Barancik Foundation Student Learning Center

Student Learning Center

The Ringling College Student Learning Center (SLC) offers academic support services available for all students free of charge. We welcome students looking for help in their classes with writing, software basics, studying, project development, and more. Additionally, we support those looking to develop skills such as organization, time management, and conversational English. Students’ academic goals vary, so appointments are individualized to meet your needs. We’re here to help.

The SLC wants to assure students that we are still here to support you.

Email us with any questions at slc@ringling.edu. Ringling students should login to the portal to make an appointment with a Learning Specialist or Student Tutor.

Learn about the SLC

Making an Appointment

Services

Services Offered by Learning Specialists

Our Learning Specialists are here to work with you individually (free of charge!) in any/all of the areas below:

Time Management/Goal Setting

Learn to prioritize your schedule and make the most effective use of your time to ensure you can study, create, socialize, eat, and sleep. Come see us to make a monthly plan for the whole semester and a weekly plan that breaks down each day. Also, we can help you set goals and suggest strategies to achieve them.

Writing

Work on writing assignments from any class and get support for various phases of the writing process. We help with everything from art history, liberal arts, and first-year writing to creative writing, film scripts, senior theses, and more. We can even share how to avoid plagiarism, so you never have to stress about it again.

Studying/Reading

Whether it's a weekly quiz or a midterm exam, Learning Specialists can share active reading strategies and proven study techniques that help you study more effectively to prevent wasting time and effort. Each appointment is individualized to your learning style, so we can make the most of our appointment time.

Project & Presentation Development

Projects and presentations are a fundamental part of Ringling College’s curriculum, and our Learning Specialists can help you turn your research into an impactful presentation. Most importantly, we can help you develop strategies for dealing with nervousness and anxiety during public speaking.

Services Offered by Student Tutors

In the afternoons and evenings, our Student Tutors are here to help.

The Student Learning Center is proud to announce that our tutoring program has achieved certification by the College Reading and Language Association. The CRLA certification board praised the creativity and dedication demonstrated by our Learning Specialists and Student Tutors.

Writing

Not sure how to get started with a paper or if you are on the right track, the SLC Tutors can help. We specialize in supporting Writing Studio and Art History classes for 1st-year students, but we can help with writing in all classes. We can even help you learn to avoid plagiarism, so you never have to stress about it again.

Conversational English

We can help international students take some of the stress out of attending college in a new language. During Conversational English practice, SLC Tutors work with international students to speak and listen in a casual, comfortable environment as you chat about college life, classes, current events, and of course, life in the United States.

Basic Software

Work with experienced SLC Tutors to develop the basic computer skills needed to be more successful working with the software programs required in your 1st-year classes.

Get in Touch

We’re happy to answer any questions you may have.

Admissions Questions
(applying, portfolio, transfers, deadlines, events)
admissions@ringling.edu

General Questions
info@ringling.edu

Media Inquiries
communications@ringling.edu

Web Accessibility Inquiries
communications@ringling.edu

Ringling College of Art and Design

2700 N. Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, FL 34234
info@ringling.edu
941-351-5100

Office Hours:
M-F 8:30 am-4:30 pm EST

FAQ

Who can come to the Student Learning Center for help?

The SLC is free and available to ALL Ringling students.

Are students required to come?

No one is required to come to the SLC. It is totally up to the student and there is no pressure to continue with appointments.

How long are appointments?

Appointments with Learning Specialists are 1 hour and appointments with Student Tutors are 30 minutes.

How often should a student come to the SLC?

Students come when they need help. Some students come once a week, but others only come once or twice before a big exam. We are here to meet YOUR individual academic needs.

Do you offer tutoring for studio classes?

The SLC offers basic software tutoring for 1st-year students.
Tutoring for studio classes is handled through the departments, so students should contact instructors if they need help in their major classes.

What happens during an appointment?

One thing that does not happen – we do not do the work for you.
We do make the appointment fit you and your learning style.
Each appointment varies. Some students may need help with an art history paper while others may need to develop a presentation for environmental science.

Will you communicate with my instructors for me?

To help you build confidence in communicating with instructors we will help you write an email or practice a conversation with them.

What if the Time Management plan we create does not work?

Come back to see a Learning Specialist, and we’ll work together to modify the plan.

Can you help with anxiety during presentations or critique?

We cannot cure anxiety, but we can teach you techniques to deal with it while making a presentation.

Will you talk to my parents and explain how difficult the work is at Ringling?

No, but we will help you role play a conversation with them.

Testimonials

Justin Farris, Computer Animation, ’11

“The Center was the most important asset available to me at Ringling. I had a heavy workload and was determined to keep my grades up in order to keep my scholarships. The Learning Specialist helped me with my liberal arts classes, so I was able to focus on my animation, which led to a job at Pixar immediately after graduation.”

Lisa Hammes Stause, Interior Design, ’15

“I initially sought help from the Learning Center during my freshman year to improve my study skills and found myself excelling academically, which I had never done before. I attribute graduating with honors to my application of skills I learned from the Learning Specialist. They showed me how to succeed in such a caring and enthusiastic way.”

Maxwell Kennedy, Photography & Imaging, ’17

“Time spent in the Learning Center was time well spent. Writing is not my strong suit, so my grades were suffering and not really reflective of my true ability. The Learning Specialist assessed my needs and helped me develop my own unique skill set to improve my writing. This helped me achieve acceptance to grad school at Goldsmiths University of London.”

Daniel Jeffers, Fine Arts, ’18

“Without support from the professionals at the Learning Center, I would never have graduated. As a veteran with no college experience, I was in over my head, but they encouraged and supported me every step of the way. I recommend all incoming students take advantage of all the support and guidance they have to offer.”

Sunghee Park, Illustration & Visual Development, ’19

“As an international student and Davis scholar, I can’t say enough about the support from the Learning Center. My understanding of English in written and spoken forms increased dramatically over the four years I worked with a Learning Specialist. In one hour, we could accomplish what would take me four or five hours to complete on my own. Now I have the confidence to develop my art career here in the U.S.”

Matthew Royal, Illustration, ‘19

“As a person on the Autism Spectrum, communication and organization in school have always been big problems. But the Learning Specialist was so patient, even when she had to remind me about an assignment many times. She helped me to build the skills and confidence I needed to speak to my instructors and I even learned to make presentations in front of the whole class.”