Academic Support Services

Counseling, Advising and Retention Services

Counseling, Advising and Retention Services (CARS) facilitates academic, career, and personal decision- making toward the development and fulfillment of each student’s potential. Staff are committed to developing and maintaining positive interactions with everyone in the campus community in order to deliver the most effective programs and services for student development. Academic advisors on the Arnold campus, AACC at Arundel Mills (AMIL), Glen Burnie Town Center (GBTC), and the Ft. Meade Army Education Center (FTM) strive to provide students with a continuous process of clarification and evaluation of their life goals, academic plans, and choice of appropriate course work. Continuing students can schedule, reschedule or cancel an Arnold Campus, AMIL, or GBTC appointment to meet with their academic advisor via OASIS, AACC’s Online Advising Scheduling Information System in MyAACC. For more information, please visit www.aacc.edu/advising/file/OASIS.pdf. Advising notes are securely kept with authorized access required. For information visit www.aacc.edu/advising or www.aacc.edu/transfer.

Career Services

Career counselors assist in making vocation and career decisions.

1. Assistance in making appropriate vocational and career decisions based on realistic self-knowledge of interests, abilities and values, and the realities of the world of work;
2. A Career and Transfer Resource Center offering information on occupations, job trends, career development and planning, resume-writing, interviewing skills, job searching and transfer colleges and universities;
3. FOCUS-2, an online career and educational planning tool designed to help you explore your values, interests, personality and skills, and their relation to possible majors and careers.

Employment Services

Employment Services focuses on a variety of employment-related resources for students seeking part- and full-time employment while attending college or after completing their studies. These resources are free and include:

1. Advice and instruction on job search strategies, resume writing and job interviewing. Students can access the virtual resume website powered by Optimal Resume and construct an online resume for dissemination to various employers;
2. On-campus interviewing, employer recruiting at job fairs, classroom presentations by employers; and
3. An online job site, AACC Job Connection at www.collegecentral.com/aacc is available to AACC students and Alumni and allows employers to post available jobs. Students can access the site and post resumes as well as search and apply for jobs.

For information visit www.aacc.edu/careers/employmentservices.

Disability Support Services (DSS)

The college is an Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)/Title 504 compliant institution. (Please see the ADA policy ). College facilities provide barrier-free access through lifts, ramps and elevators at strategic locations, curb cuts which accommodate wheelchairs and marked parking spaces reserved for the disabled. Anne Arundel Community College was the first of the nation’s colleges to install a swimming pool chair lift.

Students with a disability must self-identify to DSS staff to receive assistance with admissions, registration, orientation, class selection, transfer assistance, placement testing or other aspects of student life. College policy ensures that reasonable accommodations will be provided to all qualified individuals.

Certification of a disability may be established by secondary school records, medical records, psychological reports, rehabilitation records or other documentation deemed recent and appropriate, to allow DSS staff to make the necessary decisions regarding accommodations. Should the information not be comprehensive or is inadequate, a Disability Verification Form will be sent to the student and/or certified professional clinician.

Equipment and services that may be provided include sign language interpreters, Braillers, tutors, books in alternative format, audio recording of lectures, amplification systems, notetakers, wheelchair tables, print enlargers, voice recognition software, screen readers software, Kurzweil personal reader software and testing accommodations.

Call Disability Support Services, 410-777-2306 or Maryland Relay 711, at least 72 hours in advance to request most special accommodations. For sign language interpreters, books in alternative format or assistive technology, 30-day advance notice is required. Accommodations requested after these deadlines cannot be guaranteed.

For other services and equipment arrangements to be in place by the first day of classes, adequate planning time is required and students are urged to contact the DSS office as soon as possible at 410-777-2306, 410-777-2307, on Maryland Relay 711, or outside Maryland at 800-735-2258. Students with Maryland state-issued handicapped parking tags may use parking spaces designated for the physically disabled. Information on all DSS policies and procedures is available from Counseling, Advising and Retention Services at 410-777-2307 via dss@aacc.edu or visit www.aacc.edu/disability.

Click here to view a video about Disability Support Services at AACC.

Personal Counseling Services

Personal Counseling Services allows students to speak individually with a counselor about an issue of concern that may lead to academic difficulties. Services are time-limited to a maximum of three 50-minute visits and are provided without charge to currently registered AACC students. Licensed counselors provide personal counseling services and make referrals for continued counseling or other community-based resources as necessary. Emergency services are also offered in accordance with the College’s Emergency Response Plan. To make an appointment with a counselor, call 410-777-7111. For information visit www.aacc.edu/advising/CounservWelcome.cfm.

