledge that they need support. But once they make that first step and meet the team of LRC tutors providing one-on-one support and care, the benefits are clear. "I've had a few different students tell me I'm the reason they didn't drop a course, or they received a satisfactory grade in a course.” said Ethan. “That makes me happy to think I can make a positive difference to a few people's lives."
Providing Critical Support to Adult Students
The Adult Education Program at Berkeley City College is part of the Northern Alameda Adult Education Collective and one of California’s regional adult education consortia formed after a 2013 statewide restructuring effort in Adult Education. Since Fall 2021, the program has grown by nearly 40%, now serving around 500 adult students each semester. It provides vital support, such as counseling, workshops, and non-credit-to-credit bridge programs, to help adult students articulate and succeed in college. This growth is particularly significant given the district’s overall enrollment decline and reflects the program’s potential to meet the needs of approximately 71,000 individuals in the area who currently lack post-secondary education. -2.png?width=3886&height=2430&name=image001%20(1)-2.png)
The program serves a diverse student population, with 47% enrolled in credit classes, 42% in non-credit classes, and 11% in both credit and non-credit classes at the same time. Over the past six semesters, the average course completion rate has been 70%. For Fall 2024, the student demographics are 31.1% Black/African American, 27.7% Hispanic/Latino, 18.5% Asian, and 16.4% White. BCC, in partnership with Berkeley Adult School, has been recognized as a leader in the East Bay Macro region for helping the highest number of adult students transition to post-secondary education as reported by West Ed's recent economic mobility report for adult learners. The efforts of the adult education program and resulting data show excellent congruence with carrying out the mission of Berkeley City College by making our college equitable and accessible to all members in our community.