Resources to Support Learning

Testing and Assessment Services

The Testing Center administers a variety of exams to support student success including placement, make-up, certifications and other proctored exams. The office also administers exams for classroom and distance learning courses. For more information visit: www.aacc.edu/testing.

Certiport Certification testing, specifically the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) exams, require test vouchers from Certiport’s website (www.certiport.com) and pre-registration in the Testing office.

For more Certiport information on test content and test vouchers, visit: www.certiport.com.

The office also provides proctoring services for Other School Tests (OST) for individuals or groups as well as accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Students requesting testing accommodations must communicate first with Disability Support Services.

Tutoring Office

Offers a variety of resources and services that facilitate student achievement and academic success. This office provides peer and online (SMARTHINKING) tutoring in numerous subject areas within flexible timeframes and locations. The Tutoring Office also provides peer support in a variety of lab environments including:

Accounting Lab, SASP Walk-in Tutoring for SASP and FYE participants and Math Labs at the Arnold and Arundel Mills locations. The Learning Assistance Center, located in the Careers Building (CRSC) room 264, offers students a place on campus to meet with their peer tutors and work with academic coaches. The center offers students walk in tutoring before mid term and final examinations. For hours of operation or more information please visit the tutoring website at www.aacc.edu/tutoring. AACC’s Tutoring Program is nationally certified by the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA). All tutoring services are designed to be flexible and free of charge.

Other College Tutoring Labs

Math Lab

The Math lab offers professional and peer tutoring in various levels of mathematics, including arithmetic, basic math, trigonometry, business math, statistics, algebra and calculus.

Math labs are located on the Arnold campus, Library Room 102, and at AACC at Arundel Mills Technology Learning Center. For more information, please view the website: www.aacc.edu/tutoring/mathlab.

Reading Lab

The reading lab provides:

• Help for enrolled credit and noncredit AACC students.
• Support in reading comprehension, study skills and critical thinking.
• Practice for reading course assessments and reassessments.
• Individualized skill instruction in topics such as test taking strategies, organizational skills and note taking.
• Academic skill support.

For more information visit www.aacc.edu/reading/lab.

Science Tutoring and Open Labs

Science Tutoring Center (STC) - Tutoring by faculty members is available in the Science Tutoring Center (STC), Room 005 of the Dragun Science Building. Tutoring is available on a walk-in basis, whenever the STC is open. No appointment is necessary. Hours are listed on the on STC website: http://ola3.aacc.edu/science/student_help.htm

Online Science Tutoring Center (OSTC) - Online tutoring is available for certain science courses through the Online Science Tutoring Center (OSTC). Features of the OSTC include chat sessions, frequently asked questions, website links and review materials.

Student Achievement and Success Program (SASP)

The Student Achievement and Success Program (SASP) is an academic support program designed to increase the academic success, graduation and transfer of students who may be the first in their immediate family to attend college, low income, underprepared for college and/or ethnic minority. Services include one-on-one relationships with advisers, mentors, tutors, peers and community supporters; individualized educational plans developed with advisors; regular academic monitoring, mentoring, walk-in tutoring, workshops, four-year college visits, cultural activities and referrals to other college support services to enhance academic success.

Supplemental Instruction (SI)

This service is offered for a number of required courses in science, mathematics, business and social science. Students enrolled in courses with the SI service may attend from one to three study and review sessions a week conducted by a trained student leader who has already successfully passed the course and who attends classes again with enrolled students. Students are strongly encouraged to work with advisers to identify required courses in their areas of study with the SI service. For more information visit our website: www.aacc.edu/si

Writing Center

With locations on the first floor of Truxal Library (LBRY 108) and at Arundel Mills (AMIL 204), AACC’s Writing Center provides support for all AACC students by offering one-on-one writing tutoring on a walk-in basis. English department faculty members help students prepare written assignments in all subjects and understand errors on graded papers. These tutors also can provide additional training in grammar, punctuation, and usage. Hours, FAQs and Additional Resources are available at www.aacc.edu/writingcenter.

Online writing tutoring service is available to all AACC students. Through AACC’s Virtual Writing Center, students can schedule and attend one-on-one, online, synchronous and voice-interactive tutoring sessions with AACC Writing Center tutors by visiting the Virtual Writing Center at http://www.aacc.edu/writingcenter/VWC.cfm.

Click here to view a video about AACC’s Writing Centers.